By Keith Allen and Joseph Altman Jr.
Arizona Daily Wildcat
The Wildcats came marching home this weekend when 65,000 students and alumni attended events from the bonfire Friday to the UA-Oregon football game Saturday afternoon.
Homecoming 1995 coordinators said the weekend's festivities went "as well as could be expected and smoother than in years past."
Five Homecoming King candidates and five Homecoming Queen candidates vied for 900 votes cast Wednesday, said Greg Prugh, business and public administration senior and member of the Bobcats senior honorary, the organization coordinating activities.
Before the bonfire Friday night the group announced this year's king and queen in front of 1,000 people. Chris Holden and Day Daetwyler marched away with the crowns.
Daetwyler, communications senior, described the honor as "unbelievable," while Holden, an interdisciplinary studies senior, said, "It is hard to comprehend because there is so much going on."
UA President Manuel Pacheco said he didn't know much about the Homecoming royalty, but he thought the king and queen were a "nice-looking couple."
"From what I know . I think they are a good representation of the university," he said.
Floats moving and not
Faculty and administrators were on hand Saturday to judge the Homecoming parade around the UA Mall.
Kappa Sigma fraternity and Alpha Chi Omega sorority won the Grand Marshal Award for their three-car train float. Residents from Manzanita-Mohave Residence Hall floated away with the parade's second-place award for their 20-foot Wilbur while third place went to Delta Delta Delta sorority and Beta Theta Pi fraternity for their version of a military tank shooting down an Oregon duck.
The spirit awards for non-float entries went to Academic Preparation for Excellence (APEX) for first place and Campus Crusade for Christ for second place. In the same category, the Innovative Award went to the Greek House Directors, and Cats and Cubs.
Bobcats president Duane DeSpain said the Bobcat Award for overall impression in all categories (an award voted on by the Bobcats themselves) went to Gamma Phi Beta sorority and Sigma Chi fraternity.
DeSpain said they showed the most support by keeping the parade moving after their truck overheated and pushing the float through the rest of the route.
The missing 'magic bus'
For an hour on Saturday, the Chain Gang junior honorary lost their "magic bus" when the Chimes junior honorary whisked it away.
Every year Chain Gang charters the dubbed "magic bus" to decorate before and ride on during the parade.
And every year, the rivalry deepens when Chain Gang chides the Chimes by asking, "Chimes, where's your magic bus?" said Chimes member Susan Hitesman.
Hitesman said the Chimes tricked the charter company into turning the bus over to them. When the company discovered the mix-up, they kicked the Chimes off the bus at Two Pesos, and turned the bus over to the Chain Gang.
Erin Russel, Chain Gang social chair, said Chain Gang traditionally takes the bus up to "A" Mountain on the morning before the parade.
Russell said a Chimes member dropped off a ransom note when the bus failed to show at 7 a.m.
An hour later, at Two Pesos, the company returned the bus to the rightful charters.