There is something about the word itself. Times change. Things change. We change. But, there is something warm, friendly and forever to know that we can come home. If you are tired or excited or it is just the end of a long day, there is always that good feeling of home. Home is where everything starts, where things happen. Homecoming is a part of us.

Traditionally, homecoming at your school is where you come to meet other alumni of your school days. You may be past the time when the names on the game roster are familiar, but your children, your children’s children or the offspring of the guys you played sports with in high school may be on that list. Your love of school, the sports and memories bring you home for the anticipated big game.

Homecoming at our local school has changed a great deal over the years, and no longer just centers around the big football game. Typically, the first day of school in the fall includes a time for the senior class to gather for their first meeting of the year. Many things were discussed, including graduation, but the main focus of the meeting was selecting the homecoming candidates.

The first homecoming coronations were not the grand dress up events they are now. The homecoming attire was less formal; the candidates wore dress clothes. In later years, those selected as homecoming candidates wore more formal attire and most generally wore the dresses they had worn for prom. Back when real fur was acceptable, the queen candidates in Ellendale wore fur jackets that had been borrowed from a fur shop in Albert Lea. Later, it was decided that all of the candidates should be dressed alike and the king candidates should also be dressed appropriately, and wear tuxedos.

When the first homecoming coronations took place, in Ellendale and New Richland, only a queen was crowned. At one time, members of the football team served as escorts and the football captain was the one honored to escort the queen; a king wasn't chosen. Later, king candidates were selected to be part of the royal court in Ellendale while in in New Richland there were no king candidates. The football coach felt that the players were more apt to concentrate on the big game when they were less involved with the frivility.

Ellendale for many years had crown bearers, first-grade students who carried the crowns into the gymnasium for the new king and queen. The queen in Ellendale also wore a long elegant, deep red robe. For a number of years in Ellendale the queen candidates carried red velvet muffs with their names on them; that tradition has continued, but there is no longer red every year.

Changes have also taken place too, in regards to the homecoming game.

At one time, football was the honored sport for homecoming. While it still remains a big moment, other fall sports are also considered an important part of the festivities. Volleyball usually begins the week of athletic events, and the running of the football from Ellendale to New Richland by the cross country team has become a fascinating and honored attraction as well.

Some won't be there for homecoming. They're too far away. But there is still a significant impetus to remember homecoming. Home is or should be the most cozy word in the dictionary, because that is where it all began. It brings back memories, perhaps of that first day your little body entered the doors of education. It was a new experience in learning to be a part of something more than your home experiences. It was meeting new people, some who would travel with you through the years and others just for a little while.  Nonetheless, part of a homecoming experience.

If you are older or maybe not even all that old, the school you attended may not look the same. Even so,  you will always remember how it looked. In the past, bonfires were probably one of the big things for homecoming. The excitement of gathering materials for the pep fest rally is just a memory and has been replaced by more ornate but nonethe ess exciting activities as they crown a new king and queen.  There will be smiles, tears, hugs and pictures to commemorate this big occasion.

It is always exciting to watch the school homecoming parades. The enthusiasm of the elementary students can overshadow the excitement of the older students.

In the fun and excitement of so-called roasting the royal candidates, it is hoped that students are adult enough to realize some tricks of the trade can be damaging to the candidates’ parents and property. Papering may be considered a visible and relatively harmless event, while the use of other material may not always be.

Homecoming is also perhaps the time when the high school yearbook makes its appearance, which reminds many of the activities the year before. It arrives just in time to get some autographs from alumni who come home for the big occasion.

The yearbook, probably more expensive than most best sellers, is a golden reminder of what that year had been. It's a history book, an encyclopedia and a source of much information. You think not? You're talking to the wrong person.

It hurts to lay out that amount of money sometimes, but to me it is worth it. I may not have a lot of things, but I have a closet full of yearbooks collected through the years of those students who attended our high schools, then and now. They are many times a resource book for me. I use them to remember a names and faces, and find out what year someone graduated. I also look back to see who the homecoming candidates and king and queen were in a particular year.

I miss the lower grades pictured in the school annual. It is nice to know how kids grow up, and of course I only have a few annuals from New Richland before the consolidations of our schools.

Though they may not always seem like happy days, these are some of the very best days of one’s life.

Homecoming is a time to renew old friendships and look forward to the years ahead.

Birthdays and anniversaries:

• Thursday, September 22nd: Noah Rasmussen, Lee Nelson, Gary Jenkins, Kaleb Christensen, Diane Stollard, Kathy Underland, Doris DeNeui, Mark & Rachel Lee.

• Friday, September 23rd: Aiden James Manges, Allison Groth Muilenburg, Melissa Lonning, Sara Corenlius Routh, Kristin Hamburg, Lance Jepson, Theresa Langlie, Debra Harding, James Robertson, Galen Montanye, Elizabeth Lageson, Mark Kasper, Robin Christensen, Judy & Tad Lunning.

• Saturday, September 24th: Gilmore Nelson, Nancy Pence, Jayna Domier, Jazmyne Tayton Martinez, Brandon Wayne, Cherysh Christina Hill Marcks, Brody Carlson, Michael Bedney, Trevor David Barber, Jill Vanden Heuvel, Kathie Lein, Susan Mickelson, Sophie Miller, Iris & Stanley Jensen.

• Sunday, September 25th: Maykayla Jayme Haberman, Trevor David Barber, Geraldine Vangen, Tom Lageson, Pat Conklin, Suzanne Enzenauer Skaar, Cameron & Dayna Schember, Kellen & Alison Utpadel, Dwight & Loretta Schewe, Harmony & Ryan Anderson, Amy & Rick Storlie, Wendy & Marty Schultz, Larry & Elaine Paulsen.

• Monday, September 26th: Becky Tindal, Tammy Beenken, Lori Klemmensen Suchanek, Marc Horan, Verdel Humberg, Virginia Miller, James Henry Neidermeier, Connie Calderon, Lee Johnson, Glenn Beckman, Marty & Lee Nelson.

• Tuesday, September 27th: Layla Grace Schultz, Judy Christensen, Naomi Wangsness, Mary Wayne, Gail Farr Christenson, Sara Holmes Wencl, Steve Lageson, Kristin Paulsen Zinke, Jacob Tasker, Chris Ritz, Katie Cameron, Eleanor Rodriguez, Carl Shadden, Daniel Van Kampen, Donna Mae McCamish, Kristin Severson, Lud Borchert, Jocelyn & Jason Heyer.

• Wednesday, September 28th: Madeline Schei, Kylie Lembke, Denise Hagen Olson, Mary Therneau, Mitch Vangen, Taff Worrell, Haley Mattson DuBois, Bunny Jepson, Miranda & Isiah Payton, Jerry & Ginger Thompson, Bill & Sharon Vavra, Jill & Todd Kubicek.

May your special day hold the promise of many bright tomorrows!