More than 300 people from Redeemer families and friends and the Keezletown community attended the picnic which featured live local bluegrass music by the Trout Pond Pickers, barbequed chicken by the Keezletown Ruritans, access to the Keezletown Cannery, games, prizes and speakers from the Keezletown School Alumni Association and Redeemer.
“With the recent decision by the Rockingham County Board of Supervisors to sell the school to Redeemer, we wanted to take the opportunity to introduce ourselves to the community,” commented board chair, Brian Augustine. “It is particularly important for us to celebrate the history of this school and the men and women who went to Keezletown School over the years,” he continued.
The displays included an audiovisual “look back in time” featuring a movie made of the school in 1948 and memorabilia assembled by various alumni and friends of Keezletown School. Rev. Auburn Boyers from the Keezletown Alumni Association shared stories of his educational experiences on that very site. Attendees included several alumni from the 1940s.
In addition to remembering the past, the Community Picnic was an opportunity to look forward. “This event is a chance for us to share with the community Redeemer’s vision to rebuild Keezletown School,” commented Redeemer’s Headmaster, Dr. Ike Lassiter. “We have the opportunity to renovate this historic school, to return it to a place of academic excellence, to restore the property to a place where children can play, and to make the school a focal point for the Keezletown community.”
A drawing was held with prizes to including apple butter made at the Cannery and old-time rag dolls.
Keezletown School was a public school first built on the lot deeded by George Keezle on August 24, 1877. The current building was constructed in 1917 after fires destroyed the first two buildings, and it served children until 2001. In 1934 a gymnasium, auditorium and additional classrooms were added to the 1917 structure. The last high school class graduated in 1949 when the school became an elementary school and was renamed Keezletown Elementary. The Rockingham County Board of Supervisors unanimously approved the sale of Keezletown School to Redeemer Classical School in July 2006. Redeemer has begun a capital campaign to raise the funds necessary to renovate the facility.
