A secondary school homecoming in Nakusp is welcoming back alumni, former teachers and even parents of graduates Friday to Sunday, July 25 to 27.
Planning for this event has been in the works for two years, aimed at reuniting local graduating classes from the 1980s in as inclusive a weekend as possible.
"What we're wanting to convey is that this is a community event," said Lianna Lillies, part of the homecoming's extensive planning committee. "We were welcoming everybody."
Originally targeting alumni who graduated between 1980 and '89, the committee quickly decided the event shouldn't exclude other graduates who'd be able and interested to attend. For example, the earliest graduate planning to attend finished high school in the mid-'70s, while another attendee who married someone in the '80s cohort finished school in '95.
The criteria is further relaxed to welcome anyone who graduated from any level of education in Nakusp or its environs during those decades, including elementary school. This means students who passed through Nakusp, Glenbank, Burton, Fauquier and Edgewood elementary schools are all invited.
All in all, about 300 people are expected to join, with several flying in from as far away as California and Florida, and invitations also extended to former teachers. As well, community members whose children are no longer around but were among these grad cohorts may attend. According to Lillies, one high-profile guest attending, among others, will be Christine Nielsen, who launched a successful career in Canadian broadcast journalism.
The last homecoming event to happen in Nakusp was the delayed 50-year reunion for the 1971 grad class, which the COVID-19 pandemic set back three years. For attendees such as Lillies, it was a fantastic event that also offered insight on changes to make for future homecomings, such as digitizing the registration.
Additionally, "there were things like don't get a band for Saturday night because people are more interested in talking than listening to music," she said.
Live music at the park gazebo will instead be held from 6 to 9:30 p.m. Friday. Then, a catered dinner follows Saturday at 6 p.m., allowing attendees to focus on catching up.
While Lillies put together the online registration page given her computer science background, "it's a team effort," she credited to the planning committee as a whole. "We kind of have a rep from each (grad) year. That's kind of what we're shooting for."
Money not used to finance food, entertainment and other event costs will be donated back to the village in some way, Lillies said.
Registration should be done in advance online at eventcreate.com/e/nss80-89homecoming. The soft deadline is Saturday, July 12. Registration costs $55 per person.
