It’s been 110 years since Malvern Collegiate Institute first opened its doors, and the school’s Red and Black Society has big plans for the all-decades homecoming, taking place May 11 and 12.
Adele Ashby, one of the volunteer organizers, is thrilled with how everything is coming together. Events are in place for both days, pre-registration is up and running and offers of help keep coming from the school’s current students, parents and other volunteers.
“There’s been absolutely great school support for this, we’ve been flooded with support,” she said.
Saturday, May 11 begins with opening ceremonies, a highlight of which will be a performance by the Malvern CI Alumni Band, conducted by Lieutenant Colonel Fran Chilton-Mackay, a class of 1974 graduate who is now in charge of music for Canada’s military.
“This just speaks to something that’s really important about Malvern and that’s its music program. There are so many people who have gone through that program who have gone on to do incredible things,” said Ashby.
The opening ceremonies will be followed by alumni meet and greets, split into several rooms by graduation decade. The afternoon will feature a Malvern sports history exhibition in the south gym, while the Student Senior Dance Band will perform for a ‘golden oldies’ dance in the north gym. Each decade will also have a pub night, as long as enough former students register ahead of time.
The 1940s event will run at The Grover, 676 Kingston Rd., starting at 5:30 p.m. Those who graduated in the 1980s also meet at the Grover at 7 p.m. Grads from the 1950s should meet at the Beacher Café, 2162 Queen St. E., for dinner at 5:30 and socializing after. The 1960s group will meet at The Fill STation, 2282 Queen St. E., at 5:30 p.m., and the 1970s gathering will take place at the Balmy Beach Club at the foot of Beech at 7 p.m.
Sunday morning will begin with a ceremonial gathering at the war memorial. The day will also feature two historical walks and a talk in the library. There are many other events planned for the weekend as well, with details available at malverncollegiate.com.
While early registration has been fairly busy, Ashby said the organizers are hoping more people will sign up ahead of time through the website at malvern110.eventbrite.ca. Early registration will allow organizers to better plan for food and refreshments, as well as organizing individual events.
“We don’t want people to arrive at the registration desk only to be told the events that they want to attend are already full, because many of them have limited numbers,” said Ashby.
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