Daily Collegian - Trends and Traditions' theme of Homecoming Parade (2nd place banner)

Colorful floats, marching bands, and antique cars traversed the streets of State College before thousands Friday evening in the 1987 Homecoming Parade.

Floats integrating this year's parade theme, Trends and Traditions," included scenes such as all-night studying, tailgating, dorm and apartment move-ins, post-season bowl games and traveling around campus on the Campus Loop.

Charles Simikian, winner of the Joe Paterno look-alike contest, served as grand marshal for the parade, which was sponsored by the Interfraternity and Panhellenic Councils. Lieutenant Govenor and University alumnus Mark Singel served as honorary grand marshal.

The winning float, entered by Phi Delta Theta fraternity, 240 N.Burrowes Rd., and Alpha Xi Delta sorority, 13 Wolf Hall, featured Head Football Coach Joe Paterno sitting on a mountain overlooking Beaver Stadium holding a football.

When the Paterno figure raised the football, the sun emerged from a rainy sky while a Nittany Lion on the float did pushups.

We got a lot of participation from the crowd, especially with the crazy band," said Fraternity Vice President Tom Sambolt, who attributed much of the float's success to Alpha Xi Delta sorority and several other members of the fraternity. Several members of the crazy band posed as rain drops, squirting water on others in the band who wore rain coats and sang Singing in the Rain," Sambolt said. He said spectators seemed to enjoy the moving parts on the float, particularly as the football and sun rose while the clouds descended.

Joan Martin and Carmen Iuliano, of Upper Darby, two spectators who stood on College Avenue enjoying the procession, said they have been coming to State College the last thirteen years for football games.

I like everything," said Martin, especially the (Penn State) Blue Band," she said. Of the parade's 40 floats, she said, I like them all. They put a lot of hard work into them."

I don't think there's any better event to come up for other than the football games," Iuliano said.

Drawing a loud round of applause from spectators was the 105-member Harrisburg High School Band which performed a dance routine to the song Lifetime Love" by Joyce Sims, said Assistant Band Director Dwight E.Joppy. Joppy wrote the routine.

Waiting for a bus home after the parade were Tina Martin (senior-rehabilitati on education) and Buffy Brubaker (senior-pharmacy), who also enjoyed the parade, but possibly for different reasons.

It was really funny after you hit the Skeller (All-American Rathskeller) for four or five hours," they said.

Homecoming Chairman Stephen Kasinetz announced the event's winners last evening in the HUB Ballroom.

Overall first place, Phi Delta Theta fraternity and Alpha Xi Delta; second, Acacia fraternity and Alpha Omicron Pi sorority; third, Theta Delta Chi fraternity and Theta Kappa Pi sorority.

Window painting: first place, Kappa Delta Rho fraternity and Chi Omega sorority; second, Pi Kappa Alpha fraternity and Kappa Delta sorority; third, Theta Delta Chi fraternity and Theta Kappa Pi sorority.

Mad Hatter: first place, Acacia fraternity and Alpha Omicron Pi sorority; second, Delta Sigma Phi fraternity and little sisters; third, Pi Kappa Alpha fraternity and Kappa Delta sorority.

Banner: first place, Beta Theta Pi fraternity and Kappa Alpha Theta sorority; second, Theta Chi fraternity and Sigma Delta Tau sorority; third, Phi Delta Theta fraternity and Alpha Xi Delta sorority.

Crazy Band: first place, Pi Kappa Alpha fraternity and Kappa Delta sorority; Phi Kappa Psi fraternity and Alpha Chi Omega sorority; third place Alpha Epsilon Pi fraternity and little sisters.