Middle Tennessee State University - Midlander Yearbook (Murfreesboro, TN)

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20 Homecoming

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mid the current Western fad and Urban wboy frenzy, MTSG celebrated its 45th lual homecoming week, October 20-25, h something for everyone activities itered on A Down Home Good Time ;me. nd a logical choice for a theme it was. ' SG ' s close proximity to Nashville, the thplace of country music, and its history eped in Southern tradition made this ar ' s celebration one of the most success- in the 45year history. Students and alum- participated in record numbers in events iging from a fight song competition to tivities day. from a poster contest to a her soggy Friday-night pep rally. Starting off with a fight song competition, mecoming revelers competed for top hon- by singing Blue Raiders Ride!, the offi- cial MTSU fight song. Eight groups compet- ed, with Chi Omega Sorority taking first place in the women ' s chorus division; Sigma Phi Epsilon in men ' s chorus; and Sigma Al- pha Epsilon and Alpha Delta Pi ' s combined effort took the award in mixed chorus. Spirit reached a near-fever pitch Wednes- day afternoon when almost 30 campus orga- nizations took part in Activities Day. Com- peting in three categories — fraternity, so- rority and open — participants showed their skills in the keg run-around, tobacco spit- ting. Jell-o slurp and four-legged race. It may sound like simple fun and games, but when it comes time to compete for the homecoming spirit trophy, the fun and games are usually forgotten and are re- placed by serious work! Circling a beer keg at breakneck speed, against a clock that doesn ' t lie, is not exactly simple. More than once, contestants suffered from falls, their equilibrium shot to hell by the running. The folks down on the farm may find it easy to spit long, accurate streams of tobac- co juice, but they have, after all, had more practice than the average MTSU student. But regardless of their amount of practice, representatives of the campus groups found that distance was the determining factor as they competed for top honors in the tobacco spitting contest. Imagine yourself kneeling before a table, your hands tied behind you and being forced to slurp a dish filled with wiggly, jiggly food service Jell-o. Heavy S M? Perhaps, but that ' s exactly what was required of partici- pants in the Jell-o slurp. Homecoming 19

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After a torrential downpour of rain which lut a damper on Friday night ' s pep rally and coming too late to ease the drought in ' urfreesboro which led to the cancellation if the bonfire on Thursday night), Saturday lawned cold and windy as the big day got inder way. The homecoming parade, featur- ng more than 65 units including some 15 loats, made its way down the traditional )arade route of Tennessee Boulevard and ain Street to the town square. Led by ■ITStl ' s Band of Blue, the parade was ' iewed by thousands of loc l residents, stu- lents and alumni who lined the parade oute. The warm autumnal shades of the eason were at their most vivid as the threat- ening skies of early morning cleared. Taking top honors in the float competition were Sigma Alpha Epsilon and Alpha Delta Pi for their imaginative entry, which featured a mountain cabin and a winding creek (with eager beavers on the creekbank). Second place went to the entry from Kappa Alpha and Kappa Delta. The float featured a motorized model of an MTSU stu- dent fishing beneath a vibrant green apple tree dotted with bright red fruit. Sigma Chi fraternity took third place with their mountain-top cabin and working still with the theme Nuttin ' Goodr ' n a Swig a ' victory! Instead of using the usual tissue paper stuffing for their float, the Sigma Chi ' s chose to use real down-home hay for their float. Other groups represented by floats in the parade were Sigma Phi Epsilon. Delta Tau Delta. Pi Kappa Alpha, Gamma Beta Phi, Kappa Delta Pi. Student United Nations. Al- pha Tau Omega. Wesley Foundation. Kappa Sigma. Chi Omega, and several others. President Sam Ingram made his was down the parade route as the passenger of Mrs. Pauline Blankenship in her pony cart. Mrs. Blankenship and her husband. John, who played host to MTSG First Lady Betty In gram, continued their longtime tradition of participation in the homecoming parade. Fourth District Congressman Al Gore Jr., Rutherford County Executive Ben Hall McFarlin, and National Alumni Association President Charlie Holt, were among the other dignitaries who were featured in the parade. Homecoming 21