Fifty years ago, UNC beat Duke University 50-0 in a football game. That coincidence was too much for us not to celebrate it for Homecoming this year.

This November, there will be a shared homecoming experience with the university and the town. With the spirit and competitiveness that comes from playing our rival, this will be an event to witness.

For so many years, there has been a shared emotional connection between the town and the university when it comes to playing Duke. We all realize that this one game will either produce a huge celebration or a quiet mourning the following day.

This, of course, goes for every time we play them in any sport, but nothing quite eclipses the excitement of a football homecoming. We are all connected to one another through the love of the game.

But Carolina's Homecoming is about more than beating Duke. It is about celebrating us and celebrating the great town in which we reside. Chapel Hill is a well-loved community that receives some of the greatest loyalty from its residents, students, visitors and alumni, who just can't forget the way it makes them feel.

The residents play a huge role in making this town feel welcoming, wearing their Carolina blue T-shirts or bringing their children dressed in young cheerleader outfits or football uniforms. All of these things make us smile at one another with an understanding that we are here together.

Student Government would like to invite town residents to come out to the 2009 Homecoming parade that will take place on Nov. 7, about 31/2 hours before the game. It will start on South Columbia Street before moving down Franklin Street and finally ending on Raleigh Street.

The parade will include a combination of student organizations from campus and community organizations from the town. We're asking a portion of Carolina's 600-plus student groups to apply for a spot in the parade and are reaching out to town groups as well.

Those organizations will decorate cars to fill the middle segment of the ensemble. UNC's marching band will lead the way, and the sports fanatics of Carolina Fever will bring up the rear. We're even hoping Ramses will make a cameo appearance from the back of a truck.

Afterward, fans can join the team on the Old Well Walk and move right into Tar Heel Town and then into Kenan Stadium. We want Homecoming to be a real celebration, a full day's worth of fun and victory.

It will be a great chance for everyone to be a part of a celebration that is focused on why Chapel Hill is such a great place to be.

And even if you don't have tickets to the game, come on out anyway, and after the parade help us celebrate by going to local businesses.

We want the town to play a large role in being a part of the celebration and we think a parade will do the job. We want the town's residents to wear their Carolina blue, sing the fight song and marvel at true community that we hold together.

I want to see young children laughing with delight, families dancing to the band and big wide smiles from all of the viewers that partake in this event.

It will be a dream come true to see this happen, and the great thing is that I know that it will.

So please, come and celebrate Chapel Hill with the students and university on Nov. 7 and enjoy a day of fun with the Tar Heels. It won't be the same without you.