Photo courtesy of Andy Meyer

Madison, South Dakota went wild with excitement as a hundred and twenty beastly floats stampeded down Main Street for Homecoming. Cheered on by thousands of roaring spectators, the participants proudly paraded down Egan Avenue through the very heart of Madison’s concrete jungle.

Every aspect of the Homecoming Parade oozed the wild ferocity our Trojans are known for. The floats themselves sported everything from giant balloons to speed boats to half a jungle, complete with gorilla dancers, classical explorers and even a jungle crazy Tarzan lookalike. One float in particular decided to evoke the primal fear of the wilds in every human being with particularly haunting decorations (though some claim to have not seen that float at all ).

DSU itself was very well represented in the parade with a large number of clubs participating in the wild march! With hearts of gold and bags full of treats, Trojans entertained the townspeople with their wonderful blend of diversity and team spirit.

Children of all ages were swarming the side of the streets holding their plastic bags open as candy and treats hailed down upon them. The look of pure joy on those kids’ faces made more than one candy giver feel good about being in the parade that day.

All in all, the parade was an excellent demonstration of the perfect DSU-Madison Symbiosis that has defined our University’s existence for so long. One can only hope that this beautiful relationship continues in the future. If you are sad about not making it to the parade, don’t worry too much! Thanks to a campus wide collaboration we have obtained more than a few photos to illustrate the homecoming parade experience. Also given below are the list of floats that got won awards in a variety of categories:

a. Most Beautiful (Community)=Salon Etc.
b. Most Creative (Community)=Celtic Clippers
c. Most Humorous (Community)=Manitou
d. Most Beautiful (Campus)=DSU Cheer & Dance Team
e. Most Creative (Campus)=DSU Trojan Pride Committee
f. Most Humorous (Campus)=DSU Drama Club
g. Best Overall (Sweepstakes)=Madison Hospital & Clinic Employees