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Contrary to what you may have heard, the Homecoming Dance WILL take place this year.
The dance starts at 8:00 p.m. @ Holy Cross Hall on August 11th. Admission is $10, there will be live music and cheap drinks. So come on out and support Holy Cross Church!
Town Crier didn't mention that the 1st Homecoming took place in 1932. So that would mean this is the 75thAnnual! All the more reason to come out and celebrate at the Hall on Saturday night!
Just wanted to say a great big thanks to Mary Palmer, Paul and Shirley Cole, Marie LaFreniere, Edward, Danny, Danny, Cindy, Rich and the steel guitar player (sorry I forgot his name) and anyone else I don't mention because I don't have the names, for making the Homecoming Dance such a nice party. Much preparation and planning goes into making the dance a nice event.
The Homecoming week-end focus has changed over the last 20 plus years, but the main focus years ago used to be on families coming home that had moved away from the Island due to necessity and otherwise. When I was younger, I used to look so forward to that week-end and all the visits my parents got from those that returned. It was great to see that people are still interested in getting together for a evening and celebrate Beaver Island together.
I was glad to see the 75th Homecoming Dance come together, albeit by a thread. It takes great effort and organization to arrange for these celebrations, but most importantly, it takes interest and attendance for it to continue. In the past, the hall was the place to be on Saturday night of Homecoming weekend; everyone who was anyone made it a point to come out and support the cause. This is a party our parents and grandparents created and maintained a tradition of, and it was disheartening to hear someone with those same roots say they feel "it's time to let it go." While it's true that music has evolved over the years and there are other venues now available on the island where one can find other entertainment, the core ~ the very heart of homecoming ~ has always been in the dance. One dance ~ where everyone could gather collectively with friends and family. I don't mean to take away any business from island establishments, but it's pretty hard to get together as a group when everyone is spread out amongst the various watering holes. This is the only night ~ just one night out of the entire year ~ that the hall is specifically set aside for everyone to come together.... to celebrate coming home for homecoming. Had we not had such a wonderful turn-out and offers to assist in the future, this could have very well been "the last hurrah." It would be interesting to receive feedback from others as to their thoughts and opinions about continuing the dance, as well as any suggestions as to how to "revive" and/or improve the party to encourage greater attendance (besides "burn down the other bars!") Thanks to the band and all of those individuals who made this party happen ~ especially those who took the time and dropped the coin to come out and support this island tradition. It was great music and great fun ~ looking forward to the 76th!!!
Thanks to the band and all of those individuals who made this party happen ~ especially those who took the time and dropped the coin to come out and support this island tradition. It was great music and great fun ~ looking forward to the 76th!!! 