Engines are revved up, banners are complete and buckets of sugary treats are full as campus organizations and clubs prepare for a Homecoming tradition.

The Homecoming parade will take place today at 5 p.m. on the Avenue of Champions.

Some organizations have made floats and others chose to walk and wave.

Wendell Strode, Executive Director of the National Corvette Museum, said he sees a lot of Western red at the museum during Homecoming weekend.

“There’s always a surge in visitors,” he said. “We see a lot of Alumni and parents of students during this weekend. There is definitely a large portion of the visitors sporting the color red.”

Other Bowling Green business owners say they also have a steady record of reaping the benefits from people visiting Western during Homecoming.

Big Red appearances earlier this week

Dero Downing remembers a day when fans walked uphill to watch football games.

The old football stadium at the Colonnade sat in the heart of campus. It was the place to be on Saturday afternoons. Built on the side of a cliff, the stands overlooked Southern Bowling Green.

It’s about coming home.

Seeing places and greeting people who who will always be remembered.

This is Homecoming.

“Homecoming gives alumni a chance to see their alma mater and notice the changes that it has undergone since they graduated,” said Charley Pride, chairman of the Homecoming 2002 Committee.

Here is a rundown of some of this year’s events:

Western graduate Ralph Carey still gets tickled when he sees his alma mater’s mascot, Big Red. After all, the genderless, ageless pile of red fur that has become an ESPN SportsCenter icon was his idea.

“It’s my fault,” Carey said, adding a laugh.

Before Carey created Big Red, a string of other mascots failed.

Some things change.

Every year, former Western students come back to the Hill to see the places they slept, played and studied. They look to see if life at Western is just as they left it.

But as time goes on, some things change. Buildings are torn down.

Memories may fade over time, but some remain clear – those are the football memories.

The 1952 Refrigerator Bowl was like yesterday for the Western alumni who played in it. They remember every play, every practice.

That year, 50 years ago, was their season of firsts.

Three alumni will be inducted into Western’s Hall of Distinguished Alumni at 11:30 a.m. tomorrow during a luncheon at the Sloan Convention Center.

John Oldham

John Oldham, a former men’s basketball coach, took the reins from the legendary E.A. Diddle in 1964.

After spinning around a toy plastic bat ten times, Stuart Borders didn’t know where he was. He was supposed to walk in a straight line and join his friends at the finish.

Instead, he dropped to his hands and knees and crawled.