On Sept. 13, 2024, Manual hosted its annual Homecoming Dance. The “Neon Nights” themed event was held in the large gym immediately after a triumphant win against Eastern football early in the day. The crimson spirit was high at the game and the dance was highly anticipated. The dance featured hours of pop music, laser projections, and many neon decorated students.
Many seniors saw the dance as a key experience in their final year at Manual.
“It’s my last year here, and I want to make sure I get all the experiences I can. And I’m already at the football game, might as well come to this as well,” Jack Condra (12, MST) said. He enjoyed the neon theme and found the popular trend of students wearing crossing guard vests amusing.
“The music and DJ were great, and I appreciated the time to spend with friends,” Condra said.
Despite the excitement, the dance did encounter a few logistical difficulties. Early in the morning, a downpour of rain plagued Manual and the surrounding area, raising doubts of whether the event could be held outside as planned. Athletic Director David Zuberer explained the decision to move indoors.
“I invented outside dance years ago, but with the forecast, we needed to go ahead and move it in here, especially for setup purposes. The DJ was coming, so even though the rain had stopped, we needed to go ahead and make the decision to come inside,” Zuberer said. Despite the hiccup, he still remained optimistic about the turnout and hopeful that the students would still enjoy the event.
The turnout was impressive. In addition to Manual students, guests enrolled in other schools also attended the event.
“I heard it was gonna be litty and the homies were like ‘Yo, pull up B dog’, that’s what they call me, and I was like, ‘sounds like a good time,’” Floyd Central student Brooks Roseberry said.
Additionally, students showed high enthusiasm in students dressing to the homecoming dance’s neon theme.
“I really like the vests that people are wearing, like the worker vests. I saw one girl, she was also wearing, like glow sticks, a neon top and some neon shorts, I like that,” June Gregory (9, J&C) said.
The “Neon Nights” homecoming dance marked the perseverance of Manual and capped off the win against Eastern with an exciting night.
