Graduates of Lenoir City High School from the 1950s and 1960s will soon gather for fun and fellowship.

Classes from the 1950s have been gathering for nearly 20 years, starting in 1998. While community members have always been welcome, last year a focus was put on folding in the classes of the 1960s to make sure the event continues to be held for years to come.

“Us 50s, we’re getting over the hill,” Violet Wilburn, one of the organizers, said with a laugh.


The weekend starts with a golf scramble at 8 a.m. July 7 at Avalon Golf Course.

“One is it’s just a reunion activity for people who attended high school in the 1950s,” Gil Luttrell, one of the tournament organizers, said. “That’s how it started and now it’s certainly grown beyond that. Anyone who would like to play in the tournament is welcome to do so.

“... The golf tournament has become a fixture in that weekend,” he added. “It’s also a fundraiser for the (LCHS) Sports Hall of Fame. We will use money we raise through sponsorships, hole sponsorships for the tournament, to pay for the banquet we have each year to induct new members.”

The golf tournament has been part of the weekend’s festivities for more than a decade and is open to anyone who wants to play.

Cost is $35 per person and anyone interested in playing should reach out to Luttrell at 865-314-9892 by July 5 to give plenty of advance notice to the golf course.

“It’s fairly casual and not as formal as some golf scrambles are,” Luttrell said. “We just maintain the event to have good fellowship and get people together.”

A gospel singing will be held at 6 p.m. July 7 at Calvary Baptist Church in Lenoir City. The singing has been part of the annual reunion since its inception.

“I think because it’s local people,” Ron Tilley, who helps organize the singing, said. “Local people and it’s good entertainment. It’s not just whoever wants to sing.”

The event started in a “shed reserved for the get-together” before ultimately moving to Calvary Baptist, Tilley said.

“It was so successful,” he said. “We always had at least 100 or over 200. Everybody had such a good time that it just kept going.”

The worship center at Calvary will hold about 600, and it typically fills up, Tilley said. There is no charge to attend, but seating is first come, first serve.

On Saturday morning, July 8, those attending the reunion will have coffee and doughnuts at the War Memorial Building in Lenoir City before breaking off into individual class groups.

“The classes all separate and have their own little reunion,” Wilburn said. “They either do it Friday evening or they do it Saturday in-between being at the Memorial Building and coming back to the Memorial Building that night.”

From 6-9:30 p.m., attendees will return to the War Memorial Building for hot dogs, soft drinks and live music to socialize with friends.

“We pretty much fill up the Memorial Building on Saturday morning and Saturday night,” Wilburn said. “We need that space. There’s quite a few that still come back.”

Anyone who attended school in Lenoir City in the 1940s, 1950s or 1960s is encouraged to attend, but all are welcome, Wilburn said.