Homecoming Week Offers More Than Tradition
Linna Jones
Managing Editor
The University of Arkansas-Monticello campus celebrated homecoming with traditional and new events, the crowning of a new homecoming queen and a proposal of marriage, Oct. 19-22 and the game on Oct. 24.
Homecoming week brings the crowning of a new Homecoming queen and the traditions of Spirit walls, the bonfire and tailgating and sometimes new events. These events include Spirit Walls, Karaoke night, mind reading with Robert Channing, the "Paint the Town Green" Parade and the bonfire.
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| Photo by Linna Jones |
| Small Details-Sophomore Ashley Young works on the spirit wall for Alpha Sigma Alpha, Oct. 19. Over 20 organizations participated. |
Spirit Walls
Over twenty student organizations came out to paint their support for the Weevils using a variety of themes Oct. 19.
The organizations who participated included: Alpha Chi, Alpha Phi Alpha, Omega Psi Phi, Phi Lambda Chi, Phi Beta Sigma, Alpha Sigma Alpha, Missionary Baptist Student Fellowship and Baptist Collegiate Ministries. Alpha Sigma Tau, Zeta Phi Beta, Sigma Sigma Sigma, Tau Kappa Epsilon, Kappa Alpha Psi, Sigma Tau Gamma, ROTC, Ambassadors, Cheerleaders, Student Nursing Association, Gay-Straight Alliance, Knights and Lady Knights, Kappa Kappa Psi, Student To Student and the Wesley Foundation.
Alpha Chi won first place. Gay-Straight Alliance won second place and the MBSF/BCM won third place. First place winners received $100, second place $75 and third received $50. To look at pictures of the finished walls, please go to the photo essays.
Homecoming Karaoke
Ronald Forte, Student Government Association Vice President, announced each performer and joked with the crowd between performances. He asked two questions to each contestant, “Can you sing?” and “Where are you from?”
The Students Activities Board sponsored homecoming Karaoke night Oct. 20. They gave away prizes to the top three singers. The prizes included a $100, $75 and $50 Wal-mart Gift card.
The winners for the event included:
- Tyler Hicks and Amy Smith placed first
- Tiara Jones place second
- Beth Thompson and Shannon Sinclair placed third
Contestants picked from variety from an array of genres from rock, to country, rap, R&B and many more. Audience members clapped after each performance, drank mocktails served by Jonathan Greenlee and Senior Yvonne Hinshaw and sometimes sang along with the performers. About 200 people attended the event.
Some contestants sang in pairs while others sang solo. Thirty-two students performed during round one and five contestants moved on to round two.
The top six incuded:
- Stephanie Adani and Martin Marusich
- Beth Thompson and Shannon Sinclair
- Tyler Hicks and Amy Smith
- Tiara Jones
- Jackson Butler and Jesse Canseco
Some of the different performances included; Adani and Marusich performance of “I Love Rock-N-Roll” by Joan Jett; Tiara Jones singing “Unfaithful” and brought with both songs she sang a powerful voice and Thompson and Sinclair performed “Our Song” by Taylor Swift.
Mind Reading
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| Photo by Linna Jones |
| Predictions- Fulbright Stephanie Adani (right) and Dylan Miles help to blindfold mind reader Robert Channing. Channing made predictions, told the crowd what they wrote on their cards and correctly answered the serial numbers on a $10 bill. |
Mind-reader Robert Channing returned to perform for the students to read their minds Oct. 21. Channing first started by predicting the right amount of change in an audience member’s pocket and guessed the word two participants selected from book by reading their eyes.
Dylan Thomas and Fulbright Stephanie Adani helped Channing to blind fold himself seven pieces of duct tape, two half-dollars to cover his eyes and a thick blind fold to cover his eyes.
While blindfolded, Channing asked for money from an audience member. Channing correctly guessed it to be a $10 bill and the serial numbers from the bill. Next, he asked the audience to write down their funniest memory, their names and a number that was important to them. In between guessing what the audience wrote on the cards, he made predictions.
He predicted that one audience member would be married in 31/2 years and have eight children and for another audience member he predicted twins. He told another audience member not to worry about money and said he would receive over $3 thousand dollars.
Channing also hypnotized the crowd. Channing finished his performance by correctly guessing the responses of four audience members.
Channing then gave away three gift cards valued at $100, $75 and $50. He asked seven participants to come and perform “Stupid human tricks.” The tricks performed included a back flip, a around off, bird calls, a performance of the worm, someone rolling their stomach and a young lady, who was double jointed, bringing her arms over her head from back to front.
Cancellations
Rain caused the cancellation of the “Paint the Town Green” Parade and the Bonfire, Oct. 22. Despite the rain, organizations still received the chance to have their floats judged Friday, Oct. 23. Phi Lambda Chi won first, Sigma Tau Gamma won second and Alpha Sigma Alpha won third.
Game Day
The day of the Homecoming game brought more than children playing in the bounce house, face painting, the Parade of Champions, Tailgating and rain-free weather.
The Boll Weevil Mascot received a transforming frog and a prince in one. Brittany Pickett, the Boll Weevil, received a marriage proposal from her boyfriend, now fiancée, John Dean. Dean proposed to Pickett wearing a frog mascot suit with a wand.
Pickett said she first saw Dean’s shoes, and thought they looked familiar.
Pickett described how Steve Davis asked the Weevil to kiss the frog. She tried it with the weevil head-off, when she kissed the “frog” he shook as if trying to transforms. He then took his own frog head off and looked at Pickett. He had a cheerleader hand him the ring and then got down on one knee. A surprised Pickett said yes.
Dean said he basically “went out of the ordinary.”
“I basically wanted this to be special,” Dean said.
Dean attends Brookhaven Community College. He has planned the proposal since August and involved at least 15 people to prepare for the day. This included Pickett's mom, Director of Student Programs and Activities Mindy Holcomb, the Dean Family and Pickett’s friends Pam Cameron and Jasmine Bolen.
Dean and Pickett have talked about marriage and plan to marry on March 13.
The Homecoming game, Oct. 24, brought packed the stadium for pre-game events and the game. The UAM Band performed as the Homecoming court walked between the flag line.
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| Photo by Linna Jones |
| High Vocals- Junior Tiara Jones sings a song in the Homecoming Karaoke contest hosted by the SAB. Jones won second place. |
Senior Myrka Agosto-Dones, an Accounting Major from Ceiba, Puerto Rico won the title of Homecoming Queen. Grant Pace, Agosto’s host father, escorted Agosto on the field and gave her a hug when she won. She said it was excited being Homecoming Queen in UAM’s Centennial year.
Agosto described how she felt when she heard she won.
“It’s cool, its exciting, I didn’t really expect it,” Agosto said. “I think it was an honor being part of the Homecoming Court and more excited being Homecoming Queen.
Agosto also wanted to thank her host parents, Gay and Grant Pace.
The Homecoming Court included:
- Senior Anna Blace Barren, a Business Administration Major from Monticello
- Senior Heather Greer, a Health and Physical Education Major from Hollandale, Miss.
- Junior Tiara Jones, a Nursing Major from Warren
- Senior Heather Raburn, a Health and Physical Education Major from Monticello
- Senior Ashley Couch, a Music Education Major from Pine Bluff
- Senior Janay Kolen, Music Major from Warren
- Junior Tanesha Curl, A Psychology Major from Pine Bluff
- Junior Micah Bateman, a Health and Physical Education Major from Pine Bluff
- Senior Kayla Temple, a Health and Physical Education Major from Downsville, La.
- Senior Raven Smith, an Agriculture Major from Hot Springs
- Junior Lauren Tabor, a Business Administration Major from Portland, Ark.
The pregame show also included the performance of the "Star Spangled Banner" and the "Alma Mater." The UAM Marching Band accompanied Greg Pearson, 1991 UAM alumnus, sang the “Star Spangled Banner” and the “Alma Mater” after the crowning of Agosto and the entrance of the Boll Weevils.
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