The Facts: It is Homecoming time and there are many activities that students can participate in all week long.

Our Opinion: Students should participate in as many activities as possible and take advantage of free food and giveaways.

All week long, the campus will be bustling with events that are fun and a great way to show school spirit. Not only is it your pleasure, but also it is your duty as a part of the Wolfpack to participate in the events during Homecoming Week.

Leader of the Pack is N.C. State’s premier student service award. The voting will be open through today. Leader of the Pack thankfully takes the place of the traditional homecoming popularity contests, awarding two students for outstanding service to N.C. State and the community. Vote today, it is your last chance to have your vote count.

“Wear Red, Get Fed” is too great an opportunity to pass up. If you wear red, then you should be wearing anyway, then you receive a free lunch from fine local eateries in the Brickyard all week. It would be great if this was an everyday occurrence, but alas, it is not. Take advantage of it while you can.

Despite the annoying construction, the parade will take place Friday at 6 p.m. on Hillsborough Street. The parade will feature floats, football players, coaches, the cheerleaders and many others. Tip: don’t try standing in construction areas, stick to the sidewalk.

After the parade, you can saunter over to Lee Field for the Pack Howl pep rally concert. The pep rally, which is Friday at 7 p.m., will feature Coach Tom O’Brien, the players, the cheerleaders and the dance team. Afterwards, the concert consists of the CollegeHumor Live tour and the local band Roman Candle. The comedians of CollegeHumor include Aziz Ansari, Nick Kroll, John Mulaney, Dan Levy, TJ Miller and others.

By today, many businesses on Hillsborough will have original student art painted on their windows provided by various student organizations.

The “Paint the Town Red” contest is a great way for student organizations and businesses to show their school spirit and artistic skills. Go check out the art and grab some food. In addition to Homecoming sponsored events, eating at certain restaurants on Hillsborough Street will benefit the 2010 class’ “Finish the Bell Tower” project.

Finally, don’t forget to get your tickets for the game on Saturday. We need as many shoulders there as possible to lean on.