The Lion Scouts walked backward, the club lacrosse teams danced and a mini Centre Area Transportation Authority bus drove down College Avenue on Friday night, performing for Penn State fans, old and young, and even a few brave Badgers fans.
The 2007 Penn State Homecoming parade began with several familiar faces, like Penn State President Graham Spanier, who waved from the Lion Ambassadors' float, and this year's Grand Marshall, Franco Harris, who smiled at fans from the back seat of a convertible.
The homecoming court drove by, also in convertibles, dressed up and wearing sashes on their way to the coronation ceremony at Old Main that followed the parade.
A rendition of Halloween favorite "Thriller" was performed by members of Penn State Campus Crusade for Christ who dressed as zombies and made their way through the parade route.
Pop culture floats prevailed, as many organizations had movie- and TV show-themed floats, like Wedding Crashers, Cars and Caddyshack.
Two co-ed fraternities, Alpha Chi Sigma, 406 S. Pugh St., and Phi Sigma Pi had a float reminiscent of "Rock 'Em Sock 'Em Robots" but with the heads of a lion and badger.
University of Wisconsin fan Aaron Schlines, of Milwaukee, was in town with two of his friends. The three Wisconsin fans were confused about the parade, unaware that they had chosen homecoming weekend to venture into Happy Valley.
The Badgers fans were here, Schlines said, because it was the furthest place from their home, and they wanted to make sure that their team was represented at the game.
The sidewalks lining the parade route were littered with the snack wrappers and strewn with the sleeping bags and blankets of those who had been there since early Friday saving their spots. Greek letters, written in sidewalk chalk, saved spots for some groups, while others had their members set up camp to ensure their seats.
Sidewalks and benches weren't the only spots scoped out early. Nick Klein (senior-finance) watched the parade from the fence of Café 210 West, 210 W. College Ave., where he had been waiting since 8:30 a.m.
He was waiting to make sure the members of his fraternity, Phi Gamma Nu, and its alumni had the best seats in the house.
"The alumni are really good to us," Klein said. They had about 40 current and graduated members there enjoying the festivities, he added.
The parade ended at about 8 p.m. with the Penn State Blue Band. The Blue Band also performed at the Pep Rally/King and Queen Coronation after the parade.
A crowd that spread from the Old Main patio out to the flagpoles gathered to watch several performances featured in the pep rally.
Kim Carapucci (senior-broadcast journalism and Spanish) and Chris Talley (senior-hotel, restaurant and institutional management) were crowned as this year's homecoming queen and king. The winner of another homecoming competition, the Band Bash, was also decided early in the morning on Friday. Sweetbriar, the first band that performed on Thursday night, was declared the winner by the event's judges.
The pep rally included a performance by Penn State dance company Orchesis and was emceed by Dan Cocco, this year's Interfraternity Council/Panhellenic Dance Marathon overall chairman, and Mike Petrasek, the Thon public relations chairman.
The Nittany Lion also made an appearance at the pep rally, where he did about 15 one armed push-ups, several fewer than the 38 he had to do after the final score of Saturday's football victory.
