The Charleston chapter of the National Charleston Day Organization is in high gear planning for the 50th anniversary of annual Charleston Day reunions.
This Labor Day weekend, Aug. 30 through Sept. 1, just a few short weeks away, Charlestonians from all over the United States will descend upon our city for a series of camaraderie-filled events and activities not heard of in the area.
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During the spring of 1974, a group of individuals formerly from Charleston, Mississippi, attended a funeral in Chicago, Illinois. The individuals had not seen each other for some time. The group talked, exchanged phone numbers and decided that it was time to cease and desist with “home folks” only getting together during sad events.
Led by Dr. Ethel Johnson Greene, this relentless group started making plans to host the very first reunion of Charleston, Mississippi’s born and raised.
Contacts were made, flyers were distributed, and announcements were shared within the entire community. Labor Day Monday of that same year, Charlestonians gathered at a park in Chicago and subsequently ended up at the home of Dr. Greene and her husband, Mack, also a Charlestonian.
The beginning of regular Charleston Day Labor Day weekend celebrations began in 1978 when Charlestonians from St. Louis agreed to move the one-day celebration to the full weekend.
During that weekend, an executive board was organized. Individuals in attendance from other U.S. cities were asked to host the weekend celebration.
Mr. N.A. Boclair, a resident of Charleston, and several others who had traveled to St. Louis decided that the 1979 Charleston Day reunion would be held at home, in Charleston.
What a grand decision! The town, schools, churches, organizations, landowners, travelers, business owners and everyone who had ties with Charleston, Mississippi, and the surrounding area enthusiastically embraced the event, which proved to be a phenomenal success.
Annual Charleston Day reunions have been celebrated in as many as 13 cities that formed chapters, with the Labor Day weekend event being hosted by the Charleston chapter in 1979, 1991, 2000, 2005, 2009, 2014, 2019, 2022, and again this year for the golden anniversary of Charleston Day reunions.
We want to publicly extend our appreciation and gratitude for the support and collaborative efforts of Charleston residents current and former who will join us as we keep this legacy alive.
With the appropriate theme of “There Is No Place Like Home,” we take time to pause, commend and honor the preservation of our hometown area. We salute the memory of Dr. Greene, Mr. Boclair and others who set the sail into the winds of our common heritage.
The schedule for the Charleston Day golden anniversary celebration is:
Friday, Aug. 30
» Arrival of Charlestonians
» Executive Board meeting, 9 a.m. until 4 p.m., at the Charleston Day Center on David Alford Memorial Drive
» Reunion parade, 5 p.m., begins at former National Guard armory. The specific route will be published later.
» Registration, 6 to 9:30 p.m., at Charleston Day Center.
» Welcome home meet and greet, 6 p.m. until, at the Charleston Day Center, featuring refreshments, music, getting reacquainted
Saturday, Aug. 31
» Vendor setup, Charleston Court Square, 6-9 a.m.
» Registration, Charleston Court Square, 10 a.m.-4 p.m.
» Reunion festival, vendor activities, entertainment, with a band of talented young musicians proud to call themselves Charlestonians, around Court Square, 9 a.m. until 5 p.m.
» Golden year reunion dance, Charleston Middle School gym, 8 p.m. until
Sunday, Sept. 1
» Reunion tour, Emmett Till Historic Intreprid Center, Glendora, to be announced
» Worship at the church of your choice. A list of places of worship for Sept. 1 will be distributed at registration.
» Reunion gala, 6 p.m., Charleston Middle School gymnasium, with Congressman Bennie G. Thompson as keynote speaker
» After gala farewell dance and fellowship, 9 p.m. until
The Charleston chapter Board of Officers and its members lovingly await the arrival and participation of Charlestonians past, present and future to a weekend celebration that we hope will live in the hearts of us all for years to come.
For more information, contact Bennie Paige, chapter president, at 901-208-5189; or Gwen Dailey, reunion program chair, at 662-609-6701.
