Socially Distanced Homecoming Parade Held at Medlar Field
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — While the coronavirus pandemic has delayed most student activities, the homecoming parade continued on.
On Friday, Oct. 17, students and faculty members expressed their community pride through video packages that were displayed on the scoreboard of Medlar Field.
With current social distancing conditions mandatory for public gatherings, executive director Julie Greco was proud of how the executive committee brought the parade together.
“We had to really get creative and rethink the entire process of planning the parade,” Greco said. “We wanted to make it in a way that everyone could still come together to celebrate while making sure that everyone would still be safe.”
Despite the obstacles that COVID-19 has presented, students were still just as excited to come together and see friends from safe distances.
Master of ceremonies and engineering major Brett Randby acknowledged the significance of the homecoming parade and other campus activities in a time of extreme uncertainty.
“I think with homecoming and so many other activities on campus, they really give you the tools to forge so many amazing memories,” Randby said. “You’re going to be able to look back on them and say, ‘Wow, Penn State was really the highlight of my life.’”
By the end of the night, Medlar Field was filled with joy and excitement, as videos sparked the pride of students and gave some sense of normalcy at a time when normalcy is craved more than ever.
The homecoming committee hopes that its efforts can serve as precedent for other student-led events to follow.
Matthew McLaughlin is a freshman majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact him, email mem6936@psu.edu.
