WKAR and the College of Communication Arts and Sciences took home the award for the Best Campus Department Float at Michigan State University's Homecoming parade.
The float included a functional arcade machine, highlighting the Department of Media and Information’s game design and development program. Meanwhile, a radio and television broadcast setup with microphones and a video camera on a tripod represented WKAR as mid-Michigan’s NPR and PBS member station, as well as the School of Journalism, the Department of Communication and the Department of Advertising and Public Relations.
Fan-favorite PBS KIDS character Arthur proved to be a hit along the parade route, with audience members frequently shouting for his attention, at times jumping up and down with excitement.
MSU President Kevin Guskiewicz also received a warm welcome, with some audience members heard shouting “thank you for coming back, we need you here,” a reference to Guskiewicz’s decision to remain at MSU after previously announcing he would leave to become president at Clemson University.
U.S. Rep. Tom Barrett, R-Charlotte, got a somewhat frostier reception, with booing heard in the audience at several points as he walked by.
Barrett’s Democratic challenger, William Lawrence, also walked in the parade, but was placed much farther back in the lineup, facing a thinning crowd by the time he made it to parts of the route.
The reigning Best Float winner, the MSU Forestry Club, successfully defended the title for another year.
Other winners in the 2026 parade include the MSU Hospitality Association, who won the award for Best Banner, the MSU Dance Club, who won the award for Best Spartan Spirit, the International Students Association, the winner of the Best Group category, and the Iconiq Corvette Club, who won in the Best Community Group category.
