Homecoming Dances

Seaxe 1966 / Loara's First Homecoming Dance, Gym 11.19.1965

High school dances have changed in the last 50 years.  If you read the Saxon Shield and Yearbooks of old you will see that the Homecoming Dances were true Homecomings.  The alumni were invited back for free and the cost of the dance was $1.00.  But the decor was not extravegant but it worked for the time.  Most of the time there was a Dj spinning records in the corner and everyone had a great time.

Loara High School Gym 10.20.2012 / taken at the same angle as the 1965 Homecoming Photo

Surprisingly the cost hasn't shot up that much in 50 years.  A ticket is $15.00 today, surly that doesn't match the cost of living increases.  Loara works hard to make the dances as affordable as possible for all to attend.  Nothing worse than a dance with no one there.  In a 1990's yearbook they reported they were over 400 attendees, today we get about 800 in attendance in good years but we generally hit the 700 mark.  Sadly that's about 1/3 of the school, many have to work, baby sit or are not interested in dances.  

In 2013 terms Dj is a name that has morphed Vj (Video Jockey), Digital Dj's and more have entered the scene.  Oddly enough many have turned back to vinyl to mix their music but most do so on a Digital turntable not playing records or cd's at all but digital remixes that are further remixed at the dance itself.  Video has entered the dj scene that allows Dj's to play music videos of the songs they are tracking at the same time.

Homecoming Halftimes / Games

Courtesy of 2012 Seaxe / Kelly Low Queen

There have been several ways we have found to crown a Queen and King.  Since 1965 (First Homecoming) The Queen was announced in a halftime ceremony and by 1988 (First Kings) we began crowning Kings at the dance.

We've brought them out in corvettes, chariots, walked them out, paraded them, carried them and the likes.

No matter how we have done it the winners have felt that stars, like they are the only one in the room at that moment and to them and the school, for that one moment, they are a Queen of a King.

All this while there is a football game going on in between crownings or even a dance when it comes to  the King.

Courtesy of 2012 Seaxe / Nolan Sanchez King

For the 50th we spared no expense, we had corvettes representing each year, we had confetti cannons that went off when the queen was announced, we brought the band out of 1/2 time retirement to play a soft song in the back ground while the queens were announced and we had 2 emcee's describing the girls and boys and they came driving by.  For 2012, we had a show.  In the past 24 years that I've been involved in the crowning, i'm always amazed we make it in time because our 1/2 times often go long.  The shortest I believe was about 4 minutes and the longest was this year and we used all 20 minutes given with only about 50 seconds left on the clock.

Happy 50th Anniversary Loara High School, Happy Anniversary.

Queens of 1965 - 1987 video

Queens and Kings of 1988 - 2012 video

As to the football games, often times the game we chose is the big rival. Either Katella High School or Anaheim High School which will rile up the crowd.  As leagues shift  and we are now in the Golden West League we no longer can battle these teams in our Homecoming game.  We have only been in 3 Leagues, Empire, Sunset and now Golden West.

Homecoming Game / Halftime / Post Game slide show courtesy of Bill Norris

What are some of your memories of Homecoming Game and Halftime?