Blue And White Weekend Grows To Three-Day Celebration
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Among the crew helping coordinate details for the three-day Blue and White celebration are (front row, from left) Ramona Bernard, Landon Buckley, Rebecca York; and (top row) Nicole Folson, Okesha Moore and Shedlia Freeman.
WATER VALLEY – For the first time, Water Valley’s annual homecoming traditions and the popular “I’m So Water Valley” event will be combined into a three-day weekend celebrating roots, reunions, and community pride.
The action begins Thursday, Sept. 25, with the homecoming parade at 5:30 p.m. that will start at Crawford Sports Complex and roll north on Main Street. A pep rally will follow in City Park at 6:30. Dr. Vickie Person, principal at Water Valley High School, is coordinating parade details.
On Friday, the tailgate tradition launched in 2019 by Shedlia Freeman will bring a festive atmosphere back to Wise Street, drawing alumni and fans for food and fellowship. Alumni will begin setting up around 10 a.m., with pregame festivities cranking up at 4:30 across from the high school football field in front of Freeman’s barbershop.
Freeman said at least two dozen graduating classes are expected to set up tents, and invitations have been extended to alumni from the final Davidson High School classes and the first integrated class at Water Valley High School. “We are trying to make a three-day weekend, bringing people back home to their old community. A lot of people don’t have a chance to have class reunions or gatherings,” Freeman explained. “We try to have the best tailgating in the area.”
The Blue Devils will face Vardaman at 7 p.m., and the homecoming queen will be crowned in a pregame ceremony.
Saturday belongs to Main Street with “I’m So Water Valley,” launched in 2014 by Kesha Moore and now marking its 10th anniversary. Vendors will begin setting up at 6:30 a.m., and by 9 a.m. Main Street will be closed between Wood and Panola streets. The Railroad Park pavilion will host live entertainment starting at 4 p.m. with Muddy Alexander, followed by a fashion show at 5 p.m. coordinated by Cathy Williams, and capped by The Sensations from Memphis and Nashville playing from 6 to 8 p.m.
Kids will have plenty to do with a special zone that includes bounce houses, face painting, costumed characters such as Spongebob, Mickey and Minnie Mouse, and Cocomelon, along with a mechanical bull, cornhole coordinated by Jay Tucker at the Pocket Park, and a dunking booth.
Moore said this year’s expansion is designed to include everyone. “We have more crafts, more food vendors, a lot more going on than last year. And I think we are going to have a bigger crowd,” she said. A total of 26 craft vendors and 13 food vendors are signed up.
Support from local businesses has also been crucial. Becky York, one of the event organizers, said donations are pouring in for door prizes and raffles. A 65-inch flat-screen television donated by Tommy and Liz Reynolds will be the top prize in a drawing at 1 p.m. Saturday. Raffle tickets are $5, and Moore said T-shirts will also be for sale.
The committee organizing “I’m So Water Valley” includes Moore, Nicole Folson, Jasmine Walker Pomerlee, Becky York, Rebecca Phillips, Landon Buckley, Sophia Covington Drane, Cathy Sartain, Calin Drake, Tiesha Cooper, Edith Woodall, Deborah Ann Johnson, and Ramona Bernard. Other supporters recognized by the committee include Mayor Tommy Reynolds and his wife Liz, Public Service Commissioner Brandon Presley, Cathy Williams, Jay Tucker, Larson’s Cash Saver, Cayce Washington, Tywanha Pritchard, and Water Valley football coach Clint Faust.
“This will be the first year for everything to be coordinated together,” Moore said. “We have events on Thursday, Friday and Saturday “We have a lot of people who come in for homecoming and want to be here for ‘I’m So Water Valley.”
The theme for the weekend captures the spirit of the celebration: “Coming Home, Back to the Valley, Back to Each Other, New Memories, Same Valley.”
For tailgating information, contact Freeman at (662) 473-4080. For details about “I’m So Water Valley,” call Moore at (662) 714-0179.
