Ben Smidt

A look at Water Street Saturday morning – thousands of students and alumni celebrating despite the rain, some watching the parade through bar windows – makes some think the parade is right where it belongs.

“Thousands of students live (in the Water Street area),” senior Dan McDonnell said. “It’s our neighborhood and we enjoy having a parade on the main street of our own neighborhood.”

Concerns about diminishing crowd control during the parade and the negative perception given by some Water Street merchants to Homecoming officials before the event last fall spawned a suggestion last November for a route away from Water Street.

The alternative parade path still planned to start at Owen Park along First Avenue, but instead of heading to Water Street, would go north to Lake Street.

The route then would turn east over the bridge to Barstow Street and conclude north at Eau Claire Street.

There was strong student support for the parade to remain on Water Street, though, and many business owners thought the students would be on Water Street regardless.

Trevor Fladwood, a 1999 graduate of UW-Eau Claire, came back this year for his third Homecoming as alumnus to play the sousaphone in the International Association of Jazz Educator’s beach band.

“I think it’s the perfect place for the parade because it is for the students, and that is where the students are,” he said. “Holding the parade somewhere else won’t reduce the number of people on Water Street on Homecoming, just the number of people who see the parade.”

So rather than moving the parade, alternative discussion were held to discuss how to reduce litter and vandalism that day.

Jason Ruppert, an Eau Claire police officer, said extra police were on duty Friday and Saturday to prevent those acts. The bars strictly enforced leaving all containers in the bar to reduce the possibility of littering and to obey the open containers ordinance.

“I thought the parade was much more tame this year than years past,” McDonnell said. Community members are welcome he said, but students should be expected to be rowdy.