Parade gathers large crowd

Students, faculty, staff, and community members filled Main Street for the “Eagle Days” themed Homecoming parade at 9:30 a.m. Saturday.
Complete with several marching bands, the CSC dance and cheer teams, international students carrying flags from their respective countries, members of the Homecoming court, CSC President Randy Rhine, firetrucks, police cars and much more, there was no shortage of excitement flowing through the fall morning air.
“Now this is a parade!” said Rangeland Program Coordinator Laure Sinn.
“This is not my first rodeo,” she said. “All of the entries were excellent this year. People really got into it and it was neat to be a part of.”
Sinn has announced the parade and served on the Homecoming committee for years.
Sinn’s favorite parts of the parade included the Wildlife Club float, the 1953 patrol car, and the various bands.
The parade line-up included 25 on-campus floats, 15 off-campus floats, and five marching bands.
CDC won first place in the on-campus category with their “hatching little Eagles” themed entry. The float was decorated as a nest with the “little Eagle” children inside wearing the wings that they decorated at the center.
“Winning the on-campus float today was a proud moment for us teachers,” says Dakota Gellner, 21, senior of Gering. “The kids worked hard all week putting a theme for our float together. We were excited!”
Gellner is a teaching assistant at the Development Center.
The Wildlife Club came out on top in the judge’s choice category, and Security First Bank took first place in the off-campus float category.
Also featured was the Homecoming Parade Marshal Bruce Hoem. Hoem is a professor in the counseling, psychology and social work department who received the Nebraska State College System (NSCS) Teaching Excellence Award for 2016. The award is presented annually to one full-time faculty member who demonstrates excellence in teaching, service, and leadership from across the Nebraska State College System.