The time for friends to come together for Levelland graduates as the 100 Year Super Reunion kicks off Thursday and will come to an end Saturday.
The first super reunion took place roughly three years ago after a few individuals got together and decided it would be a different experience. Levelland’s Russell Vest explained that the timing with Levelland 100 years of classes fell in line with the reunion and ran with that.
Considered an all-class reunion, Levelland graduates are encouraged to attend the events planned by the group. Covering a span of three days, the event begins October 20 at the Republic of Texas for a meet and mingle. The party will begin at 7 p.m. and go until whenever the lights go off. For October 21, the Levelland Lobo football team will be hosting the Borger Bulldogs and holding senior night activities. People attending the reunion events are invited to attend the pep rally at the Levelland High School.
Downtown shopping and prizes will be available from noon to 5 p.m. An introduction for the reunion members will begin at 6 p.m. at the Lobo stadium before the game as kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. October 22, there will be a car show and a mingle in the parking lot outside of the Mallet Event Center. At 6 p.m. social hour at the Mallet will begin with raffle baskets followed by a dinner from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. with more raffle baskets.
From 9 p.m. to 10:45 p.m. a private concert will be held for all attendees with a certified George Strait impersonator. From 11 p.m. to 12 a.m. the group will clean up and wind down. Vest says there is roughly 160 individuals that have registered for the Mallet portion of the event. Additional information for people interested in attending any of the events they can visit the Levelland High School Super Reunion Facebook page.
“We hope to be closer to the 200 people range once the time comes to get the party started,” said Vest. “We know there are people who are going to show up at the door, but they have notified us beforehand.” For any individual wanting to attend the Mallet portion of the event without registering, they will need to contact Vest.
“Not registering before is fine, but we would like to have a general head count for the business who will be handling the meals for us,” explained Vest. “It ensures that we can get everyone a meal and we can take care of the people serving us.”
Catering the event will be Gina Kauffman and Engledow is excited to have her provide meals for the attendees.
“Gina will be the one taking care of us for our catering needs,” said Engledow. “Everyone knows her, she is huge around her, and I think everyone will be excited to see her and see what she has in store for us.”
For Vest, being able to get together with fellow classmates that have moved on is something he enjoys.
“Going through high school we had three classes compared to the four that kids have now,” said Vest. “Going through school with kids older than me and younger than me, this is something that allows me to spend time with them and enjoy their company.”
For City Council member Mary Engledow, she isn’t an alumnus of Levelland ISD, but has been putting in countless hours of work to get these events squared away.
The chair of the committee is Jana Vardeman Diamond who has relocated to the Oklahoma area. With that, comes logistical issues, but as a sister in-law to Vardeman, Engledow has helped get things into place in her stead.
“When my sister in-law came to me about helping, she asked if I could be her boots on the ground.” Explained Engledow. “I said absolutely and jumped aboard to help out anywhere I could.”
The money raised through the raffles will being going to the Marigold’s as they have volunteered to help with registration for the events at the Mallet and they will also be selling raffle tickets at the door.
“The main thing we are focused on is keeping everything local within Levelland,” said Engledow. “All these people attended Levelland High School and are willing to come and spend time in this town. We want to make sure we are giving back fully to the City of Levelland.”
Engledow also added that the effects of Covid-19 can be attributed to the amount of buzz and participation of people wanting to be a part of the event.
“Usually, we have a memorial put together for the loved ones we have lost for these events, but we weren’t able to do that this year,” said Engledow. “There was just too many lost from everything that has happened to get it done.”
With the loss of a friends and loved ones during the pandemic, Engledow says there are a lot of individuals who lost someone they know.