Meet-up event set for Sept. 4 in place of Fossil Festival

The Havre Public Schools Education Foundation will be having a local meet-up event Saturday, Sept. 4, in place of its Fossil Festival event to honor long-term graduates, “fossils” which could not take place last year due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The foundation’s executive director, Amanda Meyer, said the amount of planning, time and commitment necessary to plan the festival, typically held every five years, is extensive enough the foundation decided to have a different event since it didn’t know how things would play out this summer.

“Hearing that there was going to be quite a few classes that were having their own gatherings this weekend, we were just going to do a one-night Saturday event for anyone that was already going to be in town,” Meyer said Friday.

She said the foundation has reserved the community center at the Great Northern Fairgrounds Sept. 4, as an event is already being planned by fairground management.

“They’re currently planning a full day of events out there, and they have possibly a car show and a farmers market, maybe a rodeo, some live music in the evening. And so we’ve rented the community center so that everybody can come and enjoy those activities, and then kind of have a place to have a gathering that they can come back to,” Meyer said.

An exact time for the foundation’s local meet-up is still to be determined.

“As soon as the fairgrounds releases their schedule of events, I’ll probably suggest a time that everyone can meet up at the community center. And if they want to purchase food or drinks in the venues, then they can bring that back to the community center. And everyone can hang out and mingle for a little while,” she continued.

Meyer said the foundation wants to abide by all recommendations or restrictions that might be in place at that time for COVID-19 restrictions. She added the foundation would encourage anyone to make their own choice as to what they feel comfortable attending.

“We’re super glad to have those people that are coming back, to have them back in town and be able to see their classmates and, you know, be able to come and check out the different things the foundation has going on. So we’re super excited to be able to, to meet up with anybody that is going to be here,” Meyer said.

Meyer said the foundation gives out scholarships every year and it has a small grants program so faculty and administration can request funding for things that maybe aren’t necessarily in the budget.

She added that the fire alarm systems at Lincoln-McKinley Primary School are looking to get upgraded and the foundation is also trying to raise money for a playground renovation at the school. She said the foundation helps out the district in whatever way possible at a given time.

For more on the foundation, people can go to https://hpseducationfoundation.com/ or send an email to [email protected] .