Photo courtesy of Nola Daughtry The 2017-18 Cairo High School majorettes, from left to right are: Faith Tise, Claley Harrell, Erin McGhin, Taylor Maige (feature twirler), Leigh Law (head majorette), Mauren Sallee, Alyson Ausley, Kalen Parries, and Keiley Gilliard. 

CAIRO — Seventy years of a Syrupmaker tradition is set to be celebrated.  

Cairo High School will celebrate 70 years of majorettes at Cairo’s home game against Westover High School on Oct. 20. 

Grady County Family Connection Executive Director Nola Daughtry is organizing the reunion, which will honor the majorette lines of the 1950s and ’60s. 

Daughtry, also feature twirler from 1976-77, said the reunion will boast a halftime performance with current and former majorettes. Expecting at least 100 participants, the performance will be “goal line to goal line,” Daughtry said. 

Along with organizing the celebration, Daughtry also is compiling history of the Cairo High School majorettes, which dates back to 1946. 

The Cairo High School band was organized in September 1946 by William T. Verran. The band and majorettes were established in 1947 and the first sporting event performance was the football game against the Pelham High School Hornets on September 12, 1947. 

“It’s just quite interesting to go through all this information,” she said. 

Daughtry also noted she is seeking information from former majorettes for archiving. 

‘It can go down at least four generations,” Daughtry said of the majorette history. 

Cairo High School is one of the few high schools that continues to feature a majorette line, Daughtry pointed out. 

“I think we have carried on this tradition with pride,” she said. “There is not many I can say have done that at the high school level.”  

Reporter Jordan Barela can be reached at (229) 226-2400, ext. 1826.