News and Features
Fall Festival/Homecoming hosts eight reunions, grosses over $154,000 in student support
During Lancaster Mennonite School's Fall Festival and Homecoming November 17-19, alumni and friends gathered at the Lancaster Campus to re-connect and raise funds for student programs and endowment.
Highlights of the weekend include a state championship win for boys soccer and record-setting auction results. The hard-fought 2-1 win over Tulpehocken at Hersheypark Stadium Friday night rocketed LMS boys soccer into territory never experienced before. This top honor was celebrated Saturday night when the game ball sold for $5,400 during the Benefit Dinner and Specialty Auction.
The benefit dinner was kicked off by a performance by "Selahart," a group of Korean performers that includes LMS students. The auction also featured the second in a series of three vintage vignettes by Liz Hess, a 1983 alumna and well-known local artist. Depicting an early campus scene, the original and nine limited edition prints raised nearly $6,000 for the Kristin Palazzo Art Endowment, which benefits the school's visual arts program. [Click here for more information on Liz's work.] More than $100,000 was raised over the auction block in support of LMS students.
Attendance continues to increase for the annual Iron Bridge Run/Walk. More than 320 participated Saturday morning, completing funding for the new track and field facility at the Lancaster Campus. For a complete list of race results, go to www.ironbridgerun.org. Other weekend events included a Friday barbecue that attracted nearly 1,200 persons (with many buying takeout for the soccer game in Hershey); the high school play, Up the Down Staircase; a Saturday breakfast served by and benefiting the FFA; a Cruizin' vehicle show; class reunions representing 1951, 1961, 1971, 1976, 1981, 1986, 1996 and 2006; and the annual 3v3 basketball tournament that benefits the Brent Nauman Endowment to provide an athletic trainer for the school.
Thank you to our many participants, faithful volunteers, and generous sponsors and buyers who helped make this weekend a successful, community-building event. Next year's Fall Festival and Homecoming is set for November 16-18.