WS Chronicle

The streets of downtown Winston-Salem were filled with joy and excitement last Saturday morning, Oct. 28, as the  soulful sounds of Winston-Salem State University’s Red Sea of Sound led the way during the 2017 Homecoming Parade.

While the parade is always one of the biggest events during Homecoming Week on the campus of “Ol State U,” this year’s event had a little more excitement as the HBCU (Historically Black Colleges and Universities), founded in 1892, celebrated its 125th anniversary.

Many Ram supporters who attended the parade were excited to see the event return to its normal route. Instead of starting on Fourth Street and turning right on Martin Luther King Jr. Drive last year, the parade started at the Wake Forest Innovation Quarter on Patterson Avenue.

While watching members of the Mo Lucas Community Foundation make their way toward Bowman Gray Stadium, longtime city resident James Thompson said the parade has become a tradition for him and his family.

“I’ve been coming to the parade since I was a little boy. For many people in the community, this is Homecoming for the city, not just Winston-Salem State,” he said. “This is a real tradition.”