With the recent Homecoming festivities, I was interested to see how much Ridgeway traditions had changed over the years. Interestingly, I didn’t find much about high school homecoming events at all in Harrison County. In fact, most articles about homecoming through at least the 1940s were either college traditions or church celebrations that usually included a special service and a basket dinner and may have included games. These were more like what we might consider to be a reunion.
The first article I could find about Ridgeway’s Homecoming was from 1965. (There are undoubtedly earlier articles, but the search doesn’t always find everything.) Ridgeway played a double header basketball game against North Harrison during which the Ridgeway girls and the Eagleville boys won. The festivities included a bonfire on the ball field and a parade from the school grounds through town which included all grades and the Ridgeway band. After the game, the coronation was held. Senior Sondra Middleton was crowned as Homecoming Queen and Steve Polley, also senior, was her escort. Other candidates included freshmen Gavla Buntin and Eddie Reeder; sophomores Iris Carter and Dick Warner; juniors Rita Williams and Phil Tuggle. Dr. Lake Brewer won a gift for being the oldest RHS graduate attending and Dorothy Polley won as having taught the longest. After the coronation, the students enjoyed a dance in the gym.
