Homecoming History: Crowning of royalty during the 1959 ESU Homecoming.

Emporia State’s traditions for homecoming have evolved, changed names and fallen by the wayside with every passing decade.

“The overall concept of homecoming was for it to be a reunion for alumni,” said Roger Heineken, administrative officer for the Information Service Center, and ESU history enthusiast. “It also used to mark the occasion of the last home football game for the season, and hopefully ‘welcomed the team home’ victoriously.”

The only undefeated football team in ESU history was fielded in 1927 with a record of 7-0-0, according to the centennial addition to the 1963 Sunflower.

A homecoming tradition that has gone in and out of vogue is homecoming royalty.

“During the early 1970s President Visser did away with homecoming royalty since it had many issues, including being based around popularity, and not being very inclusive to different races,” Heineken said. “About 10 years ago homecoming royalty was reconceived in a much more inclusive manner.”

The once common tradition of freshman hazing fell by the wayside, and used to be correlated with homecoming, Heineken said.

“The Letterman’s Club used to sell beanies to freshman that they had to wear till homecoming, or they’d be paddled,” Heineken said. “Also, the freshman weren’t allowed to walk on the sidewalk leading from Commercial St. to campus, where the fountains are, until homecoming or they’d get paddled again. This tradition stopped around ‘63 or ’64, and in the Sauder Alumni Center you can still see the beanies they used to sell.”

Homecoming entertainment has also changed names and types as the years have passed.

“There used to be a scholarship variety show called Curli-Q, and UAC used to host a homecoming concert that happened every year until 1978,” Heineken said. “The concert got cancelled due to its conflict with events like the booked musical. In 1973 the booked musical started, with this year’s being the 37^th.”

The homecoming parade has been a tradition, like royalty, that has come and gone throughout the school’s history. It used to be that groups on campus would build floats to be judged in a competitive manner, and then they were displayed in a lavish parade, Heineken said.

“I remember judging the parade floats in the early ’90s,” said Phil Kelly, professor of social sciences. “It seems to me that there’s less student involvement at events in recent years, but I think that the dual theme of homecoming and Halloween is working really well this year.”

Even within the Emporia community a strong history of alumni homecoming exists, demonstrated most heavily in the Kaffe-Kalatch.

“The Kaffe-Kalatch was a general gathering of alumni as they came and went during homecoming weekend where they met for coffee and visited in the morning before attending any events,” Heineken said. “The event became even bigger with the institution of the Distinguished Alumni Program in 1961.”

Josh Johnson/The Bulletin

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Emporia State’s Haunted Homecoming events and activities successfully drew students into a haunting display of school spirit.

“I think people are really excited for homecoming this year,” said Lanie Harber, junior communications major. “The decorations are really awesome this year, and I think the ghost walk is going to draw a big crowd.”

Some students were initially apprehensive about the combined theme of Halloween and homecoming.

“I thought the Halloween theme was corny at the start of all this,” said Kris Swearingen, senior English secondary education major. “But now I like it, and it seems like it’s working out really well.”

This year’s homecoming activities included a whitewash event where students could pay money to draw on portions of the campuses sidewalk.

“It’s a great opportunity to promote royalty candidates, organizations and be creative,” Harber said. “It’s just a great ‘express yourself’ event over homecoming week.”

The annual tricycle races were held on Monday featuring the first co-ed team, STAND, the anti-genocide coalition. This year’s winners were the Sigma Pi fraternity.

“I thought it was great this year that there were non-Greek teams and a co-ed team participating,” said Kyra Strobel, senior communications major. “I thought everybody did really great and I am really excited for Sig Pi.”

Faculty and staff watching the event noted the surprising amount of skill the tricycle races required.

“This was certainly a different event,” said Peter Brodie, alumni relations director. “The event was energetic and physically demanding and I’d never be able to do it. It’s great to see such collaboration between students and administration.”

On Tuesday, Campus Crusade for Christ (CRU) held a costume party in the Hornet’s Nest where they played games, and later went to the Inner-Bean Café for snacks and refreshments.

“CRU has always done a Halloween party,” said Kristi Gildner, junior psychology major. “We have a lot of fun playing games and dressing up for this event.”

Some of the costumes at the party included a trio dressed as Brock, Misty and Ash from the “Pokemon” series, a clown, a witch, a cowgirl and gothic forensics girl Abigail Sciuto from the TV series “NCIS.”

“We are trying to get our name out there and let people come and have a good time with our costume party,” said Adriana Claassen, sophomore elementary education major. “I’m really excited for this week and all the activities that are happening this weekend.”

Buttons will be on sale until tomorrow for $1 in the Memorial Union.The buttons provide discounts and benefits at local participating merchants.

Josh Johnson/The Bulletin

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Hornet football team hosts Missouri Western for Homecoming

The Emporia State football team will play host to the Missouri Western Griffons for the Homecoming game at 1 p.m. Oct. 31 at Welch Stadium in Emporia. The Hornets look to capitalize on their overtime win over Truman State a week ago, 30-24, against the Griffons, who are currently #3 in the MIAA. The football team is currently 2-7, 1-6 in MIAA play.

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Roy Michael Johnson, senior theater major, emerges from the fog in Albert Taylor Hall dressed in a black leather bustier, fishnets and 6-inch heels. In full make up, he struts across the stage and sings, “I’m just a sweet transvestite from transsexual Transylvania!”

Johnson plays the role of Dr. Frank N Furter for this year’s Homecoming Scholarship Musical, Richard O’Brien’s “Rocky Horror Show.”

“I like everything about it,” Johnson said. “It’s a show that I’m a big fan of. I’ve watched the movie since I was in middle school every year.”

“The Rocky Horror Show” started in London in the 1970s and grew to become a cult phenomenon with its film version, “The Rocky Horror Picture Show,” in the U.S. Jim Bartruff, theater director and professor, said it developed out of an anti-establishment, free love environment. The show spoofs science fiction movies of the 1960s.

“It’s one of those shows that our students say ‘let’s do the Rocky Horror Show’ and there was always a bit of reluctance to do it because of the subject matter,” Bartuff said.

Bartruff said he and a planning committee looked at the material and realized that it is not as startling as it might have been 40 years ago when the show began. He said they decided on doing the show because Homecoming fell on Halloween and it allows audience members to dress up and get involved.

During midnight showings of the “Rocky Horror Picture Show,” audience members shout at the movie screen and throw food items. Bartruff said that because ESU’s performance is a theater production, liquids and food will be confiscated at the door. Prop kits will be available for $5 and the proceeds will go to the music and theatre departments.

Marah Melvin, freshman elementary education major, said she and the other actors in the show are excited to see the crowd get involved.

“We encourage it, we hope people dress up, we hope people shout things, you know,” Melvin said. “We just feed off that and the energy, so we would love it if they do it.”

Performances of the Rocky Horror Show are Oct. 29 at 7:30 p.m., Oct. 30 at 12 a.m., Oct. 31 at 7:30 p.m. and Nov. 1 at 2 p.m. Tickets are available at the ESU Box Office in the Memorial Union or by calling 620-341-6378.

Lauren Walbridge/The Bulletin

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