This year the theme was “Once Upon a Homecoming” for our children’s Elkins High School homecoming parade. Our students are junior, freshman and 7th grade. Our youngest daughter has always delighted in going “all in” on the class homecoming float. This year was no different. Our oldest son, however, could have cared less about all the pomp and circumstance of the occasion.
For several weeks, the Elkins high school junior class occupied the lions share of the machine shed out at our farm. A group of young men came out the first night after school to help my husband (under our daughter’s direction) build the skeleton of this year’s float. They borrowed a large gooseneck trailer from our neighbor and went to work. They opted to create an Alice in Wonderland theme for the junior class to keep with the overall fairy tale homecoming theme.
Slowly, after working on it after school and into the evening, the kids were making progress in creating a throne for the Queen of Hearts, a rabbit hole for Alice to fall through and a Mad Hatter’s Tea Party. They thrifted old chairs, mirrors, clocks, candlesticks and more. They took the time to paint and create and it was really very cute when they finished. On the few nights leading up to Homecoming Day, the junior class had worked several late hours on a float they were very proud of.
On the Friday of homecoming, my husband and I were up early getting our youngest children to school for football practice. We had had a late night before at the 7th grade a junior high football games in Berryville. Our daughter helped her dad organize tools and paint to put the last-minute touches on the float once it arrived in town at the high school.
After a very careful drive into town the float was parked at the high school. Around 9 o’clock that morning, several class members arrived to finalize all the preparations for their float. It looked really nice, and they had put a lot of work into it. They got into their costumes and awaited the judges making their rounds to look them over.
Our oldest son finally got into the homecoming spirit with his FFA chapter. They put together a barnyard themed homecoming float and were ready to participate in the parade that afternoon. We were glad to see so many students enjoying a special day.
When time for the pep rally arrived that afternoon, the homecoming committee announced all the students on the homecoming court. Every student on the court looked great in beautiful dresses and suits. The rally was exciting, and the cheerleaders got the crowd pumped up for that night’s game. When the float winner was announced, the junior class roared with joy – they were reigning champs for three years in a row.
After the pep rally, the students went out to watch the homecoming parade. Every maid was in a great looking car or antique truck. Our youngest (7th grade) son hopped on the float with the junior class and enjoyed tossing out candy to all his friends. My parents even made the long trip from southwest Missouri to enjoy the day’s festivities. It was a great crowd on a hot day.
That evening the 2024 homecoming queen was crowned. The 1974 “dirty dozen” football team was honored for its legacy in our school district. The varsity football team took another victory over the Berryville Bobcats. Our hometown crowd was very proud of its past, present and future. It pays to be all in, neighbor.
Jody Harris is a freelance communications specialist, gardener, ranch wife and mother of four. She and her family raise Angus beef cattle and other critters on their northwest Arkansas ranch. She is a graduate of Missouri State University. To contact Jody, go to ozarksfn.com and click on ‘Contact Us.’
