Organizers have been working for nearly a year and a half to bring the Riverview Collegiate Institute (RVCI) class of 1972 reunion to fruition and excitement is building for the event, to held at the Moose Jaw Wildlife Federation from Aug. 12 to 14.
The event is open to anyone who attended RVCI from 1969 to 1972, said organizer Darrell Hack, and they’re hoping to see more than 70 guests.
“We start Friday night, with a social,” Hack said, “and we’re having pizza ordered, we’re having a ball, a bar. Everything is happening at the Wildlife Federation, up on top of North Hill.”
The reunion committee consists of Debbie Mayson, Leah Martyniuk, Dennis Muldoon, Ed Konihowski, Harold Potts, and Darrell Hack. Potts lives in Red Deer, Alberta and Hack in Brandon, Manitoba, so their efforts have involved plenty of Zoom calls.
The legwork in Moose Jaw to find and gather former RVCI students has been largely carried out by Mayson, Martyniuk, Muldoon, and Konihowski, Hack said, who have invested many hours.
“It’s been a lot of work putting something this together,” Hack noted. “We didn’t really realize how much it was going to be when we had the idea. But it ended up that our group has done an absolutely fantastic job!”
The reunion continues Saturday morning with a breakfast served by the Friendly City Optimist Club followed by a tour of the school.
For the afternoon on Saturday, the committee has planned a photo scavenger hunt to bring out the nostalgia in attendees.
“We’ve put together a number of places that we knew and went to when we were in high school,” Hack said. Some of the popular hangouts no longer exist or have changed, so the hunters will have to bring back pictures of where those places used to be.
“You’ll have to take a picture of where you grew up, take a picture of where Joyner’s was, you know, places like that.”
After the scavenger hunt, people will be free to roam around and do some shopping before meeting back at the Wildlife Federation for a 6 p.m. dinner by Charlotte’s Catering. Committee member Harold Potts has created a memorial video loop which will play to remember former RVCI students who have since died.
Saturday evening will have the group picture, then there will be more dancing — a DJ is coming in and the bar will be open until around 1 a.m.
The reunion will wrap up with coffee and breakfast Sunday morning before everyone says their goodbyes.
For more information, visit the RVCI 1972 50th Reunion 2022 Facebook group or email rvci50reunion72@sasktel.net.
