On Oct. 9 and 10, the Freedom area community celebrated Homecoming in a new way through various activities, including dances, booths and a parade, ending with Saturday night’s football game.
The idea for a Homecoming Festival came from late FHS Attendance Secretary, Mrs. Anna Maria Folmar.
“Mrs. Folmar had a vision to expand Homecoming into an event that would draw the alumni and community together with the school in the celebration,” Homecoming Sponsor, Mr. Dale Kline said. Her idea was from about one year ago.
Folmar passed away on Aug. 5, 2015. Before her passing, the plans for the Homecoming Festival began.
“Mrs. Folmar had laid a lot of the groundwork, so there were a lot of contacts that had been made,” FHS Principal, Mr. William Deal said. “When she passed, it was a matter of trying to go back and find out who the people were that she had contacted and start bringing a lot of those loose ends together.”
The weekend began Friday evening with dances at the middle school and high school. The high school dance, which was organized by Mrs. Ellen Hill, sold over 150 tickets. At the same time, there was an adult social at Conway Volunteer Fire Department’s banquet hall.
On Saturday morning, Mr. Ed Shephard, as well as the Cross Country and Track and Field teams, hosted a 5K run/walk. Junior Jarrett Boyd and Senior Skylar Corfield won Overall Male and Female in the race. The Freedom High School Drama Club also had a Homecoming Breakfast fundraiser that morning.
At 11 a.m., community members went to downtown Freedom to watch the Anna Maria Memorial Parade. Folmar’s husband, Mr. Dave Folmar, marched with the Freedom Big Red Marching Band’s Front Unit, who held a memorial banner made in her honor.
Following the band, which was joined by 70 alumni band and unit members, sports teams, Freedom alumni Christian Beck and Jessica McNear and the Homecoming Court made appearances in the parade.
From 12:30-4 p.m., 27 clubs and organizations throughout the school district set up booths in front of the middle school on School Street. These booths had food, Freedom apparel and games to raise money for their organization.
The Freedom Area Education Association held a golf ball drop in the field between the high school and middle school. A bucket of golf balls were dropped from the top of a fire truck crane. The people whose purchased golf balls were closest and farthest from the mark on the ground won a cash prize.
During pregame festivities, Seniors Louis Dubovi and Emma Cumberledge were announced as the 2015 Homecoming King and Queen.
“Homecoming brought together our community and our district in a way that I have never seen before,” Dubovi said. “I believe that it is exactly what Mrs. Folmar would have hoped for.”Alumni band members made another appearance in the football tunnel, where they played “Mortal Kombat” and “Bulldogs” with the current marching band members. Alumni Alicia Black sang “The Star-Spangled Banner” and Senior Lara Pavlick sang Freedom’s alma mater.
The Homecoming Festival concluded with a bonfire near the middle school and a fireworks display. The fireworks were funded from $2,500 in donations.
Folmar’s legacy at Freedom Area School District and her original idea for the Homecoming Festival formed the mood and spirit for the entire weekend.
“Everyone who coordinated the events of this weekend really made [Folmar’s] dream become a reality. Her love shined on us throughout the entire day,” Cumberledge said.
According to Kline, the district plans to make the festival an annual event.
“We hope to continue to build upon the vision and continue to improve through the years,” Kline said.