LHS planning Homecoming parade set for Oct. 6

These LHS students walk in last year’s Homecoming parade. This year’s Homecoming parade is scheduled for Oct. 6, and coordinators are encouraging local groups and organizations to enter floats for this year. L&T file photo/Elly GrimmELLY GRIMM • Leader & Times

Fall brings about cooler air, Halloween and pretty foliage throughout town. 

With fall officially being here, that means it is also time for the annual Homecoming festivities, which will be taking place at Liberal High School very soon. As LHS Student Council Sponsor Cindy Orrantia tells it, there is a lot to be excited about.

“This year's LHS fall Homecoming will be Oct. 2 through 5, that's when all of our activities and spirit days will be taking place. Our theme for this year is Seasons, and we'll start with decorating for all of that soon. The seniors will be taking on Fall, the juniors will be taking on Winter, the sophomores will be taking on Spring, and the freshmen will be taking on Summer,” Orrantia said. “Our spirit days will be: Anything but a Backpack (Monday), Kindergarten Throwback (Tuesday), Barbie & Ken (Wednesday), Students as Teachers/Teachers as Students (Thursday) and then Seasons (Friday). With the Homecoming Royalty, those nominations will be taking place Sept. 25 through 27, and the final voting will be Sept. 29 through Google Forms.”

A major part of the festivities will be the Homecoming parade, which will be at 2:30 p.m. Friday, Oct. 6 and will start at Light Park and end at Trail Street. With the success of last year’s parade, Orrantia said she hopes to see more of the same for this year. 

“Last year's parade was very fun to put together, and we had more than 60 entries and a lot of participation from the community,” Orrantia said. “This year I am excited about our theme. We had never had anything similar and it will be great bringing the community together for this great tradition. We actually had the student body vote for the them – the choices were The Wizard of Oz and Seasons, and Seasons won by quite a bit!”

Orrantia added encouragement for local groups and organizations to participate in this year’s parade. 

“Come out and participate in our parade. It's a great way to be involved in the community and school. Plus you also get to promote your business, team, sport, and school,” Orrantia said. “It's always great to see the community participate in the parade and all of our other activities. It helps strengthen that relationship between the schools and the community, which is super important because Homecoming does bring a lot of people together, so putting together a float or something like that is a great way to do that. If there are individuals or groups that would like to participate for this year, we are on all social media platforms, so people can let us know that way, but the best way to let us know your plans is to get in touch with me at Liberal High School by e-mail at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or by phone at (620) 604-1200, and I'll send them the entry form to fill out. We also posted a flyer with the QR code on our StuCo’s social media page, and people can find that on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook. The entry deadline is Oct. 2, but we never turn anyone away.”

Orrantia said she also hopes to see many people in the community come out to see the parade. 

“Come out and support all of our students and community who worked so hard to make this event possible and of course, support our football team who have had a great start to the season!” Orrantia said. “I want the parade to be really big again like it was last year, and I would love to see everyone have a good time and have fun seeing all the different floats that are rumbling down the street. As far as what we're looking for with the floats, we'd love to see anything and everything – if you've got a great float idea, we'd love to see it, if you've got a classic car, we'd love to see it.”

Orrantia added she is excited for this year’s Homecoming festivities and is looking forward to seeing the creativity involved.

“I enjoy everything about Homecoming. I love the memories I get to create for my students and the community, the fact that so many come together to participate or support this event is also inspiring,” Orrantia said. “I expect for the parade to be as fun and full as the last three years I've been planning it. It takes a lot of work, but I'm looking forward to seeing all those puzzle pieces come together and seeing what the students come up with. I'm excited to see all the different decorations the students come up with, I know they're very creative, and I'm looking forward to seeing all of that in the schools and with the parade floats. And like I said before, If anyone wants to participate in this year's Homecoming parade, they just need to get in touch with me here at the school and I'll be happy to help them. I'm excited to see the community show its support for the high school and all the different activities going on, and Homecoming is always a great way to do that.”