Coleridge making big plans to display its Bulldog pride
COLERIDGE — The Coleridge Bulldog school spirit is alive and well and will be on display with plans for an all-class reunion next weekend.
“We’ll show everyone our blue pride yet,” said Jacie Burbach, one of the organizers for the reunion set for Saturday, July 2.
Coleridge High School closed in 2015, with its last graduating class before consolidation into the Laurel-Concord-Coleridge school district. But it comes from a long history - stemming back to its first class in 1899 - and is the cause of celebration that will have a little something for everyone.
“We don’t mess around halfway,” Burbach said. “If we’re going to be tired, we’re going the whole way.”
The schedule of events for Saturday, July 2, include:
- A one-mile fun run/walk starting at 7:30 a.m. with a 5k run set for 8 a.m., at the school
- A sand volleyball tournament starting at 10 a.m. at the city park
- Kids activities at the park from 11 a.m.-2 p.m.
- A car show from noon-3 p.m., on Broadway Street
- Bingo from 1-5 p.m.. at the Community Building
- A corn hole tournament starting at 1 p.m., at the city park
- A golf course obstacle race from 2-4 p.m., at the park
- School tours and memorabilia on display from 4-7 p.m., at the school
- A catered evening meal from 6-7:30 p.m., at the Community Building
- A street dance from 8 p.m.-midnight, at Broadway and Main streets, featuring the Scott Schram Band.
- Auction items to be sold during the dance intermission.
Advanced registration is required for the meal provided by Merkel Catering of Hartington. All events are sponsored by the Coleridge Area Fund
“The dance will be the most popular. People will just come to have a good time and they’ll be able to see all the classes,” Burbach said. “That’s what I’m looking forward to the most, just socializing with everybody.”
The auction will feature many items in Bulldog blue or with the team mascot including a quilt, a cane, gym flooring that came out of the old schoo building and even lettering off the school building.
“The gym flooring was replaced a couple years ago and all the wood flooring from the gym was just disposed of,” Burbach said. “People were up there climbing in the dumpster for a piece of the wood. There’s a lot of memories on those floors.”
Burbach and others on the planning committe - Mary Biltoft, Rod Benson, Stef Brummels, Mike Frerichs, Terrill Cook, Annette Sudbeck and Kevi Krei - are looking forward to pulling off this year’ reunion after postponing it several years due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“We’re going to be doing it and be done. We’ve got three years of expenses, mailings, it’s gotten to be a pretty spendy venture, but we keep pushing on,” Burbach said.
About 1,500 invitations were sent to alumni and even though gas prices will dampen the plans of a few, she still expects a large turnout - about 250 for the meal and many more for the dance and auction. Some of the classes are planning their own class get-togethers separate from the all-class banquet, Burbach said.
Local businesses are encouraged to decorate their storefronts with memorabilia and a bulldog paw print will be painted on city streets.
“That used to be a big thing for Homecoming, is the big paw prints and a painted big ‘C’ in the middle of the street,” Burbach said.
All of the funds raised from next Saturday’s festivities will go to benefit the Coleridge Area Fund.