Oswego museum planning high school music, athletic reunions in October

The Little White School Museum, 72 Polk Street (Jackson at Polk) in Oswego invites former Oswego School District band and choral students and participants in the district's athletics programs, as well as the faculty members who sponsored, coached, and taught those activities, to get together to reminisce about the fun they had during their school careers.

The museum's "School Reunion – Music" will be held on Sunday, Oct. 16, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Then on Sunday, Oct. 23, the museum will host "School Reunion – Athletics" also from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Admission is free to both events.

Former students and faculty who participated in Oswego High School and Oswego East High School music programs, as well as in the district's active junior high music programs including marching band, jazz band, the old Glee Club, and choir are invited to join museum staff and members of the Oswegoland Heritage Association on Oct. 16 to reconnect and reminisce as they explore the museum's Back to School museum exhibit. Participants will also enjoy paging through the museum's extensive collection of Oswego school-related historical photos including the district's first high school graduating class in 1887 to Oswego band legend Reeve R. Thompson's first 1930s marching band to the OHS Band's 1990s participation in the Tournament of Roses Parade in California.

Former band musicians and choral singers are invited to bring their instruments and their voices to this interactive reunion!

Then on Sunday, Oct. 23, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., all former Oswego School District athletes, trainers, and coaches are invited to join museum staff and heritage association members to reconnect and reminisce about their time in local sports. Bring your lettermen's jackets and letter sweaters and any memorabilia you have to share with others. This will be a reunion you don't want to miss as they enjoy paging through the pages of Oswego's school athletic history, from the undefeated 1929 varsity football team to the state champion gridsters from the 1990s to baseball greats as well as the first girls' competitive athletic programs in the 1970s to today's friendly cross-town rivalries between Oswego and Oswego East.

The museum's goal is to collect all of the history from the area inside the 68 square mile Oswego School District, and so would appreciate any donations of school-related documents, photos, or artifacts to assure their preservation for future generations.

The Little White School Museum, a Methodist-Episcopal Church built in 1850 and then used as classroom space for 50 years before being restored and turned into a community museum, is a joint project of the non-profit Oswegoland Heritage Association and the Oswegoland Park District.

For more information, call the museum at 630-554-2999, send an email to [email protected], or visit their web site, http://www.littlewhiteschoolmuseum.org.