Fall Festival is an annual event in Spring Hill that happens on the last weekend of September, which also happens to, usually, line up with Homecoming week/weekend. That week is an extremely busy time for most of the student body. 

“Last year, we were let out [of the game] at halftime. [Compared to] this year, we are being let out in third quarter to go home and change [for the homecoming dance]. Since it’s different, I get a lot less time to prepare. I’ll probably just have to go home, powder my face, and put on my dress,” Brayton Boxberger, 12, color guard captain, said. 

With all of the traditions, cheerleaders, dancers, and color guard members have a lot on their plate. Since they perform in the pep rally, the football game, and march in the Fall Festival parade, it can be a lot to prepare for.

“I try to get as much sleep as I can because I know that Friday and Saturday are going to be the biggest days of that week,” Lilly Wigginton, 12, dance captain, said. “With the preparation that goes into it, mentally knowing that you are going to be exhausted and that you have to push through is [challenging]. You can sleep once you’re done.”

Being a captain, it is encouraged to check in on teammates and keep the team morale up for certain events. 

“[The colorguard] works so hard up until the day of, and that is when we relax,” Boxberger said. “After that, it is what it is. [I tell my teammates] that they are not here to improve today, you are here to compete with what you have.”

This year, cheer and dance are performing together for the pep rally. Haley Starkey, 12, one of the cheer captains, explains that they practice the routines separately and will join together to make it cohesive.

The Homecoming dance this year is on Friday, Sept. 29 at 9 p.m to 12 a.m, with the theme being “The Wizard of Oz”. Look at posters around the school for the themes each day! Come support the dancers, cheerleaders, and colorguard members at the football game, starting at 7 p.m until 9 p.m. Finally, come watch the Fall Festival parade and join in other activities at Spring Hill City Park. It is Sept. 30 and Oct. 1, starting at 10 a.m. both days!