We have guest author Chris Martin with us today and I know everyone will offer their usual warm welcome. And check out the post for info on a giveaway you won’t want to miss.
Hello everyone and Happy High School Homecoming Season!
Yes, High School Homecoming Season has begun and I recently did a little research on its origins and traditions. The whole dressing, dating and dancing routine has changed over the years, yet some traditions remain core.
Where did this tradition start?
The first high school homecoming was an adaptation of the college or university homecoming. Four different colleges claim to have started the tradition: Baylor of Waco, Tx; University of Illinois at Urbana-Champagne; University of Missouri at Columbus ; and Southwestern University at Georgetown, Tx. The first homecoming celebration occurred in 1909, 1910, or 1911 according to which school you give the credit to.
About four years later, the tradition was picked up by high schools. However, unlike the original university homecomings honoring alumni, high school homecomings generally are celebrations of team spirit for current students, particularly the graduating class.
Most high school homecomings include a football game and a dance. And where I’m from, the game schedule is carefully assigned so that the homecoming team plays a weaker team. This doesn’t guarantee a win for the homecoming team, but it certainly helps the odds. I have no idea what happens with the weakest team in the league!
Many schools have a homecoming court, although this tradition has started to wane in a few areas. Rules for choosing the homecoming royalty vary greatly by school. In the school my daughter graduated from, every Senior girl was made official Homecoming Queen and was escorted onto the football field at halftime for presentation. (They won their game.)
Homecoming dance formality varies from school to school, with some now as causal as T-shirts and jeans, while others are still into formal wear. Part of the traditional dress is the homecoming corsage, typically made from a mum.
Homecoming corsages vary, too, in size and scope. Texas claims they invented the traditional mum corsages, but Missouri also claims that honor. Evidence, though, strongly points to this being a Texas tradition that then spread to Oklahoma and Louisiana.
The homecoming mum corsage became popular in the 1950s and 1960s. The corsage started off simply enough. A flower with a bit of ribbon to wear pin to a dress and wear at the football game and then the dance. Mums cost about $3 back then.
Now, the traditional mums are silk as well as fresh. Some of these corsages are so huge and heavy, they require thick ribbons to drape them around the wearers neck and can cover the wearer’s whole torso. Pounds and pounds of ribbons and trinkets make the most elaborate corsages heavy, rattling decorations that can cost thousands of dollars!
Despite the pomp, or lack thereof, one thing remains the same about all high school homecomings. They lend excitement and the chance to make memories that students will remember long after graduation day.
In my new second chance romance A Cowboy To Love Again, Sagebrush High School Vice Principal Gina Middleton Maisie has her own personal homecoming and it doesn’t go quite as she’d hoped.
PS Sagebrush Highs School Mustangs are one of those football teams that everyone wants to play for their homecoming game.
A COWBOY TO LOVE AGAIN
Gina took her heart to San Francisco, leaving Zach Rivers behind. After high school graduation, she accepted the first scholarship she could wrangle and headed to university, hoping Zach would follow her.
He would have if he could have. But family troubles kept him at River Ranch as he struggled to save the family legacy.
After a disastrous marriage and divorce, Gina is back in Sagebrush as the high school’s vice principal.
When Zach finds himself in the vice principal’s office, will he pass on this second chance at love, or will he make the grade this time before it’s too late?
You can Preorder HERE
What about you? Are there any Homecoming traditions or memories you’d like to share? Or was it not something you paid much attention to? I’ll randomly pick from all the comments posted here and give away two large print paperbacks of my new release, A Cowboy To Love Again, one for the winner and one for the winner to give to a friend or donate to a library. Good luck!
I’m excited about my new pen name and my new sweet, clean cowboy romance series, Sagebrush. The series kicks off with A Cowboy to Love Again up for preorder and will release Sept 16th anywhere you buy books. Many thanks to Winnie Griggs who let me post in her spot this month to help me celebrate my launch!
All four books in this series are now available for Preorder
Follows on Amazon and Bookbub are greatly appreciated! And to learn more about me and my books, visit my Website
Chris Martin
Just Kisses and Heartstring Tugs
Sounds like a fun story.
thank you! My characters surprised me on this one!
Welcome to Petticoats & Pistols Chris. I was able to get a sneak peek at your upcoming release and I think it’s one readers will love.
As for Homecomings, I went to an all girls High School so the were no homecomings because there was no football. However I remember my daughters attending and everything that went into it. The dance was still very much a formal event back then and the corsages were the big mums with piles of ribbons and trinkets attached. After the dance she hung them on her bedroom wall where they stayed until well after her college days.
Those big mum corsages have been growing and growing in both popularity and size every year around here!
As a junior, I remember helping decorate the gym with a galaxy/star theme. But I remember more about my senior prom. The theme was fantasy of the sea, and I especially remember the slow dancing.
The galaxy/star theme sounds dreamy! Slow dancing in high school seemed to daring to me! I was shy, pretending not to be, though, so a LOT of things in high school took courage for me! 🙂
Welcome- I’m a Texas girl and oh how I remember the homecoming week, each day was a different then and we would dress accordingly. One day might be PJ day, one 50’s themed, one western themed, one something else (I can’t remember), then of course Friday was always School Team day. The pep rally was also the BEST, that week. And then the mums. I think they just kept getting bigger and bigger each year. I’m not sure how they are in todays time, I was in HS in the late 80’s and graduated in ‘88.
Those were some great times. Thanks for the stroll down memory lane.
That sounds like the best Spirit Week ever!!! I ran out of room to write about Spirit Week, but loved reading about them when I researched. I’m so glad you had such a great, fun homecoming!
I never got to go to homecoming or knew what it was. At least I don’t remember it.
I’m so sorry to hear this, Charlene! Did you go to a small high school?
I lived in Vermont on a back road with 3 sisters and two brothers in a two room house with outdoor plumbing. Mom was a single mother and we didn’t get to go or do to much extra things.
I remember our proms which were in the springs, but not much about homecoming which was in the fall. I love remember voting for the homecoming court which was a girl from each high school grade, but the queen had to be a senior. I don’t remember if I ever attended the dance or not.
That voting for homecoming court could be pretty intense, couldn’t it? I didn’t realize how many different ways homecoming court could be put together until I did this article. I really like how my daughter’s school did it where every senior girl was homecoming queen.
Welcome to P&P. Texan here. Our Homecomings were geared toward Seniors but it was also a weekend for graduates to celebrate their post graduation milestone anniversaries. As the years have gone by this event has turned into the milestone anniversary classes having a dinner and class gathering until a certain time and then any graduate can join at a given time.
The Homecoming court dressed formally and the nominees were escorted on the field by the father. Of course, this was the mid-eighties. I graduated in ’86. Of my how long ago that looked when I typed it. I know many high school’s that the nominee is escorted by a football player since this is supposed to be a football season event. This may become the traditional way to do it as time goes on because so many children do not have a father in their life and may not even have a step-father.
Mums were a huge deal and just became larger and larger as the years went by. I always felt bad for the guys that dated the most popular girls because it was a huge expense.
I only had a date to one homecoming game & dance. It was a dud. I accepted a date from our high school exchange student that year so he could experience a Texas Homecoming memory. He took my mum to our Pep Rally that day to give to me and he disappeared from there. It turns out someone stole the mum from him at the pep rally and from that moment on he spent the day and into the night trying to find it. Of course, it appeared to me and everyone else that he stood me up. By the time he showed up to the game it was almost over. We never really connected that night because of his embarrassment. I don’t even remember if he attended the dance but I’m thinking he went home because I’m pretty positive I don’t remember seeing him or dancing with him. All he had to do was come talk to me because i remember telling someone that it wasn’t his fault he was pranked and my mom was stolen.
What a walk down memory lane.
How awful for both you and him! You should go back to the game as an alumni and get a do-over!! My daughter was escorted by my dad. I think he was a lot more excited than she was! I know they were both very proud!
Welcome! I didn’t do much for home coming during my high school years. In college, I did make sure to attend the game (which was almost always a disappointment, but I went anyway). But I knew several people for whom homecoming was a huge deal.
Thank you for the welcome, Jess! You’re right in line with a lot of students! My research says that the homecoming game may be the only football game that unsportsball folks attend. And then, some schools aren’t into football. So they have homecoming hockey games, or soccer games
Having recently attended my 53rd high school class reunion, we still talk about our homecoming celebrations, the football game, dance, and the floats in the parade. It is a fond memory for sure. The cheerleaders were often in the queen’s court. I don’t remember corsages like you described here. Those must’ve been something else! So fun! I am glad Winnie gave you her spot so we could get more acquainted with you. Thank you for coming to Petticoats and Pistols today. I enjoyed reading your blog.
Thank you, Kathy for the warm words! I LOVE that you have such great memories of Homecoming. And I also love that you just had your 53rd reunion! That must have been a great time. Yes, Winnie is a true sweetheart for inviting me here, today!
our homecomings when I was in high school back in the 70’s seemed a bigger deal than now a days!
Did you have a more successful football team back then? My casual research indicates that might have something to do with it. A lot of schools have gone very, very casual with homecoming nowadays, while other schools have ramped it up!
Your book sounds lovely.
Homecoming when I was in high school involved a parade on the field, queens from clubs, plus each class, dresses for the dance, but the dresses weren’t formal like they are now.
Fast-forward to the homecomings for my boys. For the oldest, the court is picked by popular vote by the students. Court presented before the game because umpires/refs control time of game and halftime. Formalwear at the dance.
For the middle, the court is picked by faculty. No king or queen, but a court, nonetheless. My son was on the court, so we had to accompany him onto the field. Formalwear at the dance.
Youngest is a senior this year. No idea if he will go to the game or dance. His high school experience has been a little different.
Thank you, Denise! I’ve really enjoyed writing A Cowboy To Love Again. I’m almost done writing the 2nd book in the series and loving it just as much!
That is a lot of difference in customs from high schooler to schooler in your household. I feel for all the kids who had their school experiences turned upside down these last few years!
I hope you took a lot of pictures for your first two! Formalwear is such a benchmark of the growing years!! (Maybe third son would be willing to wear a tux or suit just for the pics?)
none to share
Hello bn100! No homecoming stories? Care to share your favorite teen adventure memory?
In my HS the football team picked the king and then he chose his queen.
Many of the mums that are used for homecoming around the country come from Palm City/ Stuart, FL. (Martin County). Lilies too.
I believe the history goes back to raising them in green houses with black lights etc. I’m sure things have changed over the years.
I LOVE knowing where the huge mums come from. Black lights? Oh! Spraying them with day-glo paint would be so awesome!! That could start a new trend!
We did have a homecoming with the ball game and the dance. Also had the king and queen that was chosen by the schools popular vote but I never went to any of them.
I get you there on not attending. I was an introverted extrovert, if there is such a thing. I didn’t want to miss out on anything. Yet I didn’t want to be surrounded by a lot of people, bumping elbows, either. I don’t think I’ve outgrown that! It’s still a push me/pull you thing in me.
Welcome to Petticoats & Pistols, Chris. We’re so happy to have you as a guest today. What a fun post about homecoming. I remember that whole week being full of fun, costumes, rallies, and excitement. Thanks for a stroll down memory lane and thank you for joining us today!
Thanks, Shanna for the welcome! I am delighted to be here! I’m so excited about making lots of new friends. Nostalgia is the best, isn’t it?
I don’t like football, only went to one game, and the only ones that went to Homecoming when I was in school was the “in” crowd and the snobs. My friends and I didn’t go, as we weren’t the “in” crowd or the snobs. I think homecoming is different in different parts of the country.
I’m so sad you didn’t have a good experience. Yes, my research showed that homecoming is definitely different geographically. I’m sorry your school wasn’t better at giving all the students a good experience!
My high school had homecoming activities, but I wasn’t really into that when I was there.
Is this one of those things you wish you had a second chance to do over? Or are you content with your past? (I know, too nosey of a question. But after digging into my character’s heads, I always wonder about this in.)
My high school homecoming is fondly remembered with spectacular decorations in the gym which was also fun putting up before the huge event. We giggled and had fun in doing the beautiful theme for that year. I was fortunate to attend four (4) different ones. I recall the senior year we had a beautiful scene with lots of blue speckled netting representing the evening star spangled night. I double-dated with my best friend in high school. Being a senior I was allowed to stay out all night and we spend lots of time together as a foursome driving around our small town streets with other students. We culminated this festive evening with eating out somewhere by a lake nearby and gazing at the real night sky in a dreamy mood. It was wonderful and it would be super to revisit that occasion. We wore those HUGE mums to our football games but for the
homecoming prom my dress was strapless so my corsage was around my wrist. At the football game we hollered until we became hoarse. It was so much fun.
I can SEE your memory and FEEL your joy! Thank you so much for sharing with me. Your post here will make me smile all day! <3
Many thanks, Chris. I have such fond memories and they almost bring tears to my eyes since they are no longer anything but a memory. Have a blessed week.
Sounds great
thank you
never participated in Homecoming…
I can see where it wouldn’t be for everyone. I ‘tried’ to participate. But I was a pretty big dork and didn’t do all the wonderful things a lot of folks that have commented did. But I gave it my best shot!
Never went to prom or homecoming but I did go to the homecoming football games!
I hope your team won on their homecoming night!
Hello and welcome! When I was in HS, my 3 older brothers were football players, we used to go watch their games . They went to the homecoming dances but I never did. When my now 2 adult children were in HS I would purchase our daughter a Homecoming corsage and I would purchase my son an arm band one. I live here in Texas, so there are pretty big Homecoming corsages here. We now have a grandaughter and a grandson in HS, and actually their Homecoming game is this Friday, both my granddaughter and my grandson are in the Band, so they will be marching with the Homecoming Parade that we have each year, I am looking forward to seeing and hearing them both, our granddaughter is in 11th grade and our grandson is in 9th grade, so this is his first year in HS. I love the sound of your book and I love your book cover! Have a great week and stay safe.
Hi Alicia! I researched that different part of Texas have different sizes of homecoming corsages. They will be fun keepsakes! I love that your grandchildren will be in the band for the parade! What instruments do they play? Thanks for the kind words about my book. I am excited about the upcoming release date!
I never heard of Homecoming until I went to college. In northeastern NY where I grew up we didn’t have high school homecoming. What a new experience for me when our girls reached high school here in Eastern Washington State! The whole week involved themed dress up different each day with Friday, game day, the team members in there jerseys, cheerleaders sometimes in uniform, and the other students in red and black the school’s colors. The dance was semi-formal. Our two older girls never went but the youngest had a different date all four years of high school. Flowers were never a big thing here although some of the high school clubs would sell mums for a fund raiser. Unfortunately for the clubs the mums didn’t catch on and didn’t raise much money. It was always a fun week. Thanks for the memories even though they of our daughters’ high school years and not mine.
I’m glad you got to enjoy homecoming through your children. I hadn’t known that the mums weren’t a thing everywhere until I researched it. Spirit Week seems to be the best part of lots of homecomings! My daughter was much bigger into homecoming than I was, too. She went to a larger high school. Great memories of our children growing up, right?
I didn’t go! And now I wish I had, of course.
All those looking backs! I do that, too. Maybe you could catch the game some year and enjoy the halftime show?
Thank you for the interesting information on homecoming games and dances.
If we had homecoming games and dances, I don’t remember any. Of course I was in high school in the early ’60’s and the “tradition” probably hadn’t made it that far north yet. Football was big at our area and we had one major rival for the area championship. That game was always the highlight of the season. I didn’t date much in high school, so I likely wouldn’t have known if there was a dance.
In college, we didn’t have a football team. They shut it down a few years before I attended because the program cost too much. Soccer wasn’t a big deal back then, so no homecoming related to that. I believe they have reinstated the football program and now do have a homecoming weekend.
Following you on Amazon and Bookbub. It is nice that your books are in large print. It is becoming more necessary all the time.
The football rivalry your school had sounds like it could have been a lot of fun! Thank you for following me! Yes, I am glad I can provide large print. They are so hard to find, some times. The large print edition will be available shortly after the ebook is.
We had a Spirit week leading up to the Homecoming game. The Christian school that I went to did not approve of dancing. I do not remember if there was a dinner at a resturant or not. Thank you so much for sharing. God bless you.
I’ve heard such fun stories about Spirit week in this comments! I wish we’d had one. I remember that a friend who went to a religious school always had huge sports banquets instead of dances. That sounded like a good trade off to me!
Hi Chris, I need to put your books on my TBR list. Yes, I did go to a Homecoming game with our city rivals.
I was one that I won’t forget the temperature was -6. I about froze along with my friends & Mom, but; we won!!! First time we beat them!!! Welcome to P&P, all the authors are Awesome!!!
Brr! What a game! So glad your team won!! Thank you for your kind words about my books on your TBR list. And big thanks for the great welcome here on P&P!
Thank you to everyone who has made me so welcome! I have enjoyed your comments greatly! I’ll post the winner of the 2 large print copies of A Cowboy To Love Again through Winnie Griggs who was kind enough to host me.
I didn’t go to public school so I didn’t have a homecoming dance. I’ve always thought it sounded fun though.