Students, alumni, friends and fans turned out en mass to show their support for Southeastern’s 2010 Homecoming on Saturday, Oct. 23, by tailgating and watching the annual Homecoming Parade. The parade was a precursor to the Homecoming game between Southeastern and McNeese State that took place at Strawberry Stadium later that night. At 1 p.m. that afternoon, people crowded the streets of Southeastern and the lawns of Friendship Circle to barbecue, dance and celebrate in light of the events.

A prelude to the parade was the Lion’s Walk where Southeastern’s current and former football players, as well as coaches and staff marched around the campus on their way to the stadium, lead by Head Coach Mike Lucas.

Tangipahoa Parish Sherriff Deputies and the Spirit of New York fire trucks topped with Southeastern cheerleaders were at the lead of the parade. The fire trucks were the same vehicles that were sent by the State of Louisiana to aid the residents of New York in the wake of September 11, 2001.

Southeastern President, Dr. John Crain and Southeastern’s Alumnus of the Year, Donald George, were also in the vanguard. Each greeted the crowd in an open-air convertible. The honored guests were followed by Southeastern’s homecoming court, the marching band and finally the campus organization floats.

This year’s theme was “Roomie to the Rescue,” and so the majority of the floats were decorated with super hero and first responder type themes. Batman, The Incredible Hulk and Captain America were all among the many heroic floats to make their ways around campus.

“We spent a lot of time, really just time and money and it came out alright. We had fun every minute of it,” said Greek student Jack Price, a junior engineering technologies major who assisted in the building of the floats.

Students past and current alike were thrilled with the spectacle of events as they crowded the streets and the final floats were forced to slow to a crawl.

“It’s the best [parade] I’ve seen. I’ve been to about eight homecomings in the last ten years and without a doubt it’s the best,” said Brink Grush, alumnus of 1974.

As homecoming is a time to pay homage to Southeastern students of the past and also a celebration of the great prospects of the current student body, the 2010 Southeastern Homecoming Parade and other celebrations hit their mark. Old friends were reunited and alumni were offered a chance to revel in nostalgia.

“It’s really, really nice to be back and see everybody I went to school,” said Shari Moody, a Southeastern graduate from the spring of 2009. “It’s been really fun-like a big reunion.”