The bright, warm weather reflected the cheerful atmosphere last Saturday as students and alumni gathered in the McDonough parking lot. While various festivities were held throughout homecoming weekend without any major glitches, the most noticeable success was the football “tailgate.” Homecoming planners did an outstanding job in making the necessary changes to this year’s event. Tailgaters didn’t seem to mind that there were no cars allowed in the parking lot, since there was plenty of food and drink to go around. Beer and barbeque lines were manageable throughout the day.
In one sense, the lack of vehicles in the parking lot actually enhanced the experience. Without a home base and with food and drink sources spread throughout the lot, attendees were compelled to stroll around and mingle, rather than spend the entire day confined to a single location with a small group of friends. One of the goals of the revamped homecoming was to attract more older alumni-recent grads are far more common Homecoming attendees-and there did seem to be a few more older faces than in past years.
Hopefully, good reviews will spread among alumni associations, and next year’s event will attract an even more diverse crowd.
Another highlight of this year’s homecoming was the performance by a U2 tribute band, Unforgettable Fire. While “unforgettable” might be a stretch, the band sprovided a realistic enouugh interpretation of U2, and they put on a fun and energetic show. Unforgettable Fire had many in the crowd dancing by the early afternoon hours, and it seems likely that at least a few people forgot that the lead singer wasn’t really Bono.
Even the football game was a success, as the Hoyas came out on top to the delight of those who made it inside Harbin Field. Next year’s Homecoming committee should do even more to promote attendance at the game, since the football team deserves a day in the spotlight as a reward for their hard work on the field throughout the season. All told, attendees of Saturday’s festivities would be hard-pressed to find a complaint.
