Homecoming has long been a high school tradition - a rite of passage for the teen years. But just how long has this tradition been going on?

Well, Homecoming actually got its start at the college level back in the early 1900s, and was given the title when alumni were invited back “home” to the football game in an effort to boost attendance and school spirit. As popularity for the idea grew, activities such as parades, pep rallies, and bonfires were added.

Beginning in the late 1920s and early 1930s, high schools began getting in on the action, and by the post-WWII years in the late ‘40s and early ‘50s, the focus of Homecoming had shifted from welcoming traveling alumni to engaging the local community, current students, and recent graduates. Eventually, some of the traditions that we have all enjoyed, such as a dance and the crowning of a Homecoming king and queen, were added to the festivities.

In 2010, Callaway and Arnold schools entered into a sports cooperative agreement, and the Callaway Bears and Arnold Cardinals were retired and transformed into the South Loup Bobcats. Though the schools participate in joint athletic and some school activities, including dances, each school has continued to maintain the crowning of its own Homecoming King and Queen.

We thought it might be fun to peek back at the Callaway High School Homecoming from 50 years ago. Eight pairs were named candidates for the coveted king and queen crown. King candidates were: Randy Meyer, Jay Kyne, Tony Reinhard, Ray Urbach, Chip Dodge, Dave Welch, Tom Brestel, and Greg Ridder. Candidates for queen were: Carol Headley, Anne Wright, Coeleen Leonard, Gina Street, Julie Hirsch, Jame Farmer, Rhonda Brestel, Diane Hoesel, Chris Stivers, and Shelly Jorgenson.

Homecoming week festivities at CHS included the parade, where the junior class repeated as best float, a spirit club/football team potluck supper, pep rally, and a bonfire. Following the Callaway v Merna football game on Oct. 8, 1976, Chris Stivers and Randy Meyer were crowned king and queen.

While the digital world we live in has changed a lot of things in the last 50 years, the fun and pageantry of special life events like Homecoming remain very much the same. And aren’t we glad?

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