Almost everyone at Tallassee High School knows Amari Parker.
He is the senior class president, a drum major with the Pride of Tallassee Marching Band and community leader. He was also named homecoming king Friday.
Parker joined his friends of the Class of 2025 on Thursday night for the annual candlelight ceremony and bonfire. Soon after, the Class of 2005 and underclassmen joined the seniors as they rolled King Street, the Tallassee Police Department and parts of downtown in a show of camaraderie. Then Parker led efforts to clean up the remaining toilet paper Sunday afternoon.
“It's really fun to be able to do these things and being able to help the community,” Parker said Sunday afternoon. “I saw people of all ages taking part. It wasn’t just the senior class or the high school.”
The Thursday night events brought hundreds of people together. Toddlers and retirees alike made memories thanks to a few hundred rolls of toilet paper after a bonfire.
Officers of the Tallassee Police Department were on hand to make sure students didn’t get too carried away. The school resource officers even got rolled then started to help clean up the toilet paper.
Sunday, Parker was joined by other classmates and members of the community, many of whom took part in the Thursday night events.
“I think it's a good tradition that we do every year,” Parker said. “I think that everyone is like waiting for homecoming every year, just for everyone to come back and get together to roll King Street and the downtown area. It's very fun and family oriented. It's everybody getting together and having fun.”
Parker believes the events show how special the homecoming events at Tallassee High School are.
“I think it shows a connection between younger people and older people,” Parker said. “It connects all of us no matter our backgrounds. It shows we're able to understand what they used to do, and now they understand what we do. It just brings us all together.”