GRAVETTE —Sirens from Gravette’s police vehicles and fire trucks filled the air to announce the beginning of Gravette’s football homecoming parade Friday morning. As football season nears the midpoint and the air begins to cool a bit, homecoming is a highly anticipated event and excited fans lined the roadway almost an hour before the parade began.
The Northwest Health ambulance followed closely behind the police and fire vehicles. And, of course, the Gravette High School marching band always shows up early in the lineup. Marching briskly and playing the Gravette fight song, they pump up school spirit both in the parade and at the game.
Homecoming queen candidates Abby Olvera, Alex Sumrall and Madison McDaniel and their escorts all rode in the parade, along with the young crown bearers and flower girls involved in the ceremony. Junior, sophomore and freshmen maids and their escorts also made an appearance. Madison McDaniel was crowned homecoming queen in pregame ceremonies at Lion Field.
Madelyn Obert, Miss Gravette 2019, joined in the parade; and the big green Gator, driven by vice principal Taos Jones with high school principal Shannon Mitchell as his passenger, was a popular entry.
This year’s parade theme was “Lights, Camera, Action,” and many floats displayed scenes that carried out the theme well. Football players, from the high school varsity team down through the secondand third-grade players, rode down the parade route, along with cheerleaders from each grade level. The girls’ volleyball team and members of both the girls’ and boys’ basketball teams rode on floats. Each class had an entry, with the senior class winning the award for best parade float with members dressed as Scooby-Doo characters. School clubs, including FFA, DECA and FBLA, also participated.
The mild, sunny day, with a light breeze blowing, offered perfect weather for a parade and for football. Fueled by the excitement generated in the parade, a luncheon for homecoming participants and an afternoon pep rally at the high school, the Lions took the field ready to play and pleased their fans with a 34-14 victory over the visiting Lincoln Wolves.
Westside Eagle Observer/SUSAN HOLLAND
Members of the Gravette High School marching band step smartly down Main Street as they perform in the football homecoming parade. The band always stirs up school spirit as it marches and plays the Gravette High School alma mater. It is also a key part of the activities at the football games each Friday night.
Westside Eagle Observer/SUSAN HOLLAND
Members of the second-and-third grade football team at Glenn Duffy Elementary School wave to friends and family as they take the debut ride on their “Hollywood Premiere” float in the homecoming parade Friday, Sept. 27. Great football players at Gravette High School often start young and come up through the ranks.
Players from the girls’ high school volleyball team, in their eye-catching brightly colored T-shirts, ride on a float encouraging fans to “Smile, Hug, Repeat.” Several sported elaborate hairdos as they got in the spirit of dressing up and waved to the crowd along the homecoming parade route.
Westside Eagle Observer/SUSAN HOLLAND
Members of the Gravette FFA Chapter announce they are “burn’in’ daylight” as they ride in the homecoming parade while another sign encourages the Lions to “beat those wolves.” They dressed in boots and jeans and rode on a float lined with bales of hay, making viewers feel they were down on the farm.
Westside Eagle Observer/SUSAN HOLLAND Westside Eagle Observer/SUSAN HOLLAND
Members of the Gravette High School Senior Class wave to folks lining Main Street as they ride along in the football homecoming parade. The seniors, dressed as characters from the popular TV show and movie “Scooby Doo” won first place in the float contest.
Westside Eagle Observer/SUSAN HOLLAND
Homecoming queen candidate Madison McDaniel prepares to throw a piece of candy to a spectator as she rides down Main Street in the football homecoming parade. Madison was crowned homecoming queen in ceremonies at the football field Friday evening before the game with the Lincoln Wolves.
Westside Eagle Observer/SUSAN HOLLAND
Members of the GHS junior class throw candy to the crowds as they ride along behind a giant box of popcorn on their float in the Gravette homecoming parade. The Gravette lion mascot also joined the juniors on their float labeled with the parade’s “Lights, Camera, Action” theme.
Westside Eagle Observer/SUSAN HOLLAND
Madelyn Obert, Miss Gravette 2019, waves to the crowd as she rides down Main Street in the Gravette football homecoming parade. Madelyn was crowned Miss Gravette in the annual pageant held on Gravette Day, Aug. 10.
Westside Eagle Observer/SUSAN HOLLAND
Members of the sophomore class at Gravette High School ride on a float lined with strips of film in the annual football homecoming parade. Their float was pulled by a star-studded pickup, all in keeping with the parade’s theme, “Lights, Camera, Action.”