Wednesday, August 05, 2009
Christiansburg alumni to gather this weekend
Anyone who attended or worked at a town school is invited to Christiansburg Alumni Return.
Justin Cook | The Roanoke Times
Beth Chrisman, a 100-year-old Christiansburg resident, taught for 23 years at the former Willer Baker Elementary School and will be the guest of honor at this weekend's Christiansburg Alumni Return event.
Christiansburg Alumni Return schedule
Friday
- 10:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.: The Montgomery Museum displays memorabilia and a slideshow related to Christiansburg High School and Middle School activities. Admission is $2.
- 10:30 a.m. to 6 p.m.: The Christiansburg library displays old yearbooks and photos.
- 6 p.m. and 8 p.m.: “Three Sisters Dressed in Black” is performed in the old CHS auditorium. Advance tickets are $5 and available at the Montgomery Museum until noon.
Saturday
- 10 a.m. to 11 a.m.: The Current CHS commons and old CHS halls are open for alumni photos.
- 7 p.m. to 10 p.m.” The Alumni Return social is in the Christiansburg Recreation Center. Admission is $7.
Sunday
- 10:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Free admission for the Montgomery Museum displays.
Anyone who ever attended or worked at a school in Christiansburg is asked to bring those memories to the Christiansburg Alumni Return social Saturday.
The idea for the social, and a weekend's worth of events surrounding it, came from Fran Hart, a 1973 graduate of Christiansburg High School. She said she wanted to find a way to celebrate Christiansburg and bring together people of all ages.
"It's just kind of a drop in and see who's home," Hart said.
She hopes the reunion can become an annual event and that the proceeds it generates grow. The committee in charge of the event ultimately wants to create a full-fledged alumni association and award scholarships to current Christiansburg students.
To get the event going this year, the Christiansburg Town Council has proclaimed the second Saturday in August as Alumni Return Day and chipped in $200 in start-up funds.
Reminders of the event, to be held at the town's recreation center, have been placed on water bills. The committee also has a Web site at christiansburgalumnireturn.com.
Hart said it's been tough finding some former classmates, while others who haven't been in town for more than 40 years have been contacting the committee.
As of Monday, 54 people had registered for the event. Hart said she expects about 400 people, though.
The social, which is nonalcoholic, will give all generations a chance to meet and greet and get their photos taken with the old Blue Demon mascot. The first 250 people will receive a gift bag, which will include what the committee hopes is a collector's item fridge magnet.
The idea is to make a new magnet to commemorate each alumni return event.
For the inaugural event, 100-year-old Christiansburg resident Beth Chrisman is the guest of honor.
Chrisman, who taught for 23 years at the former Willer Baker Elementary School, said she's looking forward to seeing former students.
As a town resident, she said she often runs into people who remember her as their second-grade teacher.
She said she's most interested in finding out how her students have grown and who they've become.
"I knew them when they were young," she said.
Hart said that's a goal of the event: to bring together generations.
"We hope it's going to be a big celebration of coming back to Christiansburg," she said.
