Freedom’s annual homecoming festival started as a dream by Anna Maria Folmar who wanted to open up a special event for the community to come together as a whole. Mrs. Folmar was very active among the whole Freedom school district and the festival was one of the many gifts she left after her passing.

Mr. Dale Kline took over and made sure everything fell into place to make this event even better than the year before. This year marked the third annual homecoming festival and brought Freedom alumni home and members of the community together to enjoy their time celebrating the place they grew up knowing to love.

Twenty seniors were selected to be on this year’s homecoming court. The couples were Haley Baldinger escorted by Nych Baker, Emily Bozza escorted by John Blinn, Ava Colorito escorted by Kyle Borgman, Rachel DeCesaris escorted by Dante Colorito, Carson Gilarno escorted by Haley Greco, Alexis Halvin escorted by Santino Guandolo, Taylor Petroff escorted by Michael Keith, Courtney LaValle escorted by Jon Kaercher, Julianna Sabol escorted by Jason Norman and Leah Scheider escorted by Daniel White.

Being on the homecoming court was meaningful to each member of the court.

“Knowing that our peers respect us and think highly of us is a very humbling experience,” Baker said.

The festivities began on Friday, Oct. 6 with a school wide pep rally at Bulldog Stadium introducing the 2017 homecoming court to the entire student body. The Big Red Marching Band began the assembly with an exciting performance that grabbed everyone’s attention. After being introduced, the court performed a fully-choreographed, entertaining dance for the audience.

“Performing our dance in front of the whole school was an unforgettable experience. The day before our performance, everything came together and we were able to work out all the kinks to make it out to be a pretty awesome dance,” Kaercher said.

After school let out, an annual Tea Reception was held where the members of the court were able to express their gratitude towards their parents.

To end the night, there were two dances held for the students, one at the high school and one at the middle school. With a lot of help from Mr. Brad Baldwin, the high school dance quickly became a success with over 200 students attending.

The festivities picked right back up on the morning of Saturday, Oct. 7 with a 5K race hosted by the Freedom Area track and cross country teams.

Following the 5K race, the annual parade took place on the main street of Freedom. The Big Red Marching Band led the parade, followed by floats filled with red and white, Little Bulldog and FHS cheerleaders and members of the homecoming court riding on convertibles, all sharing candy and joy with the parade onlookers.

Immediately after the parade, the festivities continued in front of the middle school where participants were able to check out the various booths sponsored by several school clubs and organizations throughout the community.

Friday night lights turned to Saturday night lights for this special occasion as the Bulldogs hosted the South Side Rams for a section game.

Before the game, the members of homecoming court were introduced. Keith and DeCesaris were crowned homecoming King and Queen.

“It was such a special moment being crowned queen and I’ve had moments like that throughout my entire high school career. I know this place will always be home and I can always come back no matter what,” DeCesaris said.

The Bulldogs finished the night with a big win over South Side by the score of 21-14. After the game, students were encouraged to attend the annual bonfire. A large stack of wood was lit into flames and fireworks were set off, disappearing into the night creating memories that will last a lifetime. Some may say it was the perfect finale to an amazing event that will continue to bring the community together for years to come.