Wednesday, December 11, 2024
When Granbury moms unite, they are unstoppable — especially when it comes to their children's happiness.
After tickets to the Granbury High School homecoming dance sold out faster than a hot new smartphone, local moms swiftly stepped in to organize an alternative dance to ensure every student could join in the celebration.
Ashley Wentworth, whose son is a senior at GHS, originally posted on the Granbury Moms! Facebook page Oct. 15, when she realized her son wanted to attend the homecoming dance for the first time ever. Unfortunately, by that morning, tickets had already sold out, which left Wentworth’s son and several other hopeful attendees disappointed.
"I just was reaching out saying, ‘Hey, does anyone have an extra ticket?’ but there were so many people looking for extras, I kind of was like, ‘OK, well, that's that,’” she said.
Once Wentworth posted about the situation, she found out through other comments that only 500 tickets had been sold, due to capacity concerns regarding the cafeteria where the dance would be held.
From there, the social media post spiraled, leading to numerous complaints from students and parents who felt frustrated by the limited ticket availability. The outcry eventually led to many suggestions that an alternative dance would solve the issue and ensure that every student would be able to attend.
The suggestion sparked an idea, which led to Wentworth teaming up with parent Stacey Bridwell Connor, where they both simultaneously posted on other Facebook groups like Granbury Breaking News and Hood County Breaking News, as they searched for a venue to host a separate dance.
It didn’t take long for both posts to gain traction, leading to an even larger discussion about the situation.
One comment raised the question of why only 500 tickets were permitted, arguing that every GHS student should have the chance to attend homecoming. Others proposed holding the dance on two separate nights — one for freshmen and sophomores and another for juniors and seniors.
Many comments criticized the school district for improper planning and for not holding the dance at a bigger venue to accommodate more students. Others were quick to defend, stating that students had more than enough notice to purchase their tickets and that the dance was moved indoors this year due to safety concerns.
Brianne Langdon, a culinary arts instructor at the high school, also commented on the post, confirming that students did have weeks to purchase tickets, as she encouraged students to plan ahead rather than waiting until the last minute. She also explained that safety is the school's top priority, and while the event could be held elsewhere, higher costs would make it less accessible for many students. She also touched on the rising student population and the ongoing challenges it presents to the district, as well as the amount of manpower, planning and time it takes to coordinate an event of this size.
“I promise you … none of us are sitting around thinking about ways we can make the event crappy or less inclusive,” Langdon’s comment reads. “I know that it’s not a perfect solution. I know that it sucks for some of the kids, but sometimes life lessons are learned best that way. All I ask is that you give us the benefit of the doubt before calling us out. We love your kids.”
"I never wanted to start drama (with my post),” Wentworth told the Hood County News. “Of course, there's always drama, but I never wanted to start drama, and I didn't want the school taking any of the brunt of that. If they're doing what they can do, then that's fine. It is what it is."
Shortly after community concerns surfaced, however, GISD released a statement announcing that ticket sales were reopening and that capacity was extended.
“The GHS Homecoming Dance tickets were originally available Oct. 7-18,” the GISD statement reads. “Due to limited space and popular demand, tickets sold out before the sales window ended. We have heard your concerns and worked with our Safety & Security team to expand the capacity. We will re-open online tickets to accommodate additional students who would like the opportunity to attend the dance.”
According to GISD Director of Communications Ryan Cox, the district did not sell enough tickets to “reach the new capacity number.”
“It took us doing something like this and basically screaming from the rooftops for them to open up more tickets,” Connor said. “It's like, ‘Why didn't they do that in the first place?’”
Connor shared that after the district reopened ticket sales, she debated on whether to proceed with plans for an alternative dance.
“I thought, ‘Should we even do this since they’ve opened up more tickets?’” Connor reflected. “But both her (Wentworth’s) son and my daughter both expressed they still wanted to go to the high school dance because that’s where all their friends were going to be.”
She posted her uncertainty online, asking for feedback, and was surprised to receive a strong response from the community — including students — who encouraged her to continue with the dance. Initially, Connor said she was leaning toward canceling, but the support made her reconsider.
"I messaged Ashley, and I'm like, ‘What do you think?’ and she's like, ‘Let's do it,’” Connor said.
With the help of local veteran Kolton Krottinger — who generously offered his venue, Blue Branch Historic Ranch, for students to use for free — the event was officially formed.
"I felt so overwhelmed trying to find somebody to host us, but when he (Krottinger) said that he would host, I was ecstatic,” Wentworth said. “I mean, that's the best way to put that. I was so ecstatic that these kids actually get an opportunity, and we have an opportunity to help the community.”
But it wasn’t only Krottinger who volunteered; numerous community members stepped up to offer their time and assistance, as well.
“Without even trying, we had so many people saying, ‘I can do this,’ ‘I can do that,’ and it was, like, almost planned within a couple of hours,” Connor said.
Although the event was initially scheduled for the same day as GHS's homecoming Saturday, Oct. 26, it was moved to the following weekend, Saturday, Nov. 2, and named Autumn Fling (HOCO 2.0).
“We had so many people saying, ‘I'll do this, and I'll help,’ and we explained to everyone that if you're coming aboard, you're doing this for free, like we have no money,” Connor said, chuckling. “We're trying to get some food trucks, but it's free admission ... They (students) don't have to pay tickets. They can spend their money on the food, so the food trucks will make the money, but that's going to be the only money exchange.”
The Autumn Fling will also be open to all ninth through 12th grade students in Granbury — including students who attend Premier High School, STARS Accelerated High School, and those who are homeschooled.
"We want to include everybody, like the band students,” Wentworth said. “I know that that's been mentioned several times by several different parents. We want everybody to be able to come. Inclusion is definitely something that we need to focus on in this world.”
While most of the event has already been planned, some minor details are still in the works, including a DJ and some local vendors.
"If people can just come together a little bit more and help us, I mean, I think that it would go off without a hitch,” Wentworth said. “And you know what? You never know. Maybe we could do this every year. Make it a Hood County Autumn Fling or a Granbury Autumn Fling.”
“If 50 kids show up, it was a success,” Connor said. “If 500 show up, fantastic, but if there's only 50, I still think it will be a success, because 50 kids would get to have fun.”
Wentworth said the entire event is driven by a desire to create meaningful experiences for students — especially for those who have never attended homecoming before.
“I didn’t expect it to really go anywhere, but I just want these kids to have fun and make memories,” she said. “Because as I’ve always been told, making memories is number one.”
As Connor and Wentworth have ultimately proven, the incredible power of moms joining forces is evidence enough that with determination and community support, anything is possible.
“Get a bunch of moms together, and this is what happens,” Connor added, with a chuckle.
The Autumn Fling (HOCO 2.0) will take place at 6 p.m., Saturday, Nov. 2, at 2811 Clay St. near Lipan at Krottinger’s Blue Branch Historic Ranch — home of Anxiety Solutions of America. Students are encouraged to “dress up or down” for the event.
For more information, follow the Facebook page called “Autumn Fling (HOCO 2.0)” or use this link: facebook.com/share/UQEWLEv8Fdbv2ktV/.
