Janie Boschma[Editor’s note: Check out additional Homecoming photos.
UW-Eau Claire’s Homecoming Week peaked this weekend with entertainment and royalty crowning at Varsity Night Live! Friday evening, and the parade and game on Saturday.
Varsity Night Live!
Junior Jahlieh Henderson of Women’s Concert Chorale and senior Reid Larsen of The Singing Statesmen took the crowns as this year’s Homecoming king and queen.
“I’m really, really glad I had the support from my choir and from my friends,” Henderson said moments after she was crowned, as she descended, still shaking, from the stage.
The night opened with lively jazz music by Jazz Ensemble I and continued with eight more musical acts. It also featured a Hwa Rang Do/Tae Soo Do martial arts demonstration, which closed the first half.
Paula Stuettgen, coordinator of Student Development and Programs and Homecoming adviser, said the committee chose more acts this year, yet the show went surprisingly smooth and fast.
Juniors Jordan Hessling and Amanda Kircher said they especially enjoyed 5th Element, a six-man a cappella group, and guest comedian and MC Rob Paravonian, who they said was an improvement from last year. Other highlights included the all-female a cappella group, Audacious, and several band collaborations, including Katie Schultz & The Funky Bunch.
Freshmen Nicole Dickenson and Laura Headrick said they attended Varsity Night Live! because people told them to go, and they agreed that they weren’t disappointed. They found Paravonian especially funny, though they hadn’t heard of him before this.
Paravonian performed at Varsity Night Live! in 1999, Stuettgen said, and did an equally good job of keeping the crowd laughing this year.
The comedian and musician worked songs and guitar into his comedic routine and entertained the crowd with one-liners such as, “If you listen to pop music, you can’t listen to the lyrics,” and singing several examples. He also performed his YouTube favorite, a rant on Pachabel’s Canon in D.
“He’s a really good time,” Stuettgen said.
As for the royalty race, most candidates agreed the campaigning was especially enthusiastic and the voting seemed closer than other years.
“It always amazes me how many people get out and vote for that,” Stuettgen said of the race. “Boy, everybody was campaigning really hard.”
More than 1,500 people voted for court and the committee counted about 800 king and queen ballots, Stuettgen said.
The court’s Oak Ridge Hall representative, junior Becky Washleski, shrugged off the queen announcement and joked about how laid-back her campaign went, adding that her residents helped a lot.
Jimmy Jordan, sophomore court representative from Bridgman Hall, said it was a relief to be finished with campaigning.
Larsen said he and his fellow Statesmen helped the campaign by escorting ladies to their classes with umbrellas when necessary, and handing out candy and hot chocolate.
Alumna Amanda Hill said she enjoyed the evening, especially seeing her Women’s Concert Chorale friends and dormmate Washleski on court.
Saturday Events
After an undoubtedly good night’s sleep, hundreds of students and alumni turned out for Saturday’s parade down First Avenue. The Blugold Marching Band opened the parade, followed by a variety of floats and groups. Sigma Sigma Sigma and Delta Sigma Phi took first place in the float judging, and the Bridgman Hall Kazoo Band won the non-musical marching unit first prize.
Another highlight was the Singing Statesmen, who reenacted “Braveheart” as the fighting Scots, complete with kilts and traditional blue paint.
Stuettgen said the parade went smoothly, though early morning rain delayed set-up. The route was the same as years past, she said, and the only new addition was Chip E. Wah, the unofficial Blugold mascot, who rode in the car with the Homecoming committee.
Enthusiasm spilled over from the yards and parks into the street after the parade, gaining momentum into the culmination of everything Homecoming – the game against La Crosse at Carson Park. The Blugolds won the game, 31-29.
