The lights, the circus music, the old fashioned ticket booth ­­­– this past Saturday students experienced what it would be like to set foot in a vintage carnival.

Students walked through the front doors to discover that their school had been suddenly transformed into what looked like an old fashioned fair.  The walk way was covered with faux wooden walls and colorful drapes along the top.

Coronation, narrated by master and mistress of ceremonies, Makayla Baker and Nathan Ash, began at 7:00 p.m.  With each name called, curtains opened on opposite sides of the gym to reveal an elegant girl in a ball gown and a dapper guy in a tuxedo. 

Contrary to some of the previous coronations held here, many of the court members had no problem showing the crowd their humorous side, such as when Mikhaela Romoser flexed her arms during the waltz and Matt Haas referring to himself as “Haas Boss.” 

The coronation ended with Papa Blankston and Heba Freese, last year’s king and queen, passing on their titles to Garret Covington and Margaret Stolte.

After students were ushered out of the gym, the anticipation began.

“I guess I’m just looking forward to the dancing and seeing all the decorations,” says junior Morgan Suhre.

For others, this homecoming meant more than just having a great night.  “Since it’s our senior year, I just like to see everyone (from all ages) dressed up and together one last time,” says Abby Avera.

While Avera has been to her share of homecomings, for other seniors, it was their first time.

Despite being at EHS for the past four years, Jake Gingerich has never attended homecoming until this past weekend. 

“I really liked the atmosphere of the whole thing,” said Gingerich. “It exceeded its expectations of what I thought it’d be. The decorations were also a lot better that what I anticipated.  I thought they were awesome. It didn’t even feel like we were at school at all.”

Once the dance finally started, crowds of people rushed in to get to the best spots on the dance floor. The music played, people danced, and everyone seemed to be having a great time

 “It was cool to see everyone just having fun. High school can be pretty stressful at times, especially for seniors, so I liked that we could all get away from that for a night and just have an absolute blast. It was also nice to see people that are normally more reserved just let loose and have a lot fun,” said Gingerich.

As the clock struck 11:00, students filed out of the gym looking worn out, but almost everybody was smiling.

“This was definitely the best homecoming yet,” said Avera.