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Homecoming: Mad Time for a Mad Town

October 22, 1997

“Masterpiece in Madtown” is the theme of the 1997 Badger Homecoming celebration, which begins Nov. 2 and concludes with the Wisconsin-Iowa football game Nov. 8. Homecoming Committee co-chairs Sara Norton and Phyllis Sklar say the theme was privately subtitled “A Classy Craziness.”

“This is a crazy town and we have our own brand of humor, tradition and fun, infused with a degree of style and charm,” says Sklar. “Football fans are some of the craziest in the world, making students at Madtown – and our football team – a force to be reckoned with!”

“At the same time, a masterpiece is being made,” says Norton. “Our classrooms have some of the top professors and our students are at the top of their class. And the traditions and masterpieces that students before us have made have helped create the UW–Madison experience.”

Faculty and staff are encouraged to take part in this year’s events, which include:

  • Homecoming Blood Drive, now through Nov. 7 in Room 319, Union South, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Last year, some 400 people donated blood.
  • Charity Run/Walk, starting at noon, Nov. 2, on Library Mall. Registration is $12 until Oct. 26, $15 on race day (beginning at 10 a.m. on the mall.) Preregister in person or by mail at the Below Alumni Center, 650 N. Lake St., Madison, WI 53706.
  • Celebration of Cultures, featuring ethnic foods and entertainment, Nov. 2, 3:30-7 p.m. in the Memorial Union’s Lakefront Cafeteria. There is a small charge for food items.
  • Swap Day, Nov. 5, which gives students who buy a $1 raffle ticket a chance to switch places with several administrators, faculty and staff, and local celebrities for half a day.
  • Homecoming Parade, Nov. 7, 5:30 p.m., starting at Lot 60 and traveling east on Observatory Drive. It will be followed by a 6:30 p.m. pep rally on the Natatorium fields at Elm and Observatory drives.

The parade will travel south on Walnut Street from Lot 60 to Observatory Drive, take Observatory to Elm Drive, Elm south to Linden, Linden east to Babcock Drive, Babcock back to Observatory, then Observatory west to Elm. The route will be closed to traffic from approximately 5:25 p.m. until the parade ends. If you park in a lot along the route, you may want to move your vehicle by 5:15 p.m. Bicyclists and pedestrians take note: Parade units will return to Lot 60 via Willow Drive.

Each year, Homecoming raises more than $10,000 for the Dean of Students Crisis Fund through the sale of merchandise, the Charity Run and other events.