Royals Go Downtown will not be returning for a fifth iteration this fall. The president’s office, usually in charge of the event, has been occupied this year with planning for President Rev. Dr. Shannon Dycus’s official inauguration, which will take place on Oct. 10.
Student Government Association (SGA) has been in direct contact with the president’s office about why Royals Go Downtown will not be happening this fall. SGA Co-President Esme King Martin confirmed that the reason the event was not planned was because the presidential inauguration planning has taken precedence. Martin, who is a senior biology and Spanish double major, said that the office provided the official explanation to SGA after SGA directly asked why Royals Go Downtown wasn’t happening.
Martin said that the administration finds it “hard to know what students enjoy and what they don’t,” and that they asked SGA to help gather student opinions. The communication between SGA and the president’s office involved reciprocal asking and informing about student and staff perspectives.
Amy Springer Hartsell, executive advisor to the President, responded to the Weather Vane’s request for information on Royals Go Downtown, saying that it “will need to wait until after the Inauguration.”
Alongside the lack of information about Royals Go Downtown, SGA worked with the administration on their communication of homecoming events to students. An Oct. 2 email to undergraduate students, titled, “EMU Homecoming – October 8-11” was a direct response to SGA’s request that more information be sent to students about the weekend’s events, said Martin.
The official inauguration, or investiture ceremony, will be held during homecoming on the morning of Oct. 10, followed by a quad party hosted by the president’s office.
“It’s a tradition for an inauguration to be a big celebration of EMU,” said Martin. SGA has taken on a role in promoting the quad party to the student body. The quad party will serve as a general celebration of EMU and Dycus’ inauguration.
As of Wednesday, Oct. 7, no official announcement has been made regarding Royals Go Downtown. The event typically occurs on the fourth Thursday of September. On Sept. 25, the day after Royals Go Downtown would likely have taken place, senior Malachi Cornelius sent a message to Royal Radar (EMU’s campus-wide chat) publicizing the fact that the event would not be happening this year.
Cornelius, a business administration major, was in Common Grounds over the summer when he mentioned to Tyler Stanley, area coordinator for campus life, that he was excited for the pizza at the end of the event. Stanley then told Cornelius that the event wouldn’t be happening this year.
Cornelius said that he didn’t spread the news earlier because he didn’t know if it was true, or if the event was still in the works. “I feel a bit betrayed,” said Cornelius, expressing frustration with the administration. “They don’t say anything to anyone hoping people will forget.”
Senior Rose Short echoed his concerns. Short, an elementary education major, heard in a Student Chaplain meeting that Royals Go Downtown wouldn’t be taking place. She later talked more about it with people from SGA, but she never heard about it from EMU officials. “I’m definitely disappointed,” she said. Royals Go Downtown felt like a “key part of the fall.” Short said that “having communication would be helpful… even just an email.”
Sophomore history and social sciences major Noah Loker had not heard that the event wasn’t happening until interviewed for this article. “I’ve heard of the inauguration, I know Chambers is singing at something, I think that’s it,” said Loker. He also hadn’t heard about the President’s quad party. “Royals go to the quad,” he joked.
Muna Alsadun, a senior social work major who transferred to EMU last spring, was disappointed she did not get to experience Royals Go Downtown for the first time. She wondered if the event could take place during the spring semester this year.
Martin said that SGA has discussed the possibility of a student-led approach to Royals Go Downtown this year. “If there’s energy around that, that makes it infinitely more likely that SGA would put energy toward [it],” Martin said. A student-led event would be at a smaller scale, since Royals Go Downtown is “historically really expensive to put on because of all the collaboration.”
The first ever Royals Go Downtown was held in Sept. 2022, and became an annual tradition. The event was created by EMU’s former president Susan Schultz Huxman and Harrisonburg mayor Deanna Reed, who at the time was a member of the Board of Trustees and now serves as EMU’s Director of Alumni Engagement and Community Connections. EMU Communications reported that the event was “nearly two years in the making, delayed by COVID.”
Each year, the event involved students traveling (via chartered bus or their own transportation) to Magpie Diner, being greeted by the current president and Mayor Reed, then embarking on a journey through downtown Harrisonburg. Local restaurants and businesses provided bites to eat or other small treats. The tour ended with a pizza/dance party at Turner Pavillion. The selection of participating businesses varied each year, increasing from seven local businesses in 2022 to 15 in 2025.
Local news station WHSV televised the 2024 event, and local newspaper The Daily News-Record covered it in 2025.
Last year marked the fourth annual Royals Go Downtown, once again hosted by the President’s office, but this time under then Interim President Dycus.
Students enjoyed all different aspects of Royals Go Downtown, from the community-building to the free food. Martin loved guiding groups of students through downtown. “I like wearing a yellow vest,” she said.
Short enjoyed the party at the end of the downtown tour, and getting to talk to people. Loker’s favorite part was seeing the mayor singing and dancing at Turner Pavillion.
Cornelius enjoyed the pizza party, “turning up with the mayor,” and the free food. “The whole thing is just the best.”
