Homecoming is a week full of school spirit, festivities, and fun. Not to mention the returning alumni and the fear of a fall chill at the football game. This year, our 100th Homecoming, kicked off with a carnival on the quad, followed by the introduction of the homecoming court, and finally fireworks on the Frank M. Lindsay Field.

Festivities at the carnival included a mechanical bull, tug of war, three-legged races, and an extremely popular henna tattoo table. Funnel cake fries and soft pretzels could not come fast enough, as hungry students devoured the delicious treats. Teresa Brase, sporting an elaborate flower on her hand, stated, “my favorite thing about the kickoff was the henna. I love the design of my tattoo and sitting in line talking to my friends. They had a lot of different choices for a henna tattoo. I also love how a week later the tattoo is still visible.”

It was no surprise that many students enjoyed themselves. Lines formed at both the henna booth and the mechanical bull, the two activities creating great memories for friends and acquaintances alike. Kayce Fuentes, a human services major and member of Alpha Chi Omega took to the mechanical bull. “I’ve always wanted to do it and I was excited to try it out. The first ten seconds were fine and then it made a really hard turn and I flew off. It was actually kind of dangerous when you think about it, but I still had fun and even tried it again. I made it a grand total of thirteen seconds,” Fuentes said.

We can’t forget to thank all the people that helped make this kickoff great: Hard working students like Janissa Gjertsen helped run the event. She explained, “I was in charge of the ball toss. It seemed very successful since many kids were there at our homecoming carnival. Many people stopped by to play and it was such a great turn out.”

After the carnival began to wind down, students made their way over the football field. People passed out blue glowsticks for school spirit and could then be seen wearing them as halos and necklaces. The Sapphires and the Millikin Cheerleaders put on an exciting dance performance to a mix of popular songs off the radio. President White spoke to the Big Blue crown, and then it was time to announce the homecoming king and queen candidates. The crowd cheered for all who were nominated, patiently awaiting the beginning of the fireworks display.

Then the show began. It seemed that everything was bigger than last year; longer and showcasing different types of fireworks. The effort to improve from last year’s display was definitely not unnoticed. Overall it seemed like a fantastic way to celebrate the beginning of Homecoming. What with all the games and fun, students didn’t regret showing up to the festivities on Monday night. Hopefully, everybody had a great Homecoming!