As I walked into that room for the first time, I heard the soft echo of metals being bound to each other and the sound of voices waving in the air. Such simple sounds blinded me, and I barely noticed the structures of tall beams peering into that room, watching me in the sunlight, like scarecrows in a field, waiting for their grand debut.
Every year for Homecoming, DHS celebrates with a bonfire, a tradition that has been a staple in this high school’s DNA since the ‘60s.
Although the torches are a big tradition, not many people know who makes the torches and the complications involved.
“I realized that I put a little too much diesel on them because they were burning really hot,” said AG student Kade Davis.
The bonfire starts with the AG students of the fourth hour taking the torches down to their workplace and examining the beams for any problems. “There was a couple of them that wouldn’t stand because the bottom of the frames broke,” said AG student Parker Barnard.
Next, the better welders focused on repairing the frames while the rest of the class tied burlap sacks in layers of two onto the frames using baling wire to display a letter.
After the torches were prepared, STUCO helped set up the torches for the homecoming game and bonfire.
“The bonfire. It was fun. It was the first one we had in two years because it rained in my sophomore year. Then my junior year, the dry cleaners burned down so we didn’t have the fire department. So it was nice to kinda get back to it,” said STUCO student Joey Siennicki.
