Several Neelyville High School alumni homecoming queens will have an opportunity to reminisce on the night they were crowned.
Queens from 1950-2017 have been invited to attend their alma mater's homecoming game this evening to be recognized in front of family and friends.
"It is our goal at homecoming this year to put the spotlight on the past queens by recognizing them on the court where they were once upon a time crowned the NHS queen," organizer Shannon Davis said.
Davis, a NHS graduate and teacher within the district for 25 years, said letters were mailed and a Facebook page was created to invite the ladies to attend.
"We always try to recognize the alumni queens in the stands or get them together for a quick photo," Davis said. "This year we went a step further."
Two alumni NHS homecoming queens, who plan on attending the event, are looking forward to the evening for different reasons.
Neelyville High School 1979 homecoming queen Regina (Johnson) Williams is looking forward to seeing her fellow classmates and reconnecting with everyone.
While still close to Neelyville, serving as a counselor at Poplar Bluff High School, Williams said life gets busy resulting in her not seeing some people as often.
"Walking in the building will bring back a lot of memories," she said.
The day homecoming was originally scheduled for in 1979 had to be rescheduled because of snow, Williams said.
"We had to wait a couple extra weeks and that was nerve-racking," she said.
The evening came and Williams said she was very nervous, excited and honored by the nomination all at once.
"I was just trying to make sure I didn't fall," Williams said.
After hearing her name called as queen, Williams described the moment as "wonderful."
"I was very honored the school thought enough to honor me that way," she said.
Julia Griffin, who won the crown last year and now attends Three Rivers College, said she is looking forward to seeing who she will be crowning tonight.
"Last year my friend, Chelsea Petty, passed the crown down to me," Griffin said. "I'm so excited to pass the honor to the next person."
Griffin was joined last year on the homecoming court by eight fellow four-year letterman athletes who were also friends.
"I have friends nominated this year as well," Griffin added. "Neelyville is a small school so we all know each other."
She recalled being able to get ready for coronation with her mother, the other candidates and their mothers by helping one another with their make-up, hair and dresses.
"It was a bonding experience," Griffin said.
She was escorted by her best friend Wyatt Moon and said the moment went by quickly.
When Griffin heard her name called as the 2017 Neelyville High School homecoming queen, she said her first instinct was to perform a signature handshake she and Moon had between the two.
"I was really excited and overjoyed," she said.
Griffin is looking forward to seeing all the alumni queens in attendance, many who she looked up to while in school and currently, such as her sister, Jacquelynn Griffin, who was crowned queen in 2011.
One of the past queens was also a teacher of Griffins and said she did not realize the common factor they shared until preparing for this event.
"It made me want to be on the court and strive for something and be like the other girls," Griffin said on being nominated. "It made me feel good and honored that I was chosen because of my all-around character. The nomination itself is an honor."
The alumni queens are asked to be at the school by 5:30 p.m. The ladies will be brought on the court together prior to the junior varsity game, which starts at 6 p.m., and recognized.
A meet and greet will also be available with the queens afterwards including a backdrop for photo opportunities and refreshments.