You can't go through this day – this upcoming night – without borrowing a line written by a Sports Illustrated writer years ago when he wrote, "The last time the atmosphere was this nice, Ferris Buehler ditched his classes."
You want to be original but what fits simply fits. It's Homecoming, October, football. It's nice out. Meetings have happened and the people have spoken and voted and vetoed and raised hands and it's came to pass that – to quote from the Bible while you're stealing things, "Let there be light!" is now upon us.
You were standing in the sky box only hours ago – our athletic admin assistant – also known as our glue – walked by you as we stared out at Baker Field. She kept walking, but she said this, "Wow, there are lights out there."
There are. They gave you goosebumps just looking at them. And what's just as neat as that it's happening for these kids you share a cafeteria with, classrooms with, you tell them to keep quiet in class but, on this upcoming day, you know they won't and why should they? Better yet, how could they?
After all, as years go by, making history gets tougher because so many days are marked off the calendar behind you – the rear view mirror already has its share of bugs and sun and rain and shine and snow. What's left? What else could be out there?
Anyway, you will sit in a booth next to a good fellow and get to talk about a bunch of good ones. When the lights come on, there will be juice, electricity, but not just from these temporary poles they put out there.
It's so fun to get to write about these things, because there are so many that like to write about the bad ones. Still, Friday you will walk on air and fist bump all these people when you pass in the halls, you'll smile with them as you get them across at carpool, there will be an extra wink and nod and smile while the cheerleaders wave pom poms and horns will be honked in Pathfinders and Ford Rangers.
In short, there will be electricity way before there will be electricity. There already has been with Homecoming dress up days and people wandering by in shark suits and Jaws T-shirts and carrying laundry baskets and golf bags to carry their books in. One teacher even rode a bicycle down a hall with music playing.
Who does that? And where?
In closing, this is not a hype story, but a story of perseverance that's happening by a lot of people that kept pushing and prodding and poking. And yes, this will be history – Friday Night Lights in our own front yard.
And the world of football will do what the world of football does – it includes so many, people put aside their lawn business and other sports and household chores and grade books.
They, we, us will all gather.
The lights will greet us – though those lights have always been with this place, these people, long before these poles were brought in.
And to borrow yet something else, a song you think from the 80s….
It's electric…
