It was homecoming week for LQPV, Dawson/Boyd and Montevideo schools this past week. What is homecoming about and why is it such a big event every fall at high schools and colleges across the United States? As I participated in homecoming festivities at LQPV Friday afternoon I thought about that.

You can go to Wikipedia and read for yourself about the history of homecoming in the United States. It’s really interesting. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homecoming

My earliest memory of homecoming was when I was in elementary school living in New Ulm Minnesota. My dad always took my brother, Greg and me to the New Ulm Eagles football games on Friday nights. As a 5th and 6th grader we always had a pick-up game with our classmates behind the goal posts. Of course, as a young boy my interest during homecoming was watching the queen ride by on her float at halftime.

When I was in high school, I always looked forward to homecoming week. Back in the 70’s our class would borrow someone’s hay rack and wrap it in chicken wire and stuff thousands of Kleenex or paper napkins in the chicken wire. My senior year, after coronation on Monday night our class went down to the fairgrounds and built our float. The queen crowned my senior year was Ginny Tasto and I remember Ginny helping build the float and getting lots of hugs from classmates and she was all smiles. The football game if I remember correctly didn’t go so well, we lost to Ortonville.

Last Friday afternoon I was at LQPV High School for all the homecoming festivities. A few years ago they moved the homecoming parade out to the high school, instead of doing separate parades in Appleton and Madison. In my opinion, that was a great decision. All the elementary kids and staff participate in the parade and pepfest in the gym. Along with the middle school, junior high and high school students. The floats are very creative and some are pretty funny. The gym is almost full on both sides for the pepfest making it a very exciting atmosphere. The students do a great job putting on games and skits.

When the pepfest is over, everyone exits out the north doors to make their way to the football field to watch the Powder Puff game. The Madison and Appleton Chambers hand out Sundrop pop to everyone as they exit the gym. It is a mad rush and always fun. Kids love Sundrop and they are so appreciative of what the chambers are doing and many say thank you to us as they grab their Sundrop.

After the LQPV homecoming festivities, I headed over to Dawson for their homecoming. They have their homecoming parade starting at the school and go down main street and end at the football field before the game! Everyone follows the parade to RB Clay Field. I then did the Blackjacks football game against the Minneota Vikings. It was a pretty cool Friday night and I wore my winter coat for the first time this year.

I think one thing is missing from today’s homecoming activities and that is alumni coming back to celebrate with their school. I think it would be great to have all school reunions over the homecoming weekend or something organized for alumni to attend before or after the football game or even on Saturday and Sunday. Imagine if hundreds of alumni had a really good reason to come back to their school and help celebrate homecoming. After all, isn’t that what homecoming is all about, coming back home.