Students rally at Sample Gates for parade, pregame pep rally

Dozens of unclaimed Tootsie Rolls and Dum-dums lay on Third Street after the 47th annual Homecoming parade stormed through campus Friday evening.\nThe unwanted candy didn't accurately reflect attendance at the grand hour-long procession, which included floats and appearances by at least 20 student groups and organizations and preceded the pep rally at the Sample Gates.\nStudents and alumni lined the streets for the parade, some with small children carrying plastic Kroger bags to efficiently accumulate the Smarties and Laffy Taffies many parade participants threw.\nThe greek community was well-represented in the parade, especially the multi-cultural chapters.\nMen from Kappa Alpha Psi wore bright red jackets \ndonning their chapter's letters and stopped periodically during the parade route to perform a step routine for onlookers. \nPhi Kappa Tau, Theta Nu Xi and Gamma Phi Omega also had representatives marching in the parade, proudly gripping banners that revealed their chapter's identity.\nSome greek chapters used the parade as an outlet for philanthropic endeavors.\nMembers of Zeta Tau Alpha sorority passed out Think Pink! cards with information for Big Man On Campus, their biggest philanthropic project of the year, in support of breast cancer research.\nKappa Kappa Gamma members, including seniors Kristy Scherer and Andrea White, took to the sidewalks and collected money for Riley Children's Hospital.\nThe School of Informatics pleased onlookers by throwing out black Frisbees from their makeshift float on a pick-up truck.\nSophomore Rachel Soukup caught one. This was the first year she came to the Homecoming parade. \n"I'm having fun," she said. "I came for the candy."\nFreshmen Lauren Sharo and Emma Coverdale stood outside Forest Quad during the parade. Sharo actively sought out candy and even managed a hug from Clifford the Big Red Dog, who took to the streets on behalf of the event's sponsor, the Student Alumni Association.\nFootball head coach Terry Hoeppner and his wife, Jane, served as the parade's grand marshals, bringing up the rear of the convoy and the loudest cheers from the sidewalks.\nThe procession convened before the Sample Gates, where hundreds of students, alumni, parents and guests stood shoulder to shoulder to witness the pep rally.\nThe Marching Hundred was the star of that show, forming a bundled circle amid the crowd and playing crowd favorites including "Sing, Sing, Sing." The IU Redsteppers, cheeks rosy from the crisp October air, moved in-sync with one another to the songs.\nAlumnus Dennis Sollman placed himself among the rowdiest youth of the crowd, but he didn't seem to mind. He said he'd been coming to football games for the last 20 years, and being in Bloomington was important to him.\n"It just has a special place in my heart," he said.\nIU President Adam Herbert made an appearance before the pep rally crowd with a special guest, his dog Dusty. Herbert held the dog that donned a teeny crimson sweater while speaking highly of Hoeppner and the football program .\nHoeppner also addressed the crowd, encouraging students to "stay up all night" and attend the morning football game Saturday. Students responded favorably to the suggestion.\nAs the music died down, attendees' faces came alive as they were treated with a brief fireworks display over Franklin Hall, which concluded the spirited evening.\nJunior Amy Mills snapped pictures of the brightened sky. She said she had a "really good time" at the pep rally. \n"I think it gave Homecoming a boost of extra excitement before the game," she said.