Wheatley school gala offers to go option

The Wheatley Historical Preservation Association’s 13th annual Christmas Gala is going to be different Saturday.

The board downsized the event because of the COVID-19 pandemic, but it will take place, WHPA board officer Rhonda Kennedy emphasized.

“It is one of our biggest fundraisers for the school,” explained Kennedy.

Wheatley School was constructed to serve the African-American student population and remained so until the end of segregation in 1958. It has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places since 1998.

The association is responsible for repairs and upkeep on the building, she said.

“The school is a place to meet,” Kennedy said. It is “very important to keep this going to try to keep our community together. We are basically trying to be a part of the community, keep our history alive and do something positive.”

Kennedy, who has been involved with the project “since day one,” is asking others to “reach out and be supportive. The money raised is strictly for the upkeep of our school.”

A big part of the gala is recognizing some of the people, Kennedy said. “This year we want to recognize our past president, the late Colvin McDonald, who died Nov. 21, and a board advisor, Lisa Blackman, who died Aug. 18.”

Since the gala festivities are smaller this year, the board lowered the ticket prices to $25 for a couple and $15 for an individual. Ticket holders and those who wish to pay at the door may get plates to go from 11 a.m. and 5 p.m.

Board member Rex Rattler said, it would be nice if people would purchase advance tickets so they would know how much food to prepare, but people who do not buy tickets ahead may be lucky enough to get food.

The menu will include salad, roast beef, deep fried turkey, pulled pork (choice of two), potatoes au gratin, green beans, corn, rolls, and a choice of water or soda and desserts, homemade by “the ladies of the church,” Rattler said.

A second fundraiser is the hog raffle, and the deadline has been extended since the gala is a to-go event. Raffle tickets are $5 each or $25 for six.

Anyone wanting to purchase tickets for the gala or the raffle, may contact Rattler, Kennedy, any member of the board or call Michael Richie at 719-358-3341.

The association is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit and donations may be made to Wheatley Historical Preservation Association, P.O. Box 3956, Poplar Bluff, Mo. 63902.