Journalism is the first draft of history, said someone distinguished, but this liveblog is the final draft of a million million tweets. Greetings all–I'm Rob Meyer, one of NBN's two News Editors and your host for the evening. From my perch at the intersection of Sheridan and Foster, I'll be documenting Northwestern's 2011 Homecoming Parade and, perhaps most importantly, the ensuing reaction to it. With the only instruction from my editor being "don't libel anyone," a New York Review of Books piece this ain't.
New updates will be added to the top of this article.
7:05pm And just like that, the parade's over! Families and kids crowd Sheridan. It was a short parade, but a stronger one than those from Homecomings past. And Seth Meyers was awesome.
7:03pm Kids from every group that passes notice the two elementary school-aged witches next to me and give them candy. Their bags are over flowing! Well done, NU. You totally made these kids's day. "This bag is cool!", shouts one of them, who's dressed as an orange witch.
7:02pm A Drumline-style marching band goes by from a local high school, chanting menacingly. They are awesome.
6:59 Some Greek organizations drive by. The most innovative appears to be Zeta Tau Alpha, which takes the theme Make it Reign to new levels and carries purple umbrellas outfitted with purple streamers. Well done, Zeta! Also strong among the Greeks was a, well, non-Greek organization: BLAST, which had a large and coherent sign (it was a bed sheet) and parade members who literally watltzed down the street.
6:56pm The NU cycling team goes by, decked out in flashy polka-dotted bike suits. One of them does a wheely! The little girl next to me--she appears to be both the child of an alum or wearing her devil Halloween costume early--yells, "Did you see that mom?" And my heart melts in cuteness.
6:54pm In quick succession: the Res Hall association, CRC, CCI, and a number of res colleges whose signs are invisible due to clumping. March, people! Willard gets it: their group is distinct from the rest and chanting "Woo Rah!," perhaps the most provincial of the cheers heard but also the most coherent.
6:52pm Parade goers may want to consult this table of safe decibel levels after the fire truck drove by, pushing hard on the air horn.
6:51pm The football strolls by--they're apparently saving their energy for the game tomorrow, as they should--and they're followed by the Homecoming Court. A squall of women nearby chant "Katie! Katie! Katie!" Hurrah for Katie.
6:49pm Morty! And then Seth Meyers--who looks surprisingly like himself. He's decked out in a fashionanle purple Northwestern hoodie. The Schapiros, in the car preceding him and not quite as jovial, have a small dog.
6:47pm The Finest Band in the Land--the Northwestern University Marching Band--steams by. They're led by the dashing Michael San Gabino, the band's sole drum major this year, outfitted in a decidedly Tom Wolfe-worthy all-white suit. As they march by, they play Push Onand the crowd sings along. According to 'Cats expert Jonathan Hodges, Push On hasn't had the constant success of Go U, but it's well-known today and nearly all know the "Go 'Cats!" ending.
6:45pm And we're off! Led by the three motorcyclists of certain doom, the Parade reaches my location at Sheridan and Foster. One motorcyclist stalls in front of me and I'm temporarily blinded by his lights. The children of alums dash behind bushes.