"When you have a wedding or baby shower, you get all your favorite people together that you haven't seen in a really long time," said Aubrey Kreider, director of marketing and communications at Lancaster Mennonite School (LMS). "New Danville's annual campus celebration is like that, even though it's changed a lot over the years."

For the first time in three years, LMS' New Danville location will host its annual campus celebration. This year's celebration will take place from noon to 7 p.m. on Friday, April 1, at 393 Long Lane, Lancaster. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the event took on a different form in recent years, with an online auction in 2020 and a drive-through chicken barbecue in 2021. This year's fundraiser is unique in that it will be the last celebration at the New Danville location before LMS unifies prekindergarten through 12th grade at the Lancaster campus on Lincoln Highway East in the fall.

"It'll be really fun to just have all those decades of people in one place to eat, have fun, get to be together, feel connected, and give New Danville a big hug," stated Kreider.

Attendees, staff members, and students will celebrate and honor the history of the New Danville campus, which opened in 1940. The event will be in person, featuring a chicken barbecue meal, a walkthrough of the campus with a timeline of significant events throughout the campus's history, a student performance of "Concert Through the Decades," and an auction of campus memorabilia and baskets created by students in prekindergarten through fifth grade. All proceeds will benefit Christ-centered education through LMS.

"Whether people have come to the school or not, this celebration is just a great opportunity to learn about and support something that's been in the community since 1940," commented Kreider.

Each chicken barbecue meal will include a half-chicken, a dinner roll, a baked potato, applesauce, and a bottle of water. An option to order chicken only will also be available.

Tickets may be purchased in advance, which is strongly encouraged, at http://www.lancastermennonite.org/new-danville-bbq-registration/. Online presales will close on Friday, March 18. Attendees may also purchase meals at the event on a first-come, first-served basis while supplies last.

For more information, search for "New Danville Campus Celebration" on Facebook. To learn more about LMS, visit http://www.lancastermennonite.org.