Red and black congestion ruled downtown Cape Girardeau as alumni, students and friends crowded onto Broadway for SEMO's annual Homecoming Parade on Saturday morning.

Escorted by Cape Girardeau's finest the parade began with members of the ROTC bearing flags, followed by the cheerleaders, flag corps and twirlers. The Redhawks marching band danced down the street and preceded the parade marshals, Southeast Missouri State University President Ken Dobbins and his wife, Jeanine.

Merit Award winners followed in shiny convertibles with placards stating their names and the honor they were bestowed.

The military was represented with veterans in uniform and several military vehicles. One of them had a gun mounted that shot blanks as it moved down the street. On the side of the vehicle five planes were painted on the rear back fender. In wartime, this indicated the number of enemies taken down.

Veterans also followed on their motorcycles wearing vests stating the unit the served in.

Two-year-old Corbin Matysik of Cape Girardeau was with his family and ran to gather candy as it was thrown to the crowds as floats and vehicles passed.

"I liked the marching bands," Matysik said around a mouthful of candy.

Several marching bands preformed. The Bears from Greenville High School in Greenville, Mo., the Hornets from Advance High School, the marching Redskins from Shawnee High School in Wolf Lake, Ill., and the Blue Jays from Oak Ridge. There were bobcats from Delta High School, wildcats from Bloomfield, Mo., and marching black cats from Fredericktown High School.

John Harper of Cape Girardeau was watching the spectacle with anticipation.

"I'm just waiting for the Salvation Army canteen," Harper said. "My daughter is behind it in her new purple wheelchair."

Marykay Harper is 12 and has epilepsy and cerebral palsy.

"The last several days all we heard was 'parade, parade,' from her," Harper said.

The floats had a variety of designs.

A space shuttle that moved up and down was manned by a man wearing a spacesuit. A Las Vegas float blared Elton John music as it approached; it had an upper story with three coeds decked out as showgirls dancing on top.

"The parade was awesome," said Destiny Matysik, 9, Corbin's sister. "The Las Vegas float was my favorite."

A float depicting the Navy Pier in Chicago sported a Ferris wheel and a hot dog stand.

Several groups of international students carried flags of their native lands as they walked past spectators.

Celebrities were throughout the parade -- sort of. Elvis was sighted, Spider-Man ran down the street, Smokey Bear gave out hugs and the Cat in the Hat passed out candy.

A member of the undead was seen driving a Ford 1923 T-Bucket. He was surrounded by ghosts and ghouls giving out treats. They had escaped from the Haunted Hall of Horror.

A Wells Fargo stagecoach manned by a matched team of four sorrel horses that marched down the street.

In a safety reminder, the Cape Girardeau police displayed a mangled Trans-Am in their "Arrive Alive" campaign.

After the parade, members of the Optimist Club sponsored a "Kids Zone" offering face painting, balloon decorating, a bounce castle and other child-friendly activities. Food and activities were free and donations were earmarked for the SEMO Food Bank.

Preparing for SEMO's Homecoming football game were numerous tailgaters -- current students and alumni.

Christy (Brush) Frazier, class of '87, and her husband Rich, class of '88, drove from St. Louis on Saturday morning to take in the Homecoming festivities.

"Our daughter, Madelyn, is a sophomore," Christy said. "She wanted us to come down and tailgate."

Diverse tailgating styles were on display. Some guys with a cooler sat on the back of a pickup truck and drank beer across from an RV sporting a widescreen television and flagpoles that moved up and down automatically.

A neighborhood feel was in the air.

Jeff Young, class of '91, was tossing a football with his son Trenton, 6. They are from Barnhart, Mo..

"A bunch of fraternity brothers decided to have a get-together," Young said. "We haven't seen each other for quite a while. There are 50 guys and with families about 140 are supposed to be here."

The growth of Cape Girardeau was evident to several alumni. Tim Schooner, class of '90, and Thom Messmer, class of '92, came from St. Louis. They were met by Tim Greenwood, class of '90, of Franklin, Tenn. They arrived Friday night and are staying in an RV.

"SEMO Facebook called us out," Messmer said. "I saw it on Facebook and sent it out and we all decided to come down."

"We haven't seen each other for 15 years," Greenwood said.

Pertinent address:

1 University Plaza, Cape Girardeau, Mo.