That’s right. With the recent weather pattern of rain, rain, and more rain (we did need that moisture, remember?) it’s been a bit of a shock to realize that summer vacation is over and it’s time to return to school. Fall is here and considering all of the rain, it’s bound to be a beautiful year for colors!

As a parent of two kiddos in the local school district, I know it’s been incredibly busy! Open Houses are done and over with. The schedules have settled, (sort of!) and now it’s time to really focus on being back in school. And of course, once we’re back in school, it’s pretty much a non stop drive to the holiday season.

Smith’s has already packed their holiday aisle with Halloween goodies. The Jack o’ Lanterns are leering and the candy is calling. But before we all get swept away by the incoming holiday season, let’s take just a second to pause for a really important local event related to both fall and back to school.

Homecoming 2022

On September 16, 2022 the Los Alamos Hilltoppers will take the field against Pojoaque Valley for this year’s Homecoming Football game. The parade will happen the afternoon before the game, and our high school’s traditional Homecoming Dance will be on Saturday the 17th of September. It’s a full weekend and it’s coming up fast!

Why is this a big deal?

It might surprise you to learn that Homecoming isn’t actually for current students. That wasn’t the origin of the concept at all. The tradition of Homecoming actually started in the 1900’s as a way to encourage school alumni to come home and show their support for their alma mater. There are quite a few schools who try to claim they had the first ever modern homecoming.

According to Jeopardy! and Trivial Pursuit, the actual first modern homecoming claim to fame is held by the University of Missouri at Columbia. Mizzou held their first homecoming game in 1911 as a way to encourage alumni to come back and support the school. The tradition stuck and trickled its way from universities to grade schools until it has become an American tradition for schools of all shapes and sizes.

The event doesn’t even have to include American Football. Some schools who don’t field a football team have a Homecoming Soccer, Hockey, or Basketball game. Here in Los Alamos, the Homecoming courts were presented at soccer games in the eighties because soccer was the local sport at that time.

Whether you are Hilltopper alumni or not, I’d like to encourage you and your family to support the idea of Homecoming. Grab the family and head to the parade. Tailgate in the parking lot of Sullivan Field. Attend the big game against Pojoaque! Cheer our Toppers to victory! Tickets can be purchased online before the event. If you’ve got kiddos in school, this is a great way to reinforce school spirit and unity. High school certainly isn’t the place you’d like your kids to reach their peak, but it is a really important time of physical and emotional growth. Friends you make in high school are sometimes people that you keep in touch with for a lifetime. Making memories by attending hometown sporting events, parades, and even school dances become small pieces of our identity as adults in the “real world”.

And just so you know, it is literally Homecoming tradition for the home team to schedule their Homecoming game against a much lesser opponent. In many districts, it’s tradition to play a team from a lower division. The idea is to stack the odds in the home team’s favor, to build confidence, and to feel good about being a proud member of the community. So pull out your Green and Gold and go for it!

If you’re curious about Homecoming, you can check out this informative Wikipedia entry regarding the history. Wikipedia isn’t always the most reliable source, but in this case we’re talking about a pop culture tradition and Wikipedia has some insightful historical points. And if you’re ready to support the Hilltoppers, check out their sports homepage HERE. And as always, when you’re ready to talk about becoming a member of our local community, I’d love to talk Real Estate with you! Give me a call and let’s get the ball rolling!