70th annual Hamlin Ex-Students Homecoming set for Sept. 27-28

hen the Hamlin Ex-Students Alumni Association’s

annual homecoming event

for 2024 convenes for its

platinum year September 27

-28, the non-profit organization plans to bring her current

and former students, staff,

educators and administrators

together in order to celebrate

one another and the Hamlin

community focusing on the

theme: “Exploring Our Final

Frontier Among the Stars.”

The theme for the parade

and weekend can encompass anything related to our

former and current space exploration programs or travel,

UFO’s, “aliens,” outer space

related television shows or

movies, N.A.S.A., the new

governmental Space Force

program, etc. Businesses and

individuals are encouraged

to decorate or even don costumes related to the theme

for Saturday’s parade with

multiple downtown activities

for that morning, during the

parade, and immediately following throughout the early

afternoon.

Classes to be recognized

with honorees for Coming

Home Queen and King will

be: 1964, 1974, 1984, 1994,

and 2004. The classes of ’64,

’74, and ’04 have already

selected their honorees to be

voted upon by all alumni,

and the submission deadline

for the remaining two classes

(1984 and 1994) needs to be

no later than June 15th, with

all nominees needing to have

submitted their biographies

to nursecheryl@yahoo.com,

along with a color photo in

a jpeg format by July 1. This

information is needed not

only for the annual newsletter planned for mail-out

and e-mail during the week

of August 19th, but also for

our homecoming football

program and our ex-students

web page currently undergoing reconstruction following

the passing of the association’s longtime web master

and fellow Pied Piper, Mike

Brown. We have heard your

suggestions to perhaps better

expedite and serve those who

prefer to register, vote and

contribute to the organization via the web page. Caleb

White, HHS graduate from

the Class of 2019, is serving

as the new web master, a paid

position that the organization

added into their budget when

the web page began years

ago.

The traditional fish fry on

Friday evening in the Hamlin

High School Cafeteria sponsored primarily by the Hamlin

Lions Club with assistance by

our ex-students association

will kick off the weekend’s

activities beginning at 5 p.m.

until 6:30 p.m., followed by

the game’s kickoff in Piper

Stadium at 7 p.m. between

the Quanah Indians and our Hamlin Pied Pipers. Immediately following the game,

there will be a reception with

beverages and snacks for all

exes or students in the foyer

area of Piper Court, located

just to the NW of the stadium,

until 10:15 p.m. Several of the

downtown businesses will

also be open following the

game until later in the night

for those wishing to make all

of the rounds.

Saturday’s activities will

be different in several ways:

local entertainment will begin

prior to the parade as vendors

and organizations set up for

their activities or with the selling of their wares along main

street; the parade start time

will be 11:30 a.m., rather than

the old 10:30 a.m. time; and,

instead of the floats and folks

going to the Hamlin City

Park following the parade as

has been done in the past two

years, the floats will be directed to park on a downtown

closed side street (S.W. 3rd)

and designated back parking

lot area (behind Rodgers and

Co. CPA) for the judging of

the “People’s Choice Award”

for best overall float that nets

extra monies for the float who

the public selects, along with

the donation-only ex-students

hamburger/hot dog meal with

the trimmings and a drink

that will be held on the south

bank parking lot. Tables and

chairs will be provided for the

downtown meal, and port-apotties will be provided for

the weekend’s downtown

festivities.

The organization’s directors and volunteers determined that it was time to

bring Homecoming to the

downtown district in order

that many of our merchants,

who are alumni, would additionally have the opportunity

to enjoy the festivities as a

whole, much like the gathering of a large family reunion.

More details will be found

in the newsletter and on the

web page (hamlinexstudents.

com) as time draws nearer.