A grand Homecoming | PHOTOS

ALBANY — Downtown Albany was a virtual sea of blue and gold Saturday morning as thousands of supporters came out to enjoy the 2015 Albany State University Homecoming Parade.

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Alumni, students and other supporters were treated to beautiful fall weather and over 100 parade entries that flowed down Pine Avenue for nearly three hours as the parade got everyone in a festive mood in advance of the afternoon’s annual Homecoming football pitting the Golden Rams of ASU against their historical rivals the Moorehouse College Tigers.

“It was a great parade,” said Albany Mayor and ASU alumnus Dorothy Hubbard. “Great.”

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Indeed there were a few thousand smiling faces throughout the downtown area all enjoying the parade’s wide variety of entries including local fraternities, sororities, businesses, civic organizations, dance teams and over a dozen marching bands, including some from schools as far away as Macon.

“I love the marching bands, they’re my favorite,” said LaShawn Phillips. “It just isn’t a parade without the bands.”

While the crowds responded to all of the different marching bands, none got the crowd more excited than the ASU Golden Rams Show Band, who gave the audience a taste of why the outfit was chosen to participate in the upcoming Tournament of Roses Parade in Pasadena.

Although the parade served as a way to draw attention and support for the Gold Rams Marching Band, the parade is simply an annual tradition that gets locals and visitors excited about one of Albany’s most important institutions.

“Coming to the parade is a tradition for me ever since I was a little girl,” said Albany native Tiffany Bush. “Now I take my nieces and nephews, so it will be a tradition for them too.”

Bush and her family weren’t alone in getting in the family spirit as several people in the crowd were with their loved ones and close friends.

“One of my favorite things is watching all of the children enjoy,” said Tammy McNair, who brings her family every year as well.

Carolyn Williams of Dawson also said the parade was an important annual event for her and her family and that it seems to be getting bigger and better every year.

“We come every year,” Williams said. “This year was one of the best. I truly enjoyed it.”

In addition to being a fun family event that connects the community to ASU, the parade is year another way that the annual Homecoming continues to be one of Albany’s most important events.

According to the Albany Convention and Visitors Bureau, Homecoming week is the Good Life City’s biggest event, drawing thousands to the city and generating considerable economic impact.

“Each time I see the excitement of our Homecoming it tells you how people need connections, and the second thing I thought about is economic impact on Southwest Georgia,” said ASU interim President Arthur Dunning. “When people come and enjoy themselves they spend a lot of money and that fuels our economy and that’s very important to me.”