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The Homecoming Reunion: Metcalfe Co. High School The stories about the huge Metcalfe County Sesquicentennial will be told for decades to come. One of the high points, in this first of a series on the event, was the Metcalfe County High School Reunion, which follows. The next earlier Carol Perkins column in CM: Let's Talk About...The Flood of 2010 By Carol Perkins Will we ever grow tired of hearing accounts of the greatest weekend in the history of our sleepy little town? Every store I enter, I stand in an aisle, talking to someone about the weekend, and listening to praise after praise of the events and of the fun they all had. I don't think I stopped smiling until I crashed late Sunday night. Smiling from pure joy. From the onset of the planning, Jesse Crabtree had felt certain there would 10,000 people ascending to our city. I appreciate dreamers, and felt sure she was in a deep one. When I looked at the crowds that poured in for the Kentucky Headhunters and Black Stone Cherry on Friday night, and then for Clay Underwood on Saturday night, I knew she wasn't dreaming at all. Unbelievable! My greatest surprise came Sunday afternoon at the MCHS gym (the original one) for the Homecoming Reunion Celebration. We prepared refreshments for around 350 people. None of us guessed there would be around 850! The doors officially opened at 2:30, but by the time I arrived at 1:30, graduates were waiting. Within the next hour, members of classes from 1957-1994 filled one side of the gym (the gym holds 1800 people). The sections were divided by decades. One of my friends had said that I shouldn't expect those who graduated in the late 80's and 90's to show; they were too young to want to come to a reunion with older people. WRONG. The class of '78 had the highest number to attend with 27 and the class of '90 had the next highest with 20. The ages ranged from 70's to 30's. What set the tone for the entire afternoon came from the bandroom, through the lower lobby, and to the gym floor. A group of former band members, some of whom came from Knoxville, Nashville, and across the state, marched to the center of the floor under the direction of former bandmaster, Tim Best. What really brought chills was Gina Duncan, dressed in her drum major outfit from the 80's, leading the band as she had done so many years ago. With Melanie Allbright (she was) keeping time on a snare drum, the group marched to the front, stopped, played the fight song twice, and then joined their fellow graduates. The crowd went wild, singing and yelling, "Go, Fight, Win-Go, Fight, Win- Go...Fight...Win". Mr. Best introduced that song to our school in the 70's. Prior to then it was, "OH, When Those MHS boys fall in line...." The program included the history of the school by Herb Sparks and the introduction of former principals by Gary Richardson. As he read the names, many of those who were not even present received applause, but the one who was there, Mr. Bruce Keel, got a standing ovation. Not a bad feeling after all these years to know you are still so respected!Ms. Yokley told of the first teachers, which included Jack Pedigo, Wilbur Gilley, Betty Sue Wallace, Ralph Reece, Cortez Butler, and herself. Then Ms. Chambers introduced the former teachers, most of whom graduated from MCHS and were seated with their classmates. Mr. Chambers told a few funny stories and then led the crowd in spelling Metcalfe, as only he can do. The day went from serious to playful, with tales of the first sports' teams, cheerleaders, band members, FFA, FHA, and more. There were so many other things we wanted to tell, but ran out of time. Toward the end of the program, Judy Wallace Irvin led the "roll call". Each class stood as their year was called and tried to out yell the loudest. Perhaps Tamara Martin, who talked about Ms. Ennis and cheerleaders, got the most applause when she said, "School used to be fun. It isn't fun anymore." Just as I was about to close the program, graduates started shouting and pointing to someone behind me. Cortez Butler had arrived just at the end (he had a family reunion that day) and the former students knew I had not seen him. He came to the microphone and told how much the school and they meant to him, and he, too, received a standing ovation. There were touching moments like this all afternoon. At the end of this fabulous day, Doug Clemmons gave us all a tearful moment when he thanked Mr. Butler, Mr. Keel, and Mr. Reece (who wasn't able to attend) for helping him, through sports and their guidance, become the man he is today. We knew how he felt, because all of our teachers cared for us and shaped our futures. That was a very special tribute.Graduates were then given time to tour the building, enjoy refreshments, mingle with former classmates, and poise for pictures. One of the best comments came from graduate Lisa Hammer, "It was absolutely great. I have not heard one person complain and that is a miracle in itself!" There will probably never be another combined reunion like this one. A time when Richard Duncan can wear his basketball jacket from '58, and Donna Branham can display the first girls' basketball uniform that she wore way back then. There will probably never be another time when those of us who went to that school will have reason to come back together. In a few years, a new middle school will be built and all of us speculate about the future of our beloved MCHS. It holds our history. Special thanks to the MCMS principal, Allen Trotter and to Cathy Nunn for hosting this event. -Carol Perkins This story was posted on 2010-09-19 07:16:20
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