Nearly 50 years after departing Niagara District Secondary School, about 100 graduates were eager to come together from near and far for a reunion at the Niagara-on-the-Lake Legion on Saturday.

The former students, representing three graduating classes, were there to reminisce and enjoy live music and good food.

Organizer Lorraine DeRosa said it all started with a classmate who became a successful author.

“(Arthur Boers) was doing a book signing and he said, ‘Well, wouldn’t it be nice to get our grades together?’ because the last time we had a high school reunion was in 2007,” DeRosa told The Lake Report. 

She explained that because so many people who had moved away began returning to NOTL, it was perfect timing to reconnect.

“We just started reaching out on social media. Some people that aren’t on social media we ended up calling,” she said.

DeRosa said people from the Grade 12 class of 1975 and the Grade 13 class from 1976 came out. 

Lee Anne Penner came back to reunite with her 1976 class after moving out of province after graduation.

“I moved to Winnipeg after high school and saw that one of my friends was organizing this so I wanted to come back and see everybody,” Penner said.

The reunion piggybacked onto an existing reunion organized by the Classic Niagara-on-the-Lake Facebook group, which happens each year.

Diane Gee Shrive has been helping organize this reunion for the past eight years and said people continue to come out annually, no matter what.

“They haven’t seen each other for 50 years,” said Gee Shrive. 

She added that as long as people can make it, they will keep the reunion going.