Katie HillReporter

Follow the crowd of hobos and hippies on Saturday morning, and you will find yourself surrounded by students, faculty, alumni and community members at one of the largest one-day events in the Dakotas: The Hobo Day Parade.

The parade begins at 9:30 a.m. on Medary Avenue and will continue along Sixth Street and Main Avenue. The Grand Marshal and ROTC members will lead the parade.

The parade will include vehicles and floats from various student organizations and residence halls, as well as special entries and dignitaries.

“My job during the parade is to organize the floats and make sure they match up to the description,” said Floats Coordinator Paige Hansen, a junior pre-nursing major.

Robin Bickel, junior advertising and marketing major, is this year’s Hobo Day Grand Pooba. As the University Program Council homecoming coordinator, Bickel is in charge of the homecoming committee.

Bickel said a lot of the floats are incorporating “60s and “70s themes with hippie and retro styles.

“We have gotten a lot of float entries that are going to be a lot of fun,” Bickel said.

In addition to the floats, 10 high school bands will march in the parade, along with the alumni band and The Pride of the Dakotas. Many students and teams will also be participating in the parade.

“I’ve been in the Hobo Day parade in previous years with the dance team,” said Kayla Chambers, senior apparel merchandising major. “I think the parade is fun because it gets me pumped up for the game.”

Bickel has attended many Hobo Day parades in the past and will be riding in the bummobile at the end of the parade.

“The Hobo Day parade is not like a normal hometown parade,” Bickel said. “It’s so much more than that.”

#1.1717594:726902187.jpg:05BW.jpg:The Pride of the Dakotas Marching Band will lead this year?s Hobo Day parade at 9:30 a.m. Tailgating will follow the parade, beginning at 11:30 a.m., with the game kickoff at 2 p.m. :Collegian Photo by Mackenzie Clayton