It's OSU Homecoming Weekend
>> Saturday, October 20, 2007
Homecoming is one of the many proud traditions at Oklahoma State University, and perhaps one of the most widely known. Every year, thousands of OSU alumni and fans return to Stillwater, taking part in what is heralded as the biggest and best homecoming celebration in the country.
Traditional festivities include the Friday evening "walkaround" for visitors to view large, elaborate house decorations on the lawns of fraternity and sorority houses, with several vendors scattered throughout the tour route. There is also the "Sea of Orange Parade," a Saturday morning parade down Main Street in Stillwater with decorated floats, high school marching bands, horses, and politicians. Capping off the festivities is the traditional homecoming football game at Boone Pickens Stadium, typically played Saturday evening. Hester Street is typically painted with words of encouragement for the football team for when they take part in The Walk; a tradition started by former coach Les Miles where tens of thousands of Cowboy fans line Hester Street as the team walks from the Student Union to Boone Pickens Stadium. In recent years, the men's basketball team has hosted their annual Basketball Bash in Gallagher-Iba Arena on Homecoming Saturday afternoon, allowing the throng of OSU fans in home for the football game to catch a glimpse of the basketball Pokes before basketball season begins.
Oklahoma State's homecoming has its roots in the annual Harvest Carnival (a tradition that's still a part of Homecoming today) that first began in 1913 as festival including agricultural exhibits, a Harvest Queen competition, a parade, and an evening carnival. By 1920, the Harvest Carnival had been replaced with homecoming. In 1921, the Oklahoma State University Alumni Association adopted homecoming as an official alumni association event. The Harvest Carnival parade was retained and became a part of the homecoming celebration, and continues to be a big part of the tradition. In the 1920s, sororities began decorating the doorways and exteriors of their houses, which later gave way to the elaborate house decorations on the lawns of fraternities, sororities, and dormitories that inspired the Friday evening walkaround. Theta Pond is also traditionally lined with orange lights and the water in the fountain in front of Edmon Low Library is dyed Cowboy orange during Homecoming week. (reposted from Wikipedia)
Click Here to Hear Some Great Recordings of the OSU Marching Band
3 comments:
Surprisingly I do miss this stuff! Thanks for posting the video!
I love it! We were all sort of nostalgic this year as we thought about OSU homecoming. It goes all the way back to our childhood, Lynette. I remember decorating my bike with orange and black crepe paper and riding in the parade, then marching in the parade in the SHS band. Great memories!
BTW--I'm an ISTJ. Border on the T/F. It's based on the Myers-Briggs Personality Inventory. We had to take it when we first joined up with the IMB. Mom and dad have taken it. They took it when they came to visit us in Barbados. Mom's letters were the same as mine. I think dad's were the same as yours--ENFP, but he was a borderline E/I. You are generally the ones who don't usually care what you are, and don't generally remember your letters. Mom thought it was interesting. Dad passed it all off as rubbish. I thought it was fascinating. BTW, it's people with my letters who love "The Far Side." We basically have what amounts to "sick humor." :) And you know what? I do!!
Many of my favorite childhood memories center around OSU Homecoming. I loved the walkaround, when we were kids. I remember that Dad took us almost every year. I remember the chilly, October Saturday mornings, standing and waiting for the parade to start, and as the parade passed by dreaming of the day when I'd be in it too. I remember thinking how the homecoming queen and her court were SO BEAUTIFUL and their dresses were SO pretty, and wishing that I could wear a crown like the queen's. I remember the funny clowns, and the candy, and the local politicians walking down the sidewalks, shaking hands and schmoozing. I remember wearing that red and white dress that mother made for me when Happy Camp was running for Congress, (Dad was his Payne County campaign manager), and getting to ride on the Happy Camp float wearing that dress and my big red and white campaign button that said "I'm in Happy's Camp". (I was 8 years old and I thought I was totally cool! LOL!)
I also remember that homecoming was always an indicator to me that Halloween was coming very soon. And I always thought it was rather appropriate that OSU's colors were Halloween colors as well.
Yeah...lots of happy memories.
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