Note: Originally published as print-only in The Lancaster-Depew Sun Newspaper.

With five days of community events planned, Depew Union Free School District is celebrating 100 years of Depew-Lancaster football rivalry. Alumni Week will take place during the week of October 15-19, with events to get alumni, current students and the entire Depew community involved.

President of the Depew Wildcat Alumni Association Michael Barker has had a passion for Depew and giving back since he attended the school, and he is excited that Alumni Week will give everyone a chance to engage with the school district. As a 1989 graduate and former Depew football player, Barker attributes much of who he is today to his mentors from Depew.

“For me personally,” Barker explained, “it’s extremely rewarding to connect students. I’d like to have the opportunity for us to have that network to get engaged with the students, so that they have a network of people they can reach out to prior to entering college.”

Alumni Week will begin with a barbecue at Depew High School with food from Ronnie’s Take Out Pizza and BW's Smokin' Barrels Barbecue. Preorders are strongly encouraged, and can be made on Facebook event page: Alumni Week Chicken & Rib BBQ and Bonfire. Following the barbecue, the annual community bonfire will take place from 7-9 p.m. at DHS Flats, and then a post-bonfire alumni gathering at Route 78 starting at 9 p.m.

Later in the week on Thursday, Oct. 17, several Depew alumni will be honored at the Wall of Fame inductee assembly at DHS. This year, Dave “Forrest Fisher” Barus ‘66, Dr. Colonel David M. Dudas ‘82, Chris Payne ‘83, and Michael R. Markiewicz ‘99 are being inducted into the Depew Wall of Fame.

Also on Thursday, the JV Depew football team will play Lancaster at 7 p.m, and another alumni gathering is scheduled at Magruder’s at 8 p.m. All of this is leading up to the big game between the Depew varsity football team and Lancaster on Friday, Oct. 18 at 7 p.m. Tailgating starts at 6 p.m. in the parking lot of Cayuga Heights Elementary School. Everyone is encouraged to stop by the alumni tent near the field for raffles, giveaways and games.

The day after the game, the Rivalry 5K and Wellness Fair will take place at Cayuga Heights. The race will begin at 11 a.m. and the Community Health and Wellness Fair, sponsored by the Focus Coalition, will be from 10 a.m.-1 p.m.

Lastly, the Alumni Bash at the Lancaster-Depew Boys and Girls Club will be the end of Alumni Week, taking place from 6-10 p.m. With music by Terry Buchwald, celebrity bartenders, raffles, Depew High School memorabilia, food and drinks, all the money raised that evening will go toward student scholarships and activities.

The Depew Wildcat Alumni Associate has a vision for Alumni Week to connect current and past students, giving them a network opportunity like no other.

“It’s a really unique opportunity to get current and former students involved and an opportunity to give back,” Barker said, “whether it be financial or just through personally making that connection to reacquaint themselves [alumni] with current faculty and past and reminiscing on the roost of what kind of made them today. I think it’s an opportunity to have a class reunion for all years.”

The Alumni Association also wants to encourage alumni to get involved, regardless of how active they’ve been up to this point. The opportunities to give back and reacquaint oneself with Depew are happening now. Alumni can connect with the Alumni Association through their website (http://catsalumniassoc.yolasite.com/), which is set up to collect contact information.

Also, anyone can be Alumni Week sponsor, either as a business or as a member of one’s high school class. Go to DepewAlumniWeek.org for information on sponsorship levels, and contact Eileen Cartonia at ecartonia@depewschools.org to sponsor the event.