The Fair Grove Alumni Banquet has been going on for decades, and on Saturday, May 12th in the Middle School Commons the 2018 banquet was held. The doors opened at 5 p.m. and started with a meet and greet. The banquet, put on by the Fair Grove Alumni Association, was a night full of fun and reminiscing for past Fair Grove graduates. The attendees were also treated to dinner.

“I enjoy just getting together and reminiscing with folks,”, said Kathy Ellis-Keithley, Class of 1975, “even though things change, they stay the same.”

The reception is important to many people, and a lot of them have been coming for many years. Kathryn Lawson, Class of 1948, said, “The banquet has been special to me over the years because it was my first date with my husband back when we were seniors.”

This year the banquet had a new event, inducting alumni into the new Fair Grove Hall of Fame. Michael Allcorn, Fair Grove Alumni Association Board Member at Large, stated, “We honored six individuals who have distinguished themselves as Fair Grove School staff, as a Fair Grove School student or as a member of the Fair Grove community. Our goal is to bring generations together to enjoy Fair Grove’s rich history”.

This year’s inductees were: Clyde Yandell, Admiral Claude V. Ricketts, Chatham Duke, Caleb Schaffitzel, Gene Kinslow, and Zetta Ricketts. Their names will be carved into a memorial stone that will be placed outside of the high school gymnasium. Kathy Ellis-Keithley added, “I had to come for Mr. Kinslow, he was one of my best teachers!”

The alumni banquet has been a tradition going on for many years, and it’s something that many members of the community are looking forward to each year. However, even though it is for seeing your old friends it’s also for meeting new ones. Mr. Allcorn said, “I hope people get to make new friends and acquaintances. You realize you have a lot in common with someone you didn’t have time to get to know in the past.”