Jackson State University’s 2014 Homecoming Parade will take a different route this year to accommodate street construction in downtown Jackson.
According to Dr. Phillip “Flapp” Cockrell, Ph.D., associate vice president for student affairs and dean of students, the Oct. 11 parade will start at the roundabout of Pearl and Prentiss Streets and travel east on Pearl Street to Gallatin Street. At the intersection of Pearl and Gallatin, the parade will turn right onto Gallatin Street to Pascagoula Street. At the intersection of Gallatin and Pascagoula Streets, the parade will turn right onto Pascagoula Street, merging onto University Boulevard and make a right onto John R. Lynch Street. The parade will end at the corner of Dalton and John R. Lynch Street.
This year’s parade theme is “The Blueprint: One Tiger, One Roar.” Parade participants will line up at 6:30 a.m. for the 9 a.m. start.
The parade precedes a traditional in-state football rivalry as the JSU Blue Bengals take on the Delta Devils of Mississippi Valley State University at 2 p.m. at Mississippi Veterans Memorial Stadium.
“We greatly anticipate that Homecoming 2014 will be the full of fun, excitement and that special JSU Tiger pride,” Cockrell said. “You don’t want to miss anything. Traditional activities, beginning on Oct. 5, include Sunday worship service, comedy show, street jam, Greek show, the coronation of Miss Jackson State University, along with on-campus alumni activities, vendors, fun and fellowship.”
The final homecoming event on Sunday, Oct. 12, will be Basketball Madness, signaling the start of the basketball season.
For more on homecoming events, see the Jackson State University website: https://sites.jsums.edu/homecoming/
The parade route will require a number of street closures, Cockrell said, including:
University and Hooker
University and Natchez
University and Railroad
University and Natchez Railroad Ave
University and Minerva
University and J.R. Lynch
Pascagoula and Clifton
Pascagoula and Gallatin
Gallatin and Pearl
Pearl and Clifton
Pearl and Adams
Pearl and Minerva
Pearl and Poindexter
Pearl and Rose
Pearl and Dalton
Pearl and Prentiss
East view and Lynch
Valley and Lynch
Dalton and Morehouse
Masters and Lynch
Lynch and Poindexter