People filled the Legion’s hall on Saturday to reconnect with classmates and neighbours during the ninth Classic Niagara-on-the-Lake gathering and the 50th reunion for Niagara District Secondary School’s 1975 and 1976 grads.
The annual event, built around the Classic Niagara-on-the-Lake Facebook group, brings together senior residents from NOTL.
Organizers say it has grown into an important way for locals and former classmates to share stories and hold onto the town’s small-community spirit.
Oraine DeRosa, a member of the class of 1975, said her the alumni of NDSS joined the larger Classic NOTL event three years ago to celebrate milestone reunions.
“A lot of people graduated, moved away for jobs, but now they’ve come back to the area,” said DeRosa. “They love Niagara-on-the-Lake and it’s nice to see classmates again and reminisce.”
Yearbooks from 1975 and 1976 were laid out on the tables for everyone to flip through.
Lead organizer Diane Shrive said Classic Niagara started nine years ago and has grown steadily into a community with more than 3,000 members.
“It’s all about growing up in Niagara-on-the-Lake and the surrounding areas,” said Shrive.
She said this year’s attendance was the largest yet, with roughly 200 people in attendance.
For Shrive, the reunion is about more than nostalgia.
“We’ve lost so many. At our age, that’s what happens, and that’s why this is important. It’s one day where we can all see each other again,” she said.
The event connected many old friends who had once grown up together and since moved away. Shrive said there was one old classmate she hadn’t seen in fifty-three years.
“We couldn’t do this without the Legion; they make everything possible,” said Shrive.
Shrive and DeRosa expect the Classic NOTL event and reunions to continue as long as people are willing to make the trip back home.
