Thirty-nine years ago, Ron Barth was my Bridgeport High School homecoming escort. This past weekend, he and his sister Darletta Barth Stout accepted a BHS Alumni & Friends Foundation Hall of Fame award on behalf of their dad Walter Barth, who recently passed away after serving BHS and the Bridgeport community for many years.

 

It’s tradition.

 

And it’s a long line of people, uniquely interwoven. You can connect the dots through friends, school teachers and public officials; business owners, athletes and clergy members. They teach, look out for each other and combine their talents, time and abilities for the good of our city.  

 

I was thinking what it must have felt for these BHS graduates, walking into their alma mater some 40 years after their graduation to honor the accomplishments of their dad. Now there are grandchildren in the picture; more BHS graduates. One, Miss Emilee Stout, is now a teacher at the high school, teaching students and coaching the Indian cheer squad and track teams. Her sister Natalie was a decorated swimmer for BHS and their younger brother Steven a star football player – like his dad.

 

To bring this long line of folks together, the annual Bridgeport Homecoming – with the theme, “Under the City Lights” – is coming up Sept. 28 to Oct. 1. As is tradition, the celebration will start with a Homecoming parade which on Wed., Sept. 28 will assemble at the bottom of Philadelphia Avenue and at 6 p.m. proudly proceed straight to BHS. Included in the entourage will be the BHS Band and alumni band, civic and sports groups and the homecoming court: Freshmen Addison Boggs and Emmaleigh Perine; sophomores Grace Ebert and Kirstin George; juniors Victoria Catania and Sophia Lopez; and seniors Taylor Abraham, Hannah Allen, Autumn Fiest, Courtney Freeman, Gabriela Hemeon, Lindsay Knight, Emily McCarthy, and Quinn Stalnaker. Flower girl will be Della AnnMarie -McQuaid and crown bearer will be Brooks King. I'm thrilled to see my granddaughter Della and great-niece Emmaleigh - both kids of BHS grads  - get to be part of this year's court. 

 

The court will also be introduced at a homecoming assembly to be held at BHS during school hours Thursday. That event will also feature entertainment by the school jazz band and show choir and various other student performances and activities. 

 

On Fri., Sept. 30, the Indians of Bridgeport High School will face East Fairmont at the annual homecoming game. Kickoff is 7:30 p.m. Again, the BHS Band and alumni band will play for the crowd which gathers and at halftime during the big game, a homecoming queen – pre-selected by her student peers – will be crowned. Those girls and their dates and the rest of the BHS student body will enjoy a homecoming dance the very next night as the red carpet will be rolled out and cameras will flash as each stunning couple makes their way into the event.

 

Leading up to homecoming weekend, students of each class are designing and building a class float and at the big game on Oct. 30, one of those floats will be named the winning design. The students will cheer, but they all know that the real reward for it all had already been realized: The making of memories in the garages and carports of their classmates.

 

One football team will win, one will lose. And another homecoming – and thus more pages of Bridgeport’s history and tradition - will be in the books.

 

Don’t miss it all. Cheer as the parade goes by, pack in the stands to support the Indian football team. If you happen to be a former member of the BHS Band, please join us in this year's alumni band. You will enjoy it so much. Mike Hess keeps our small group lively and does a fantastic job of motivating. It's just like old times. If you'd like to join us in the homecoming parade and/or football game, come to rehearsal, 7 p.m. Tues., Sept. 27.

 

In whatever role you play, be a part of the history. Whether you grew up in the city and/or graduated from BHS or relocated here at a later chapter in your life, are now part of the story. 

Don’t miss it all. Cheer as the parade goes by, pack in the stands to support the Indian football team. 

 

Julie Perine can be reached at 304-641-5395, julie@connect-bridgeport.com or follow @JuliePerine on Twitter!

 

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