The 30-foot flame was impressive, and the crowd at the Homecoming kickoff bonfire was great as well.
It's been about 70 years since Ball State University had a Homecoming bonfire, but about 500 students showed up to the Monday night event, crowding around the immensely hot and tall flames, which were constantly monitored by firefighters. It was a good sign for the rest of Homecoming 2007 that so many students came out.
Bringing back the bonfire was a great idea, especially once we saw just how huge it was. This wasn't a marshmallow-toasting, s'more-melting fire. It was a roaring, twisting tower of blistering heat that was really cool to see. Future Homecoming committees should include the bonfire when planning weeks of events so it becomes an annual tradition again.
It was a big crowd for the first event of the week, but to be fair, the crowd looked like it was made of LaFollette Complex residents who wandered over when they realized there was a huge fire in the middle of LaFollette Field. But at least they came. More upperclassmen should follow the lead of the LaFollette residents and show up to the rest of the Homecoming events - with friends in tow, of course.
There are 18,000 undergraduate students at Ball State. A crowd of 500 is a good start, but we can do better, and we will do better. When more people are involved, events becoming exciting and build the school spirit that Homecoming is all about.
Get out there and get involved, Ball State students. We still have the talent search, Music on McKinley, Air Jam, bed races and, of course, the parade and football game. Show what it means to be a part of Ball State -¡- a part of a community that cares about everyone in it and is proud to be here.
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