Jill's Journal: A party for the Brandon Valley Lynx

I didn’t graduate from Brandon Valley, but with all the time I’ve spent in our schools over the last 20 years, I’ve self-appointed myself as the honorary “foreign exchange student from Minnesota.”

That’s right, all this talk about Saturday’s all-school reunion at the W.H. Lyon Fairground has me ready to reminisce with many of you that I’ve crossed paths with over the years, and hopefully to meet so many more of you who share that a special commonality: Once a Brandon Valley Lynx, always a Brandon Valley Lynx.

If you haven’t heard, the big Brandon Valley gathering is going to take place at the W.H. Lyon Fairground in Sioux Falls.

Why, you ask?

Turns out, they party planners are expecting a big crowd, and that’s the place that can accommodate Brandon Valley alums by the thousands.

There’s going to be an assortment of food trucks, live music and plenty of time to relive the good ol’ days with the folks you learned to read, write and do arithmetic with.

And the best part, there’s not ticket to buy. Just show up.

But, if you want to eat and drink, bring along some cash, as that’s what the vendors will be accepting that night.

I’ve also learned that former Brandon Valley High School Principal Gregg Talcott will be leading tours of the high school starting at 1 p.m. on Saturday. If you haven’t taken a walk around the building in years, you may want to lace up your tennis shoes, cause you’re in for quite a hall in the ever-growing building. I’m sure many of you , if you’ve been gone for several years, won’t recognize the place. 

As I noted earlier, I’m planning to crash the party on Saturday, well me and my trusty ol’ sidekick, Nikon. Together, we’re going to capture even more Brandon Valley Lynx moments that night. We’re in the process of putting together a special online section to commemorate the event, and will include phots from the Saturday’s festivities.

Why online and not in print, you ask?

Well, that comes down to the unknown: The right number of copies to print. So, we’re doing you all a favor and creating an online “yearbook,” if you will, commemorating the past, looking into the future, in addition to Saturday night’s great Brandon Valley get-together. 

The online version is also for the benefit of those who can’t attend Saturday.

We’ll unveil the online section next week by announcing it on our website, brandonvalleyjournal.com, and our Facebook and Instagram pages.