Homecoming Day at
Huntington on Saturday
An action-packed week will culminate this Friday and Saturday as Huntington High School celebrates its annual Homecoming festivities. The activities will include Friday night float building, a mid-day parade on Saturday followed by a football game and an evening student dance.
Alumni dating back decades are expected to join the fun, returning to their alma mater and renewing friendships. Excitement has been building throughout the week as graduates and current students put their weekend plans in motion. The Class of 1960 is holding a 50th anniversary dinner dance Saturday night at the Huntington Crescent Club.
The parade will kick-off Saturday morning at 12 noon and proceed through the heart of Huntington Village, down Main Street to New York Avenue and the Big H Shopping Center and up Holdsworth Drive to the high school. It will include four class floats, the Blue Devil marching band, cars carrying members of the Royal Court, trucks ferrying fall sports teams and students, faculty members and even parents. The colorful and creative class floats will be on display in front of the high school following the parade.
The 2 p.m. varsity football game will pit the Blue Devils against Suffolk Division III foe East Hampton. Admission is free and no tickets are required. Halftime activities will include the crowning of the Homecoming king and queen, performances by the Blue Devil marching band and the Highsteppers, the school's competitive dance team and an announcement of the winning class float entry.
"Homecoming Day is always one of the highlights of the year," Superintendent John J. Finello said. "It's fun to see all the excitement and to speak with alumni members who haven't been back to the high school in years."
A Friday afternoon pep rally at the school is planned. Students will be busy Friday night, placing the finishing touches on class floats until midnight. Following their practice, varsity and JV football players will attend a traditional team dinner organized by parents in the school cafeteria.
Saturday night's Homecoming dance in the Huntington High School gym is expected to attract about 500 students, who will party from 8 p.m. until midnight. Huntington alumni have been arranging informal reunions for groups of friends at restaurants and pubs throughout the village.
Last year's festivities drew a crowd of about 2,000. It saw seniors Marissa Dillhoff and Peter Knutson crowned Homecoming king and queen, respectively. If the weather cooperates, a similar crowd is expected this weekend at Huntington High School.
The Huntington Booster Club will be collecting gently used or new sports equipment at the football game for the Devil's Den, which provides student-athletes with equipment they might not be able to afford. The items can be dropped off at the group's distinctive large white-and-blue trailer that will be parked near the football field.
Teacher John Walsh will serve as the PA announcer for the football game and halftime festivities. The Booster Club will be selling food and refreshments and a variety of Blue Devil athletic apparel.