The 50-year reunion was
held August 4-7, 2022
at The Arrowwood Lodge
The 55-year reunion will be
held September 26, 2025
The Reunion Information page
in the above menu has details
Reunion Information
Updated August 30, 2025
UPDATE - July 27, 2025 -
The 55-Year Reunion is ON for 2025.
Date: September 26, 2025
from 4 to 8 PM.
Place: The Arrowwood Lodge
in Baxter (same place as our 50-year reunion).
We will be having hearty snacks (no dinner), a cash bar,
and plenty of space to sit and catch up.
Cost: We have some funds
to cover costs and will just do a Free Will offering
at the door so you can contribute what you like.
RSVP: We will need
to have an idea of how many are attending so that cash bar and
food prep folks will have a target number for their planning.
Please email Deb Johnson Smith
<fergiesmith@msn.com>
if you plan to attend.
73 classmates and 14 guests have registered so far.
Please review the Missing Classmates (see menu at left) to see
if you possibly have information that would help us
reach out to them with our ongoing updates.
Here you can find information about past and upcoming reunions
If you have pictures from past reunions that you would like to share,
please contact the webmaster (see menu at left).
UPDATE - August 22, 2022 -
The 50+2-Year Reunion was held Aug 4-5 at the Arrowwood Lodge in Baxter.
Here is the final list of attendees for the two events.
131 classmates and 51 guests attended, overall.
103 classmates and 39 guests on Thu, Aug 4.
111 classmates and 45 guests on Fri, Aug 5.
Two videos produced by Jack Arnold were shown at the reunion, available at the links, below. You can right-click on the filename to download and save for later viewing, or you can click on the link normally to watch it immediately in your browser. Let us know (see Contact Us page) if you have problems downloading or viewing.
Thursday, August 4: Social at Arrowwood Lodge Friday, August 5: Buffet Dinner at Arrowwood Lodge
+ optional daytime tours/activities Saturday, August 6: More optional daytime tours/activities Sunday, August 7: Live music by The Brothers Tone at Roundhouse Brewery
Additional Details
Thursday, August 4 7 PM: Social Gathering in the Sands ballroom at Arrowwood Lodge in Baxter. Time to get reacquainted! Registration desk will open at 6:45 PM, with snacks and social and cash bar available through the evening. See below for registration info/fees.
Friday, August 5 10 AM: (Free) Walking Tour of historical sites in Brainerd led by historian Carl Faust. This tour will start at the public library (north of the current high school) and it details 35 different locations, covering about 1.4 miles in a little more than 1 hour. 2 PM: (Free) Walking Tour of the newly remodeled Brainerd High School as well as the brand new Performing Arts center, named the Gichi-ziibi Center for the Native American history of this area. We would tie this to the high school tour and John Erickson, Brainerd Public Schools Archivist, will assist/lead the way for us. 6 PM: Buffet Dinner & Program in the Sands Ballroom at Arrowwood Lodge in Baxter. Registration and social time begin at 6 PM (cash bar available) and dinner at 7 PM. You won't want to miss this evening with a video show of our high school memories, inspiring words from our assistant principal, Bob Gross, possibility of music from our high school choir members, and a touching tribute to those classmates who have passed. The evening will include a time for photos with your elementary school classmates before the dinner and program. See below for registration info/fees.
Saturday, August 6 10 AM: (Free) Tour of the old Washington High School, including visiting your memories in the gymnasium where you watched your first high school basketball games, or Tornstrom Auditorium, where you watched 'Our Town' as a sophomore in high school. This tour includes a discussion of the Brainerd Public School Archive offerings and needs, offered by John Erickson, Archivist - Curator. 12 Noon: A shorter, one-hour walk of Historic Downtown Brainerd. This guided tour led by Carl Faust will start on Laurel Street at the 'Visit Brainerd office' located at 706 Laurel. There is a $10 fee collected at the time of this tour because you will receive a 'take home' paper booklet. 2 PM: (Free) Evergreen Cemetery History Walk, lasting 50-60 minutes. This tour is a repeat of the inaugural Walk from 2014. Please park outside the 1st Avenue gate, which is where the tour will start. John Van Essen will lead this group (pending at least 20 people signing up). It includes stories of prominent characters in Brainerd's early history, along with stops at interesting monuments.
Sunday, August 7 1-4 PM: (Free) We have made wonderful arrangements with the event manager at Roundhouse Brewery on highway #371, (south of Schaefer's grocery in Nisswa), for a musical afternoon. They offer food and drink at their outdoor bandshell area. This will be open to the general public so bring your friends and family for an afternoon and enjoy the specially planned music from our era (the 60s-70s). The band is known in the Brainerd Lakes area & beyond-- The Brothers Tone, with the lead singer, some of you may know, Karla Jensen.
Registration Information
The Thursday Social and the Friday Buffet have room rental, food, and other associated costs, so registration and fee payment are required. Classmates that we have been in contact with should have received the registration form via email or USPS by mid-April. If you have not received anything, then please email Reunion Chair Sherrie (Hansen) Kunkel at <sherrie3kunkel@gmail.com>. Or, you can download the registration email in PDF form.
The Social is $30/person ($20 if postmarked before June 15).
The Buffet is $60/person ($50 if postmarked before June 15).
The address to mail your checks to is included on the registration form.
Additional committees: Harley Ellis – special lead on locating class members
Mark Gray – special lead on musical/choir numbers with Mike Smith
Bruce Kunkel (class of 1969) – special lead on photography
45-Year Reunion in 2015
Date:
Saturday, July 18, 2015, 5 pm to closing.
Place:
The Blue Room at Yesterday's Gone on 9th Street.
Cost:
No pre-registration or fee. Sign-in at the door.
Food:
You buy your own food and drinks.
72 classmates signed in (along with spouses & guests).
45-Year Reunion Committee
Harley Ellis, Chair
Deb Johnson Smith
Kathy Johnston Deuel
Cheri Shew Drake
Truett Stoneberg
John Weinhandl
The 40-year reunion was a big hit and was very well-attended!
Please visit the 40-Year Reunion Highlights page.
There you will find a list of classmates who attended
and a link to the 40-Year Reunion Photo Album.
40-Year Reunion Committee
Harley Ellis
Deb Johnson Smith
Brian Kirkpatrick, Treasurer
Cheri Shew Drake
Truett Stoneberg
John Van Essen, Webmaster
John Weinhandl
J.P. Whalen
Donna Winkleman Whalen, Chair
