Normally in the Saturday paper, we’d have a good picture of the Somerset High School Homecoming Parade today. But it’s a good thing we didn’t. More and more, I find myself appreciating this community tradition.
It’s something that makes this town a little unique — maybe not, I don’t know how widespread small town homecoming parades are, really. But it feels that way. I actually went to Somerset High, but I never had a lot of “school spirit” when I was in high school.
It was too important to me to be “different.” Some of you might have been that kid too, some of you may have kids in that phase now. But while I had a number of friends who did these things, activities like float-building and dance-organizing weren’t for me, and my participation as a band member in halftime performances was more compulsory than enthusiastic.
But age changes you, or at least it probably should, and as the years go by, I’ve developed a deeper appreciation for these traditions. In particular, I enjoy going out on the Fountain Square to watch the parade go by the Friday of the big game. I enjoy seeing everybody lined up, wearing their purple and gold.
I enjoy seeing the wee ones scramble around for the candy thrown from trucks full of football players. I look at the convertible cars drive by with the Homecoming queen candidates and I can recognize that these young people are having the time of their lives, moments they’ll never forget. Good on them.
The really cool thing is .
