Summer shindig — Flying V to host All-School Reunion party

While the majority of this weekend’s activities will be held in Newcastle, many former NHS students will make their way north into the Black Hills on Friday, July 4, to an All-School Reunion party hosted by the Flying V Lodge.

NHS graduates Larry and Twylla Napolitano, who have owned and operated the lodge since 1988, anticipate a fun-filled night with tasty food, live music and a fireworks display.

Patrons can expect barbecued burgers, hot dogs and pulled pork, as well as an open bar. Live music will begin at 7 p.m., and the musical acts will include duo Nemo Yacht Club, which features the South Dakota Rock and Roll Hall of Fame guitarist Bruce Neubert, and rock, blues and country cover band Kuhl & the Gangstas.

The lodge gates will open at 5:30 p.m., and to enter the festivities, guests will be asked to pay a $15 cover charge per person or $25 for a couple. Operational costs will be covered with the funds raised and the remaining monies will be set aside for various organizations. These include the Anthony Napolitano Memorial Fund, the local chapter of the student association Future Business Leaders of America and the Newcastle Fire Department. 

Party-goers will witness first-hand what the funds will support, as FBLA members will be covering the door, and members of the fire department will be handling the fireworks display the following night.

When asked if they anticipate any challenges, Twylla laughed and conjured up memories of a rite of passage many alumni can probably recall from their own youth.

“Just trying to keep the under-aged out,” she said with a smile. “No, we’ve never run into any issues. We’re very blessed that way.”

In addition to the organizations listed above, the Napolitanos will count on the assistance of others to carry out the event. This will include seasonal help and “a lot of good friends” of the couple.

Running the lodge has been a family affair since 1972, when Larry’s parents bought the property. Larry and Twylla’s son, Larry Napolitano Jr., a 2004 Newcastle High School graduate, plans to eventually continue this tradition.

Larry Jr., who has worked as a dermatologist in North Carolina for nearly six years, is enthusiastic about the future of the lodge. While he has no immediate plans to relocate back to Weston County, he said that, upon retirement, he would love to put into action phased plans to “make the place into what it was intended to be.”

In an interview with the News Letter Journal, Larry Jr. mentioned seeing building plans from 1923 for an unrealized 36-room extension. He would like to eventually carry out this project along with others.

“I have a multi-phase plan that I’ve written. Phase one would be to redo the grounds a bit. I want to make it really beautiful to get married outside there, redo the back patio —take a lot of what has been done and bring it back to the original,” he said.

He also said he is entertaining the idea of planting vines and making a winery, if possible and, perhaps, establishing a med spa.