Members of the Brass Blast Brass Band, also known as Bx4, walk along Clay Street on their way to meet up their bandmates before the start of the UNI Homecoming parade. (Rick Truax photo)
UNI twirler, Evelyn Green, left, poses for a photo prior to the start of the Homecoming parade. (Anelia K. Dimitrova photo)
Gabriel Salazar, left, president of the Student Government, and VP DeeDee Benton were among the judges reviewing the parade entries. (Anelia K. Dimitrova photo)
Members of the UNI track team pose for a picture before the start of the 2026 Homecoming parade. (Anelia K. Dimitrova photo)
Winnie is a service dog and honorary member of the UNI Panther Marching Band. Winnie supports owner Gabi Riessen with her daily duties. (Anelia K. Dimitrova photo)
Ben Ruiz, left, and Ben Hollinger, rest up before the UNI Panther Marching Band parades down Main Street. Both play snare in the band. (Rick Truax photo)
Tubas lie in the shade along Clay Street, where the UNI Panther Marching Band set up before the start of the Homecoming parade. (Rick Truax photo)
Cymbals await their owners in the UNI Panther Marching Band before the Homecoming parade starts. (Rick Truax photo)
The UNI Panther Marching Band gathered on Clay Street before the start of the Homecoming parade on Saturday, Oct. 10, 2026. (Rick Truax photo)
Members of Brass Blast Brass Band warm up before the start of the UNI Homecoming parade on Saturday, Oct. 10, 2026. From left are: Aidan Anderson, Lucas O'Neil, and Dora Roorda. The ensemble, which also goes by the name Bx4, is made up of current and former UNI music students. (Rick Truax photo)
Vincent Ali, right, makes final adjustments to the float for Treehouse Campus Ministry before the start of the UNI Homecoming parade. Conner Derhammer, left, helps out. (Rick Truax photo)
Katherine Ahmed, left, applies makeup to Ava Deitrich before the start of the UNI Homecoming parade. Deitrich works for the UNI Office of International Engagement, and Ahmed is a volunteer. (Rick Truax photo)
Maud Quaye applies makeup before the start of the UNI Homecoming parade on Saturday, Oct. 10, 2026. Quaye was one of several international students representing the UNI Office of International Engagement. Quaye is from Ghana. (Rick Truax photo)
Students representing the UNI Office of International Engagement pose before the start of the Homecoming parade. From left are: Manish Gurung, Enzo Chevance, and Aleksi Hyvarinen. They are exchange students from Nepal, France and Finland, respectively. (Rick Truax photo)
Seham Koko, center, practices a routine with other members representing UNI's Office of International Engagement. Born in Egypt, and raised there and later in Ankeny, Iowa, Koko's cultural roots are from Sudan. (Rick Truax photo)
Most fittingly, in the float lineup, there were three great great grandchildren of James Cleland Gilchrist, the first leader of the institution who served from 1876 to 1886. Elliott Gilchrist Smith and his sisters, Cam Axelrood and Stephanie Smith carried cutouts of their ancestor's portrait in the back of a truck, drawing the arch of history from the time of Gilchrist's stint to Oct. 10, 2026, the day of the parade. (Anelia K. Dimitrova photo)
UNI ROTC members led the Homecoming parade. (Anelia K. Dimitrova photo)
Members of the UNI ROTC kicked off the UNI Homecoming parade on Saturday, Oct. 10. (Rick Truax photo)
The UNI Panther Marching Band grabbed the hearts with a spirited rendition of the UNI Fight Song as they headed into downtown Cedar Falls. (Anelia K. Dimitrova photo)
The UNI Panther Marching Band was among the first to parade down Main Street on Saturday, Oct. 10, 2026. (Rick Truax photo)
Saxophone players in the UNI Panther Marching Band perform in the Homecoming parade on Saturday. (Rick Truax photo)
Tuba players lead the brass section in the UNI Panther Marching Band on Saturday. (Rick Truax photo)
Members of the woodwind section in the UNI Panther Marching Band parade down Main Street on Saturday. (Rick Truax photo)
The UNI Panther Marching band kicks off the 2026 Homecoming parade on Saturday, Oct. 10, in downtown Cedar Falls. (Rick Truax photo)
Greeting the crowd with pompoms, UNI students head into downtown Cedar Falls during the 2026 Homecoming parade. (Anelia K. Dimitrova photo)
Thousands of spectators lined the parade route that headed north along Main Street, starting at 9th Street and finishing at 2nd Street. (Rick Truax photo)
The Construction Management float makes it down Main on Sat., Oc.t. 10. In addition to a model rocket, the float featured a banner recognizing the fact that UNI was named the #1 public regional university in the Midwest by U.S. News & Report. (Anelia K. Dimitrova photo)
The great great grandchildren of James Cleland Gilchrist, the first leader of UNI, carry cutouts of his portrait in the parade. (Anelia K. Dimitrova photo)
The UNI Campanile float heads into downtown Cedar Falls. (Anelia K. Dimitrova photo)
UNI Director of Athletics Megan Franklin leads the Panther Athletics float during the Homecoming parade. (Anelia K. Dimitrova photo)
Waving pompoms, these UNI students were cheered by the crowd as they walked by. (Anelia K. Dimitrova photo)
UNI’s mascots, TC, The Cat, and his younger sister, TK, The Kitten, rode on the float created by the Construction Management department, which featured a model of a rocket. (Anelia K. Dimitrova photo)
The family of the late Gary Kelley wave to spectators as they head down main street. (Rick Truax photo)
The float for UNI Spectrum Project, which is an inclusive art-focused program for area kids and young adults, won an award for the best theme. (Anelia K. Dimitrova photo)
Cedar Falls Mayor Danny Laudick, and his wife, Molly, acknowledge parade-goers during the UNI Homecoming parade. (Anelia K. Dimitrova photo)
UNI President Mark Nook and his wife, Cheryl, greet spectators along the Homecoming route on Saturday, Oct. 10, 2026. (Anelia K. Dimitrova photo)
The UNI flag flies in downtown Cedar Falls during the Homecoming parade. (Anelia K. Dimitrova photo)
The UNI Dance Marathon float winds through the heart of downtown on Saturday, Oct. 10, 2026. (Anelia K. Dimitrova photo)
The Hilltop Media float makes its way along Main Street during the UNI Homecoming parade. (Anelia K. Dimitrova photo)
Lily Munnik, the executive editor of the Northern Iowan, and a former intern at the Cedar Falls News Hub, navigates the newspaper's float during the Homecoming parade. (Anelia K. Dimitrova photo)
Kids enjoyed goodies handed out by parade participants. (Anelia K. Dimitrova photo)
Along certain points of the parade route in downtown Cedar Falls, spectators were able to set up their chairs well into the street. (Rick Truax photo)
Spectators of all ages took in the UNI Homecoming parade on Saturday, Oct. 10, 2026. (Rick Truax photo)
The storefronts along the east side of Main Street provided ample shade for those watching the UNI Homecoming parade. The temperature hovered around 70 degrees at the start of the parade at 11 a.m. (Rick Truax photo)
Members of the UNI Varsity Men's Glee Club sing as they walk down Main Street during the Homecoming parade. Their collective voice easily overcame the noisy activity along the parade route. Founded in 1888, the Glee Club is open to students of all majors. (Rick Truax photo)
Osmar Castro-Martinez, wrapped in a Mexican flag, leads members of UNIdos as they near the end of the parade route. UNIdos serves as the Hispanic and Latino Student Union at UNI. (Rick Truax photo)
