Chris McGinnis
Cesar Millan
Sam Lowe
Jason Fogelson
Bryson Forbes
Amy Graff
Karla Henriquez
Homecoming Hoopla
September 23 2009 by Mike Mason
For those that follow a sports calendar (versus a regular 12 month calendar) you certainly know that we have entered into a special time of year. No, not back to school. No, not the fall harvest. College football has started and is in full swing. For those that have their happiness linked to the ups and downs of rooting for a college football team over the next few months, it can be a great and not so great time. But for many it is also time to start planning a return trip to the alma mater for homecoming.
There is a debate about who started the homecoming tradition. Three universities make claims for initiating the ritual that is now followed in universities, colleges and high schools across the US. The University of Missouri and the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign both claim to have started the tradition as far back as 1910 and Baylor University is credited with first attaching the football game activity to the festivities. Though it is fair to say some universities claim homecoming activities back into the late 1800's.
Regardless of who gets the honor of founding it, homecoming has become an annual pilgrimage for faithful alums everywhere from the top towers of the Ivy League to the passionate state schools and even some die hard high schools get into the game. For most people, it is an opportunity to reconnect with a great time in their lives.
Reconnecting with the nostalgic feeling of being young and being in college is what keeps people coming back year after year--like an annual trip to the fountain of youth. It provides the current student body plenty of activities so they can build their own nostalgia for later on. And (don't overlook this part) it provides schools plenty of opportunity to ask returning alums for donations. Lastly, for multi-generational families that are also alums, it provides an opportunity for a family reunion. Or at least an opportunity for parents to check up on how their college-attending kids are doing.
I was surprised to find out how much more there is to homecoming than attending a football game. Thought it appears the football game has been a central part of homecoming from the beginning, over the years plenty of additional activities have been added from dances and dinners to carnivals and parades. My favorite activity (apart from the football game) is still within the football game family--tailgating. The size and scope of tailgating before a game varies greatly. For homecoming it usually takes on a much grander scale. Current students, alumni, and members of the community and business community come together for food, live music and socializing before the game. For many it is as sacred an event as the football game itself. I can practically smell the bratwurst already.
Most homecomings occur later in September and through October, though there are exceptions. Thinking of making a homecoming trip? Now is a great time to book flights and hotels as some of the more popular homecoming celebrations are happening now.
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