It was good to be back and see old friends. On that, just about everyone could agree.
Nearly 150 alumni and many more family and friends made the trip home this past weekend for the Egan All School Reunion. It marked the first official gathering in more than ten years, after the 2020 event was canceled due to the pandemic. Despite occasional storms rolling through the area, the weekend was filled with laughter, hugs, and stories shared across generations.
The festivities began Friday night in town and continued through Sunday, culminating in a formal reunion program at the Colman-Egan High School gymnasium a symbolic spot for many, given that Egans original school closed in the early 1990s when it merged with neighboring Colman.
Good crowd at Blue Jays, said Dale Olson, a 1975 graduate who returned from the Black Hills.
They had an impromptu band because they lost their originally scheduled band in the afternoon the new band showed up and did an awesome job.
Saturdays activities included a community parade, local food and vendor booths, and a canoe and kayak race on the Big Sioux River, organized by Harvey Donley. Wed like to get it going again, maybe every year, Donley said.
Kayak winner Jack DeLay, of Sioux Falls, ran the race with his father.
Something fun with my dad, he said, after pulling first out of the water in the race. Where was his dad, others on shore asked.
He said hed hold back because hes like a weapon every single day hes on the river, said DeLay.
Many came simply to reconnect. There are people I havent seen in 50 years, literally, Olson added.
The day of graduation we walked out and said see you, have a good life. And we walked up to one last night and said, Hey, how are you doing?
One Class of 81 member, recently back in the area after 30 years in Iowa, summed it up well: Its just a small town where neighbors help their neighbors while there arent many businesses or anything here anymore, its pretty special.
A total of 143 meals were served on Sunday, over 100 shirts were sold, and the feeling of family whether by blood or by shared hallway memories ran strong throughout the weekend.
When you go to school with someone from the time youre in Kindergarten through almost 12th grade, they become almost family, said Gary Isle, Class of 67.
Thats what we try to hold onto.
For pictures of the weekend’s events see the print edition of the Moody County Enterprise.
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