"It was neat to be back there with all the great memories," said 1958 homecoming queen Linda Berry. "High school is one of your most cherished moments, and I saw people I haven't seen in a long time."
Friday's ceremonies kicked off with a wall-tile ceremony honoring the many generations of students who had passed through Huntington Beach High School's hallways.
Next, students from each class held a pregame parade honoring students from the 1950s, '60s, '70s and '80s. Freshman girls wore poodle skirts and performed a dance routine to the music of Grease, while juniors put on a mock disco performance as others cheered.
For Yvonne McClenny, homecoming princess in 1950, the highlight of the event was participating in the halftime parade with the other former homecoming queens.
"It was kind of surreal after so many years," she said. "In my day, we had a very small celebration. It was very low-profile."
McClenny knew a very different Huntington Beach in 1950. The city's main road was a two-lane highway, separated mostly by agricultural fields and farm stables.
"My brother used to ride horses down Beach Boulevard," she said.
McClenny, a retired Union Bank operations officer, still lives in Huntington Beach. She said she hadn't been to a football game in years.
"It was great to back in our old environment again, rooting for the football players and getting excited," she said.
One of her favorite moments was when last year's homecoming queen, Lauren Braun, currently a freshman at Arizona State University, arrived on the field in a helicopter and the new homecoming queen was scooped up and flown away.
The chopper would eventually land at the Gothard Street fire station, said Rosche, this year's winner.
"I was pretty shocked and in disbelief that I won," she said. "I couldn't believe it. I never thought I would get picked."
