Crafty Mustangs make massive mum
A 37-foot mum hangs in the common area at Marble Falls High School. It was made by 184 students in the school's floral design program. Four of those students, Kenley Virdell (left), Abigail Baldelamar, Rylee Ritchie, and Landon Griffith, posed for a photo with their creation. Staff photo by Dakota Morrissiey
A 37-foot mum is hanging in the common area at Marble Falls High School for homecoming this week. The massive creation is the work of 184 students in the school’s floral design program.
The project consists of 4,500 coffee filters, hundreds of feet of butcher paper, chicken-wire framing, and dozens of handcrafted cardboard ornaments representing the school’s clubs and programs.
“I think it builds school spirit,” senior mum-maker Rylee Ritchie told DailyTrib.com. “It’s a way we can represent our school.”
According to Marble Falls FFA Advisor Madison Crane, who oversaw the project, this is easily the biggest mum the school has ever seen.
“It’s a super-heartwarming moment to see these kids come together and show their Mustang pride,” she said. “It took a lot of time, a lot of effort, a few burns from hot glue guns, and scrapes from chicken wire. It’s amazing as a teacher to see the school spirit that it brings out.”
The mum will hang in the school at least through Friday, Sept. 5, which is when the Marble Falls football team plays its homecoming game against the Jarrell Cougars. Kickoff is 7:30 p.m. at Mustang Stadium.
Mums are a time-honored, Texas homecoming tradition, with girls often wearing an enormous and elaborately decorated flower arrangement for the game. Boys typically wear a much smaller garter around their arms.
“(The mum-garter exchange is) a sweet gesture. It’s something people can do for their homecoming dates,” explained junior Kenley Virdell, another student involved in the project.
Mums have been in senior Abigail Baldelamar’s life since the beginning: She was given one the day she was born.
Senior mum-maker Landon Griffith hopes future classes see the project as a competition and try to go even bigger next year.
All four students interviewed by DailyTrib.com had the same thing to say to their school and community for homecoming week: “Go get ’em Mustangs!”
Mums are bigger and better in Texas. Learn more about their history and local mum-maker Megan Martinka in the September 2025 issue of The Picayune Magazine, in mailboxes and on newsstands now.
Great job students! That’s one big mum to match the size of Mustang Pride!