OCTOBER 8, 2009 ISSUE
Historic Wells Fargo Stagecoach To Join ASU Homecoming Parade Saturday
Carriage builder J. Stephens Abbot and master wheelwright Lewis Downing built the Wells Fargo stagecoaches in the 1800s in Concord, New Hampshire. The coaches weigh about 2,500 pounds and cost $1,100 each, according to the company’s website. The stagecoach and horses that pull the coach will be part of the ASU Homecoming Parade down King Street this Saturday, October 10.
Forget the classic car. ASU mascot Yosef will have a different historic ride in the Homecoming Parade this weekend.
He’ll be riding in a Wells Fargo stagecoach down King Street, to celebrate the bank’s move into the High Country.
The parade, which starts at 10:30 a.m. this Saturday, October 10, begins at Rivers Street in front of Raley Hall and goes down King Street, ending at Legends on the ASU campus.
“We are proud to introduce Wells Fargo to the High Country by having the iconic Wells Fargo stagecoach take part in the ASU Homecoming Parade,” said Jason Triplett, Wachovia market president for Watauga, Wilkes and Ashe counties, in a press release.
Wells Fargo, which purchased Wachovia recently, has a special relationship with the stagecoach.
According to the company’s website, the company used the six-horse carriage to carry clients’ business across the country in the 1800s to the early 1900s. The stagecoach is also a part of the company’s logo.
The company owns and displays 10 of the original stagecoaches in its museums, while 13 reproductions are on display in its buildings and a fleet of 17 travel almost each weekend to be a part of parades, according to the website.
Yosef won’t be alone on the stagecoach, as some banking executives will also be riding on the plush transportation. Those riding with Yosef will be Triplett, Wells Fargo Mortgage Area President Rhonda Hayes, Wachovia District Manager Jerry Bonner, Wachovia employee Betty Moretz who is retiring after 44 years of service, Chair of Wachovia’s Local Advisory Board Wade Wilmoth and Appalachian Regional Healthcare System CEO and Wachovia Local Advisory Board Member Richard Sparks.
Homecoming activities begin Friday night with a pep rally at Duck Pond and the Homecoming dance at Legends.
The fun continues on Saturday with the Running of the Knob race, the alumni breakfast, tailgating and the 3:30 p.m. game between ASU and N.C. Central at Kidd Brewer Stadium.
For more information about Homecoming weekend, click to www.homecoming.appstate.edu.
Homecoming 2009 Schedule of Activities
Friday, October 9
6:00 p.m.—Spirit Under the Lights Pep Rally and Lip Sync Finals at Duck Pond Field
9:00 p.m.—Friday Night Fever Homecoming Dance at Legends with Band of Oz and DJ Chad Sain
9:00 p.m.—Hypnotist Jim Wand at Farthing Auditorium
Saturday, October 10
8:00 a.m.—3rd annual Running of the Knob race, starting at the Watauga County Library and ending at Howard’s Knob Park
9:00 a.m.—Appalachian Friends Breakfast at McKinney Alumni Center
10:30 a.m.—Homecoming Parade on King Street
11:30 a.m.—Solid at the Rock Tailgate Party at Duck Pond Field
3:30 p.m.—Football game against North Carolina Central University at Kidd Brewer Stadium
8:00 p.m.—Step Show and After Party at Legends
10:00 p.m.—African American Alumni Association’s Homecoming Party at Broyhill Inn and Conference Center
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