Families living near Carlson Drive in Sacramento were able to watch a Sacramento State homecoming parade Saturday afternoon, an event that had not been done in over 25 years.

The procession snaked its way along the streets, starting at Glen Hall Park, through the university and ending near the Alumni Center at the stadium parking lot.

Being driven in a black carriage were the homecoming king and queen: Curtis Grima, a sophomore journalism major, and Lindzie Navarrette, a senior criminal justice major.

The Grand Marshall of the event was Larry Augusta, the chairman of Homecoming. Augusta is also an alumnus of Sac State, having graduated in 1962.

Children sat on their fathers’ shoulders as Herky, the Sac State Hornet, led the parade and posed for some quick pictures with spectators.

The marching band, color guard and cheerleaders led the exhibition, filling the streets with music, green and yellow flags and pompoms.

Following the cheerleaders in a retro Ford GT were Sac State President Alexander Gonzalez and his wife.

Chet Shelden, the original Herky, was invited to be a part of the parade for the fiftieth anniversary of Herky being the official mascot of Sac State. Shelden acted as the mascot in 1955 and 1956.

Sitting in the same car as Augusta was Steve Cohn, Sacramento city councilman.

“Sac State used to do this parade until the 1970s,” Cohn said. “It’s great to bring back such a nice tradition. Hopefully next year, we can bring in the fraternities and sororities.”

At the end of the parade was a classic car show. One of the cars participated in the parade was a 1927 Ford T-Bucket driven by its owner, Helen Choquette.

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Jamie Gonzales can be reached at [email protected]