Spring Break
Parade pleases crowd with tumblers, band performances
Brittini Garcia/Campus Editor
Issue date: 10/20/08 Section: News
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To check out our slideshow of the Jesse White Tumblers from the Homecoming pep rally, click here!Lori Aten, an Eastern alum and 38-year resident of Charleston, was pleased with the Homecoming parade performances and crowd attitude this year.
"I am very impressed this year," Aten said. "It's been six years since I have been in it, and I think they have done a wonderful job."
Aten said in 2002, many bands, including high school bands, had horrible experiences at the Eastern Homecoming parade because people would throw beer cups at them during their performances.
"It was miserable and a bad experience, but talking with the band after today's performance, they had a good experience and I am thoroughly pleased," Aten said.
She added the parade boosted her morale for the Homecoming game. She said the parade was great because it got the community involved with the university.
The Homecoming parade started at 9:30 a.m. Saturday, with the Homecoming game kicking off at 11 a.m.
Joe Peccaa, a sophomore with an undecided major, had a great time celebrating Homecoming with his friends as they watched the parade.
"It was pretty good," Peccaa said. "There were a lot of floats this year, and I especially liked the drum line."
Following the parade, Peccaa tailgated and attended the game.
"I came to the parade to kick off Homecoming and celebrate Homecoming to the fullest," Peccaa said.
Leanna Puccell, a Charleston High School student, enjoyed watching her sister perform in the Eastern band.
"I enjoyed the parade because this is the first time since we saw the parade in six years," Puccell said.
Puccell enjoyed watching the Decatur Drillers performance during the parade and looks forward to next year's performance.
Ryan Peterlich, an Eastern alum and resident of Charleston since 1975, said he enjoyed seeing the bands back in the Homecoming parade and the Jesse White Tumblers. The Jesse White Tumblers, who have performed since 1959, wowed the crowd during their performance.
The parade is an annual tradition for the Peterlich family and they look forward to the parade next year.
Many organizations and community leaders participated in the Homecoming parade this past weekend. Many of them include sororities, fraternities, Charleston High School cheerleaders, Booth Library, Pride, Co-Ed Hairstyling, local ministries and local businesses.
Maria Longsworth, a junior radiology major, said she enjoyed the Ashmore Estates float because people dressed in Halloween costumes and scared the crowd with chainsaws and masks.
"The Ashmore Estates float was awesome," Longsworth said. "It was very scary."
Longsworth watched the parade with her friend Kelsey Konrad, a junior sociology major.
Both girls enjoyed the Sigma Pi and Alpha Gamma Delta float. The float was a huge yellow submarine that coincided with their Beatles theme.
"We're celebrating Homecoming together and living on this street makes it convenient to watch the parade," Longsworth said.
Brittni Garcia can be reached at 581-7942 or at bmgarcia@eiu.edu.
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