All-School Reunion to be held August 9 for Wood High School alumni

The community of Wood is gearing up for their 2014 All-School Reunion. The reunion is set for Saturday, August 9, and a variety of activities are planned for all to enjoy.

A Mellette County Historical Society sponsored bus tour will leave from the Community Hall at 10 a.m. Saturday morning. Various points of interest, including old school building and other sites, will be included, as well as a sack lunch. The bus is expected to arrive back in Wood around 1 p.m.

Throughout the day Saturday, Kirch Library and the school/gym will be open for visitors, and guests are welcome there at any time. The school will also be open Friday for visitors. In addition, there will be activities for the kids, notably a coin sand pile in the park on Saturday afternoon.

Also at the city park, the time capsule that was buried 25 years ago will be opened. That will take place at 3 o’clock. A 2014 capsule will also be buried and anyone that would like to contribute is invited to bring items for the new time capsule.

At 6 p.m., reunion attendees will enjoy a roast beef dinner (guests can bring salads and desserts if they’d like). During the festivities Saturday evening will be roll call, photo opportunities, entertainment and more. Lane Moore from Vivian will be playing music at the Community Hall starting at 8:00 p.m.

The reunion committee, having sent out between 350 and 400 invitations, expects somewhere around 200-250 for this year’s reunion. The reunion is held the second Saturday in August every three years, and the 2011 reunion, held in conjunction with the Mellette County Centennial, hosted close to 400.

Honored classes for this year’s reunion are the classes of 1965 through 1968.

Wood High School operated between the years of 1938 and 1988. The graduating class of 1988 consisted of six (Kim Dimond, Valedictorian, Stacie Walton, Salutatorian, Marie Jackson, Cleveland Jackson, Russell White Hawk, and Craig Derry), as did that first graduating class from 1938. Three of those first year graduates were in attendance in 1988 for the final graduation ceremony (Mildred Harrison, Arlene Vesely, Mildred Kemnitz).

The folks of Wood have been prepping for the reunion now for several months and a number of community projects have been completed in anticipation of the event. A new tin roof has been installed  at Kirch Library, as well as a new door. The Community Hall has seen improvements that include new concrete. In the auditorium updated scoreboard and curtain are expected. Most recently a cleanup crew has been working to spruce up the town, trimming trees, mowing, and clearing rubbish.

Everything points to a fun weekend of coming home, catching up, visiting, and remembering as plans are in place for the 2014 Wood High School All-School Reunion.