Photo courtesy of Sandy Buesing Lynd Public School alumni register at the start of the all-school reunion at KB’s Ballroom in Ghent on Saturday.

GHENT — Memories of Lynd’s public school were in the spotlight this past weekend at an all school reunion.

About 220 participants packed the KB’s Ballroom in Ghent to enjoy socializing with classmates and people from other Lynd classes. It was the first Lynd all-school reunion in four years.

Reunion coordinator Sandy Buesing, a 1960 Lynd graduate, said Lynd has a tradition of having a renion every three years. It goes back to the 1970s.

The committee has a database of 943 Lynd alumni, going back to the class of 1925. Of those, 387 are known to be deceased, which means that almost half of those still alive were in attendance on Saturday.

“The all-school approach has worked well for us,” Buesing said. “People from the different classes all know each other because of the reunions. We look forward to them.”

The 2022 gathering was the sixth that Buesing has coordinated since 2006. She said she gets plenty of help from a group of volunteer alumni.

Brian Kor, who coordinates the printing of reunion programs, was part of Lynd’s last high school class in 1980. Some of his favorite high school memories include football and basketball games and homecoming weeks.

He said the small class sizes in Lynd have led to a loyalty among those who’ve attended, something that’s reflected at every reunion.

“I always enjoy seeing everybody,” Kor said. “We all consider Lynd an important part of our identity. We’re Lynd Panthers all the way.”

Bonnie Davis, one of the volunteers at the registration tables and a 1953 graduate, said friendships with her classmates have endured for almost 70 years.

“My class was very close knit,” Davis said. “It was the kind of atmosphere that often happens in small schools. We enjoy reliving those days at the reunions. They’re always a fun time.

She added that her school experiences in Lynd were part of what motivated her to become a kindergarten teacher. She taught at West Side Elementary in Marshall for many years before finishing her career at Marshall’s Park Side Elementary.

Gene Curwick, also a 1953 graduate, served as reunion greeter at the main entrance to the ballroom. He said many people of different ages at the reunion know each other by longstanding connections between Lynd area families.

“My grandparents came here as pioneers,” Curwick said. “Most of us have family connections to Lynd that go way back. We’re all friends.”

Lynd continues to operate a preK-8th grade program at the Lynd School. The school was open for tours prior to Saturday’s reunion.

Guests also had the opportunity to tour Lynd’s Kiel Morgan Hotel Historic Site, which was open both Saturday and Sunday. It was Lyon County’s first courthouse in the early 1870s.

Kathryn Branchcomb, a 1970 Lynd graduate, traveled to the local area from Lake Elsinore, California. She combined her reunion plans with a visit to her mother in the Twin Cities.

It’s the first time in many years that Branchcomb has been back to the Lynd area. She previously attended one other class reunion.

“I decided this was the year,” Branchcomb said. “I wanted to reconnect, and this was a great chance to see people from my past. I’m very glad I came.”

She said she looks back on her experiences at the Lynd School as a great foundation for her adult life and her career.

“I enjoy looking back on my school days,” she said. “I had good friends and we had really great teachers. They were always very supportive.”