Alumni invited to St. Vrain Valley high schools reunion

The Longmont Downtown Development Association (LDDA) cordially invites alumni from all graduating years at Longmont, Skyline, Silver Creek, Niwot, Erie, Mead, Frederick, Lyons, Olde Columbine and the St. Vrain Online Global Academy to come downtown and enjoy food, music and old friends at the fifth annual St. Vrain Valley School District (SVVSD) High Schools Reunion on Friday, June 8.

Festivities kick off at 4th and Kimbark at 6 p.m., when SVVSD student band Bad Choices hits the stage, followed by The John McKay Band. Headlining the night is Niwot favorite Last Men on Earth, which takes the stage at 7:30 p.m. featuring at least three SVVSD alums of their own, including Niwot alums Mike Holubec and Lawrence Jenkins.

“As far as the downtown summer concerts go, the reunion is always one of the more popular nights,” LDDA event coordinator Colin Argys said. “We always like to get music that people recognize and can dance to and maybe listened to in high school.”

The yearly alumni gathering is the brainchild of Niwot High graduate Scott Nix (‘75), owner of Longmont construction firm Nixcavating. Nix was an active member of student government in school, and he became involved with coordinating class reunions after graduation. However, as he and his classmates aged and dispersed, it became increasingly difficult to bring them together. So, when it came time to plan the 35th reunion, Nix tried a new approach.

Enter the LDDA. Nix went there after borrowing the idea from the Longmont High all-class reunion, and from there it blossomed into a fixture on Longmont’s Downtown Summer Concert Series schedule. Nix continues to have a hand in soliciting sponsors and generating publicity for the reunion, but the LDDA is responsible for putting on the show.

“Reunions morph as classes get older, and it got to be a real hard thing to organize,” he said. “I thought we should try to have an event that basically happens every year with no effort on anyone’s part.”

Nix stressed that the district-wide gathering is not meant to supplant any single-class reunions. It’s just for those who might prefer a more casual approach to seeing their former classmates.

Though previous crowds have skewed towards older alumni, Argys said the LDDA is trying to attract recent graduates. This year, attendees will be given colored beads corresponding to their school, and are encouraged to dress in their school’s colors.

“We’re also going to have a few contests at the reunion,” he said. “One is going to be for the oldest alumni that’s there and one will be for the youngest alumni that’s there. There’s also going to be one for the most school spirit. We want to get the word out to younger kids that it doesn’t necessarily have to be that you graduated 25-30 years ago, it could be that you graduated two years ago and you just want to see your friends.”

Both the reunion and concert are free. Local food vendors Georgia Boys, Breaker, and Samples will be on hand with food trucks, and several local breweries, including Bootstrap Brewing Company of Niwot and Wibby Brewing, will have craft beer, cider, wine and spirits available for cash in the beer garden.

To RSVP and for more information, visit http://www.downtownlongmont.com/reunion-rsvp.