Student council was determined to make this year’s homecoming tailgate a great experience for the school and community after last year’s tailgate was cancelled due to flooding.

This year, the tailgate, located on the JV baseball field, ran from 4:00 p.m. to almost 6:00 p.m. and included many activities for students, faculty, and the community.

Senior and student council President Clayton Leasure thought that the food vendors, Chick-Fil-A and Sons of Sicily, really brought in a crowd to the tailgate.

“In the past, class council just brought in some snacks [to the tailgate],” said Leasure. “Now, we have actual vendors who will draw in the crowd.”

Freshman Michael Torbert was in charge of booking the food vendors, specifically Chick-Fil-A, for student council.

“[My favorite part of the planning process was] confirming Chick-fil-A,” said Torbert. “[I was happy that] I completed my task.”

Student council also raffled off items like tickets to the Steam Into History train located in New Freedom and Sweet Frog gift cards. The Courier also raffled off a $50 Visa gift card throughout the event. The winners were picked around 5:45 p.m. by random draw.

Student council brought in two different bounce houses and a velcro wall, complete with suits covered in velcro that participants had to wear. The bounce houses and velcro wall were a big hit with children and high school students alike.

Senior Alexis Anelli, also a member of student council, agreed that these activities were fun for the attendees of the tailgate.

“You can see [the inflatables] from far away,” said Anelli. “I think they drew a lot of people in.”

One of the goals of the tailgate was to not only pump up students for the homecoming football game but to also create a fun event for the community, and librarian Sandy May saw this idea come to life.

“I think [my favorite part] was watching the community members enjoy themselves and watch the high school students interact with the community,” said May. “We have really great students, so I’m glad the community can experience them.”

Like May, some faculty members brought their families to the event. Business education teacher Kellin McCullough, math teacher JC Lewis, art teacher Wade Bowers, and art teacher Wesley Myers attended the tailgate with their families.

“I also liked seeing the younger teachers with their families,” said May. “It was nice to see.”

Overall, the tailgate, being the first in a few years, was successful for both the school and the community.