Fall is in full swing in Richland County, and has brought with it the start of school and high school football season – which means homecoming season is right around the corner.
The first wave of homecoming games and dances hits this weekend with five local high schools playing their homecoming games on Friday, Sept. 26: Crestview, Clear Fork, Galion, Plymouth and Shelby. In Clear Fork, students will drift off to sweet dreams after the game against Lexington on Friday night before heading to Sweet Dreams, the theme for their homecoming dance.
“It’s going to be like dreaming and having dreams of candy,” said Sonia Kelley, student delegation advisor at Clear Fork. “There’s going to be candy and clouds and things like that.”
Clear Fork’s homecoming dance will be held on Saturday, Sept. 27 from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m., put together by the high school’s student delegation made up of class officers for every class and representatives for almost every organization. Kelley noted this year’s dance is earlier in the year due to the football team’s home game schedule.
“We have an every other year cycle, this year we have all our home games at the beginning of the season and next year their games are towards the end of the season, so next year homecoming will be in October,” said Kelley.
Keeping with Clear Fork tradition, this year’s homecoming court is made up of only girls. Kelley explained each class has their own representatives chosen within the classes, and the entire student body votes on the queen. The girls of the homecoming court get to pick their own escort from their class.
“Years ago we used to have a dance in the spring where they voted for the boys, but we don’t do that anymore,” said Kelley.
Next week kicks off homecoming week for Mansfield Senior and Lexington, both playing their games on Friday, Oct. 3. Leading up to Mansfield Senior’s Friday night match against Ashland, the school has daily spirit themes. According to homecoming advisor Brenda Kohli, Monday is camouflage day, Tuesday is twin day, Wednesday is college sports day, and Friday is dress to impress. On Thursday, the school also hosts a bonfire at Arlin Field.
“We try to follow the same guidelines every year and try to have fun for the kids so they can dress differently,” said Kohli. “For them to be out of campus wear for a whole week is fun for them.”
Mansfield Senior’s homecoming court is made up of four senior girls and four senior boys, as well as one girl and one boy from the underclassmen. The whole student body will vote on the king and queen, with the winners chosen at an assembly on Friday afternoon. Saturday night’s dance from 8 p.m. to 11 p.m. will be under the theme “Neon Night Lights,” chosen by the junior class homecoming committee.
“It’s all neon, basically – decorations that have neon theme to them, and we’re trying to coordinate with the DJ so that we can have black lights,” said Kohli.
Also hosting a week of spirit wear is Crestline High School, whose homecoming weekend starts with their game against Colonel Crawford on Friday, Oct. 10. Other schools playing their homecoming game on Oct. 10 include Madison, Lucas and Ontario. Katie Stasen, in her first year as Crestline’s student council advisor, the week leading up to homecoming is always highly anticipated.
“We’re doing a ‘My Lips Are Sealed’ contest with the cheerleaders; they’ll have with them a plastic set of lips and they’re not allowed to talk,” explained Stasen. “If they talk somebody gets to steal their lips, and whoever has that cheerleader’s lips at the end of the day gets to pie them in the face.”
Crestline’s teachers will also be getting messy in the name of spirit. Stasen is organizing a food drive competition to benefit Crestline’s backpack program, which feeds approximately 60 elementary kids every week. Whichever class brings in the most food, that teacher will be made into a sundae.
Stasen said every day leading up to the homecoming dance on Oct. 11 will have a spirit theme.
“Monday ‘Merica red white and blue, Tuesday is decade day for the 80s, college day is Wednesday, boys vs. girls on Thursday where boys wear pink and girls blue, and the last day is color wars between the classes,” she said.
As is tradition in Crestline the homecoming dance does not have a theme, though the gymnasium and hallways will still be decorated. The school also has an all-girl homecoming court, one freshman, one sophomore, one junior and three seniors running for queen. Each girl also selects her own escort.
No matter whom you’re rooting for on Friday or dancing the night away with on Saturday, homecoming is a celebrated tradition across Richland County. Richland Source would like to invite all area schools to submit their homecoming court photos and names for publishing by sending them to news@richlandsource.com. Photos from homecoming games and dances can be shared on our Facebook and Twitter.
