Fundraiser dance planned for century-old school

Wappapello Civic Center volunteers hope the public will show a little love for the 100-year-old former school and support a fundraiser Valentine’s Dance to be held from 6-9 p.m. Saturday.

“It’s the old Wappapello school building, and it was closed in 1965,” Lenda McDonough said. “That was the last graduating class.”

Located at the north end of the dam on Civic Center Road, “it’s a beautiful school building,” McDonough said. “We really are working hard trying to keep it maintained. This past year, we have paved the parking lot. We are trying to keep it a nice place for the community.”

McDonough is one of 10 board members who oversee the center and her husband, Ranney, is the board president.

“The civic center has no paid employees, just a 10-member board,” McDonough said. “We do not get any pay at all. It’s volunteer.”

While the center was temporarily closed to events because of COVID, “we’re trying to get things started again,” McDonough explained. “There’s been so much sickness. Most of our people are older, so they’re just being a little bit cautious.”

The tables have been spread out to make for smaller groups to sit together and maintain social distancing. The dance floor is large, too.

The money raised with the dance, the entry fee, the money people use to vote for the king and queen and “anything, everything” is used just for the general maintenance, she said.

“Right now, our big major project is the tuckpointing of the building,” she said. “We’ve already started it. They will have to wait until spring to finish it. They started it last year, but the weather got cold. You have to have tuckpointing done at a certain temperature. They will be finishing in the spring.”

The center is “highly decorated for Valentine’s Day,” she said.

The Red Light Band will play in an alcohol- and smoke-free facility.

Everyone is welcome and admission is $7 per person. Children under 12 may attend for free.

Those attending may vote for their favorite couple in the King and Queen contest, participate in the cake walks and enjoy finger foods.

Tammy Stalling, whose husband, Wayne, was in the band, made an afghan, which is being raffled.

Those attending are invited to bring cakes and appetizers.

The yearly membership fee of $5 is to help with the postage to mail flyers every three months announcing the band and activity schedules,

McDonough has been involved with the center about 35 years.

The center is available to rent for weddings, meetings and reunions, and to obtain information, call 573-222-8853 and leave a message.