York Homecoming

I remember homecoming. Okay, it was a long time ago, but I haven't killed that many brain cells. Anyway, I do remember it. It was the best part of the new school year.

Spirit week. TP-ing houses, trees - everything that stood still was fair game. Bonfires. loat-building for the parade.

Huh - what's that? You have no idea what float-building is? Well, hell - - you're missing a great thing.

Back in the "old days" we actually had a Homecoming Parade (full disclosure: I didn't go to York, I attended a different HS in DuPage County). The idea was that each class was given "X" amount of funds to plan and construct a float for the parade. Best float won a prize. Of course, the parade also featured the band, cheerleaders, local items, etc., but the main thing - the primary focus - was the class floats.

And the best thing about them wasn't even the parade. It was the weeks leading up to the parade, planning, buying crepe paper or other supplies, building under secret cover - and the James Bond-like attempts of each class to see what the others classes were up to, what they were building. Was it bigger than ours? Lame? Cool? What were the Juniors doing? Why so the Sophomores need three cases of gold spray paint? And so on.

It was driving around town at night with the windows open and the radio cranked, looking for any signs of activity that might be float-related. It was silently acknowledging those you passed from other classes, keeping a mistrustful eye on them to make sure they weren't sent to steal your ideas.

It was silly, fun, and for a couple of weeks each fall it meant the world.

How many friendships were struck while glueing paper to a wire head? How many times did love blossom, or fizzle, during the course of a dark, cool night under the bright moon, brown leaves, and dad's super-bright work light hanging from the garage rafters (you couldn't work in the dark)?

So what do the kids do now?

Kinda sad - they really don't know what they're missing. It's a set of memories they'll never have.

And I guess now, they'll lose the memories of TP-ing the school, too.

At least they stillplay the game, right? Right??