Plans for the reunion, which will be held June 8-9, are being overseen by planning committee president David C. Dixon and vice president Heather Sergent.
The two say they stumbled into their responsibilities last year by chance.
"We went to a meeting and got voted in," Sergent said. "(The previous planners) wanted to focus on the Black Bear Festival.
"We were tired of seeing nothing (at the Grand Reunion). It had been that way for a few years."
With just a few months to plan, last year's reunion continued a trend of low turnout. Dixon and Sergent both say they learned some lessons from last year's mistakes.
"Don't get rid of the street dance or the sock hop," Sergent said with a laugh. "We got bawled out quite a bit over that."
"We learned not to wait until the last minute to get everything together," Dixon said. "It's important to start early."
One of the most important lessons the two learned was an important one for any leader - the value of delegation.
"Last year, we had to do everything," she said. "We had to be at every event - we had to do it all. This year, we've appointed different people to do different things."
Planning began much earlier for this year's reunion - immediately after last year's, in fact.
"We've had more time," Sergent said. "Last year, we got voted in in January and had to pull it off by June. This year, we started right after the reunion."
In addition to bringing back the street dance and the sock hop, the planners also opted to centralize most of the reunion. The hub of activity will the parking lot of the Freeman Shopping Center in Cumberland, where plenty of live music and food booths will be available.
"We've got some local talent, and then on Friday night we'll have a youth rally," Dixon said. "Everybody's welcome to come, but it's going to be more youth-oriented.
"We'll also have our vendors set up over there, and we'll have inflatables for the kids."
Activities are still planned throughout the Tri-Cities, however, including food sales and a golf scramble in Lynch, a banquet in Benham and a pig roast at Cumberland High School.
Sergent said having the reunion in the hands of younger people has provided a fresh perspective.
"We cater to the younger people who have moved off," Dixon said. "We try to have events to bring them back."
"You'll always have the older ones coming in - they're the ones who reserve all the rooms," Sergent said. "We want to have something even for the people here."
On the downside, she said, rounding up support can be a difficult task.
"You get all the blame put on you when things don't get done," she said. "We just don't have enough people to help."
The reunion began in 1994 and was a smashing success in its early years, bringing home former Tri-City residents from across the country. Sergent was 14 when the first reunion was held; Dixon was 8.
"It was really big," Sergent said. "There were vendors all up and down the streets."
"The second reunion was the first one that brought the carnival (at the Rotary Park)," Dixon recalled. "I remember the games and the Hillbilly Choo-Choo - that was a big thing with everybody."
Both said they would like to see the reunion restored to its former glory.
"I think this year's reunion will be more successful because we've had more help, and we've got more people contacting people, sending out e-mails and things," Dixon said.
"Hopefully, we'll have a good turnout."
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