Homecoming: 'Once upon a time'

By Julianna Parker

October 16, 2008 01:55 am

— Homecoming events this week at the University of Oklahoma will culminate Saturday with the football game against the University of Kansas.
Students have been participating in spirit events since Monday. The theme this year is "Once Upon a Time in Soonerland..." It was chosen by the executive committee last spring, said Ericka Burey, Campus Activities Council homecoming chair.
"It was a process of elimination," she said. "We filled up a chalkboard with ideas for a theme and finally got it down to one: 'Once Upon a Time in Soonerland...,' which has been such a great theme thus far."
The theme will be evident in floats at the ultimate spirit event that the whole community is invited to attend: the homecoming parade.
The parade will start 11:30 a.m. Saturday at the intersection of Elm Avenue and Boyd Street. The parade will run along Boyd Street and end at the intersection of Jenkins Avenue and Felgar Street.
"We're planning on the parade to last 2 1/2 hours," Burey said. "Just enough time for people to start heading to the football game."
The football game will kick off 2:30 p.m. The halftime show will feature the coronation of the homecoming king and queen.
Royalty court for 2008 are:
· Allison Hay, letters
· Amanda Holloway, advertising and marketing
· McKenna Lossman, communications
· Sarah Shutts, international area studies and pre-med
· Kirstyn Wagner, history
· Ben Bigbie, economics and pre-med
· Matt Brown, economics and political science
· Munim Deen, pre-med microbiology
· Koby Harrington, journalism
· Barron Ryan, piano performance
To get everyone excited about the homecoming game, there will be a free, public pep rally 7 p.m. Friday in the McCasland Field House. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. Following the pep rally will be a benefit concert in front of the Oklahoma Memorial Union, featuring the band RocketSummer.
Also Friday, OU will honor the class of 2009 and university supporters Jon and Dee Dee Stuart during its annual Ring Ceremony, scheduled for 4 p.m. in the courtyard of Oklahoma Memorial Union, 900 Asp Ave.
In the event of rain, the ceremony will be in Beaird Lounge in Oklahoma Memorial Union. For more information on the ceremony or for accommodations on the basis of disability, call the Office of Special Events at 325-3784.
Julianna Parker 366-3541 jparker@normantranscript.com