Wheatley Gala set for Saturday

The Wheatley Historical Preservation Association will have it’s 12th annual Christmas Gala at 6 p.m. Saturday at 921 Garfield St. Tickets are $25.

The gala is an annual fundraiser for the WHPA, said association member Rex Rattler.

“The association has a two-fold focus,” Rattler said. “The first is maintaining the historical museum upstairs at the school. The second is tutoring of elementary age students on Thursday and Saturday.”

Rattler said, those attending should plan to have food, fun and enjoy the program “Twelve Days of Christmas.”

Wheatley Public School is a historic school building located in Poplar Bluff. The school was built in 1928 and is a two-story, “U”-plan, Colonial Revival style brick building with a central gymnasium. It sits on a cast concrete foundation and has a flat roof. It was constructed to serve the African-American student population and remained so until the end of segregation in 1958. The school was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1998.

Rattler said, a second ongoing fundraising project is the opportunity to purchase a historical brick for $100 to be placed on the walkway. The brick may be engraved with a name or a memory.

The association board will be restructured at the event and other activities will be discussed, Rattler said.

The association is 501(c)(3) and anyone who would make a donation may make the check to Wheatley Historical Preservation Association, P.O. Box 3956, Poplar Bluff, Mo. 63902.

Other officers are Calvin McDonald and treasurer Freda Ballard.

Anyone interested in obtaining gala tickets may call 573-872-9090.