Around 4,000 people turned out for this year’s Homecoming Carnival on Nov. 2 and Nov. 3, marking one of the largest attendances in the event’s recent history. Associate Director for Student Programs & Activities, Coleman Leopard, said the size of the crew made a noticeable difference.
“We have a lot of new staff members on board for this, most of which are students,” Leopard said. “There’s a sense of scale in this.”
Leopard said about 70% of carnival workers were students, with faculty making up 20% and the remaining 10% consisting of outside consultants, vendors and companies.
The Department of Campus Activities focuses on hosting events for students by students, funded through student tuition. That funding model is why wristbands were free on the first day, but visitors had to pay on the second day.
Homecoming, Family Weekend, Valley Ballyhoo and tailgating opportunities outside WCU’s Ramsey Stadium are among the department’s annual events.
“The goal was never to turn a profit. It was never even meant to break even,” Leopard said. “Since student tuition funds events like these, the budget is supposed to be used on the students themselves. Sure, a wristband for the second day is $10 for students, faculty tickets were $12 and for outsiders it was $15. But money was never the priority because we would need thousands more people to sign up to even think about profiting off of these events.”
Palmetto Amusement, the company providing rides such as the Sizzler and the Ferris wheel, worked with Campus Activities to ensure safety. Leopard said inspections were done repeatedly before the carnival opened.
“It’s safety above all,” Leopard said. “We ensured safety inspections on all rides multiple times before the carnival even began. Also, under state policy, safety inspectors certified all rides during production.”
Zech Hoppes, a student who attended Carnival on the first day, said the event had improved.
“It’s even better than last year. And all the vendors were pretty nice,” Hoppes said. “Cotton candy, funnel cake, ice cream — and half of it was free.”
Students were admitted for free the first day and paid $10 for an additional day. Hoppes said the carnival felt special because of the campus’s remote location.
“Carnivals and festivals are less common in remote places like campus, so getting to ride a Ferris wheel is something I never thought I could do up here,” Hoppes said. “But it was, by far, surpassed in every way by the Sizzler. I was dying toward the end of that ride.”
The next big event on campus is the Holidays on the Plaza and lighting of the tower for Christmas on Dec. 4 hosted by the Chancellor Kelli Brown and her husband Dennis Brown.
