When the Homewood Patriot Marching band vacates the stands to perform a halftime show on the field, it often leaves behind a humorous message for all attendees to see. 

The tuba and trombone sections, which sit at the top of the band, arrange their water bottles in the chain-link fence to spell out different messages for the opposing team. Sometimes the messages poke fun at the opposition or reference a pop culture event. 

The band at Homewood High School boasts more than 400 students and brims with success and tradition, and the water bottle messaging is one of the newest ways they raise school spirit.

“It really just started with my friends and I messing around in the stands, but over the years it’s become a pretty well-established tradition that lots of people look forward to,” senior Thomas Reed said.

After the release of a new Kanye album, the band wrote “Donda” with the bottles. When playing the Vestavia Rebels, they spelled out “Civil War’s Over” to make a history reference involving the team’s controversial mascot. 

While these light-hearted taunts may seem goofy, the activity requires a lot of coordination between those tuba and trombone sections. 

The tuba and trombone section leaders will coordinate with other section leaders to encourage the band to pass their empty water bottles to the top of the stands so that the messages can get created.

“It’s a fun thing that we do to contribute to the team’s spirit,” senior Nathan Jones said.

The messages quickly won over the student section and were also supported by the band’s directors. 

The Patriot band will surely have a message for Homewood’s second-round football opponent, Pike Road, this Friday at 7 p.m. at Waldrop Stadium.