Homecoming Friday in Ramona

Ramona is a small town northeast of San Diego. Like so many small towns, we have only one high school and Homecoming is a big deal. The Ramona Bulldogs Varsity is undefeated (6 games). They close off Main St so folks can bring their lawn chairs and set up on the curb and cheer for the float of their choice. And of course, there is the high school marching band, cheer and flag marchers, Rodeo queen and Little Miss, a fire truck lights flashing and horns blasting for the kids and the Homecoming queen and princesses with their escorts all in convertible cars. Since Main Street is also 4-lane Highway 78, the floats go down one side of the street 8 blocks, circle back and come back up the other side.

I remember a long ago Homecoming at Bel Air High School in El Paso, Texas. Most of the girls wore those big white mums with long blue ribbon streamers on their coats at the football game. I was in the Marching band and we were not allowed such frivolities. But I remember the fun of Homecoming weekend, the fall snap in the air and the promise of another year. So the marching band going up the street playing Louie, Louie took me back 40 years. It was a nice flashback. Would I go back if I could. No way, I jsut barely made it out of high school without going crazy.