Kent State’s Homecoming weekend started with the annual Homecoming Parade down Midway Drive and Main Street. Dancers, bands, clubs and the community come together to show their Flash pride. Students, parents, alumni and faculty attended the event.

This year, coordinators of the parade introduced a grandstand opportunity for performance groups. In a chalked-off section of the road, performance groups stopped and were able to perform for 45 seconds. Groups that performed included the Barefeet Dance Tribe, The Flashettes, Asé Xpressions and more.

The Marching Golden Flashes were a huge part of Homecoming weekend, including performing at the parade and football game. Senior music education major and drum major Jared Eichler spoke about the ambience of the parade.

“The atmosphere surrounding homecoming was quite eclectic,” said Eichler. “Homecoming is a celebration of the community surrounding the school, and we were just excited to perform for the community.”

As the band passed the grandstand area of the parade, they played Kent State’s fight song for the audience.

Attendee of the parade, freshman art education major Scarlett Loach, discussed her experience at the parade and seeing energy from the community.

“The atmosphere was great,” Loach said. “Everyone was wearing their blue and gold, and you could really see not only the current students’ school spirit, but also the alumni.”

Loach also said that this year’s parade was more eventful than those in the past. 

“The parades I have attended in the past have been very short,” she said. “This parade had a lot more participants, and it was longer in length than any other parade I had attended in the past.”

Eichler has been a part of the band for four years now.

“It is an absolute honor to represent the MGF in the Homecoming parade,” he said. “It just puts a smile on my face anytime I get to be with the MGF because we are a family and getting to share all of the hard work we put together with the community is just so special.”

Not only is being part of the band an honor to Eichler, but it has become a family to him. 

“I really like the community aspect that the MGF brings to the school,” he said. “We are all so close, and it really just brings such a relief to me after a busy day of classes. I love being able to perform and make music with my friends.”

Loach may not be a part of the band, but their performance at the parade stood out to her. 

“My favorite moment was seeing the Kent State marching band,” she said. “They sounded great, and I was happy to support my peers who are in the band.”

Eichler talked about the drilling practices and hard work that has gone into being a part of the marching band.

“We have been working on our marching fundamentals since the start of band camp,” he said. “This is where we learn to march with the proper technique and get used to moving as one, connected ensemble. In terms of music, we play the fight song and victory march which are a part of our pregame performance so we were quite fond of that music to begin with.”

The Homecoming parade is not just about honoring the football team and the participants, but bringing the community together. Each person plays a role, and comes out to show their Flash spirit.

“The highlight from the parade this year, and the previous years, was hearing my friends and family cheer my name as we walked down Main Street,” Eichler said. “It really just shows how much support I have from my friends and family.”

Savannah Carroll is a reporter. Contact her at [email protected]