Students in the Homecoming Parade. Photo by Chester Beltowski/The Dakota Student.

All of last week’s events served as an appetizer to Saturday’s main course as UND football faced off against Portland State and the 2014 Homecoming King and Queen were finally announced.

The day was kick-started with tradition as the UND Homecoming Parade marched down University Avenue from Gorecki Alumni Center to University Park. All the while, an alumni brunch was held inside Gorecki from 10 a.m. to noon.

While celebratory events unfolded on campus, fans gathered outside the Alerus Center in anticipation of the game.

Rows of cars lined the parking lot where fans clad in green prepped themselves for the big game. Some partook in bean bag tossing and games of catch while others played catch up with fellow alumni. And of course, there was a lot of grilling and a lot of beer drinking.

Between the rows of cars were multiple marquees, the biggest of which belonged to the Champions Club where many alumni could be found.

“We go to most football games and hockey games,” Ted Engelstad and his wife Claudia said. Ted graduated from UND in 1975 and Claudia in 1974, and while they currently reside in Fargo, they still make trips to Grand Forks after all these years.

“We’ve been here for the last five years — maybe longer,” said Parm Narveson, a 1968 graduate who travels all the way from Arizona to make it to UND Homecoming games. This year might have been very well worth it.

UND football put an end to their Homecoming game losing streak, stopping their record from reaching five games. At halftime, senior Landon Bahl and junior Hayley Hamilton were named the 2014 Homecoming King and Queen.

Bahl and Hamilton becoming King and Queen means that the proceeds from 2014 Homecoming t-shirts sold in the last week will go to the student organizations of their choice, Delta Tau Delta fraternity and Gamma Phi Beta sorority.

Don Kojich at the UND Alumni Association and Foundation said that this year marks UND’s 98th Homecoming celebration.

Jamie Hutchinson is a staff writer for The Dakota Student. He can be reached at [email protected].