A Packed House at Hillcrest Union on Alumni Night

A Packed House at Hillcrest Union on Alumni Night

Almost every seat in Hillcrest Union was taken as the Ravens took on WACO on Alumni Night 2023. Although the results of the games weren’t what Hillcrest fans would have wanted, the evening was made more enjoyable by other festivities hosted by the Alumni Association along with the classic sounds of the alumni Pep Band.

Garrett Durflinger and Kyleigh Dolan from the Class of ’22

Over 150 alumni and their families were in attendance. Besides the gym being full, the foyer was crowded all night long as the eager alumni took their chance at winning a prize. The big winner was Jill Hemachandra ‘99 whose name was drawn for (2) courtside tickets and parking pass for the December 21 Iowa Women’s Basketball game versus Loyola.

Alumni Night was also the first home game for the ‘Putt for Dough’ contest. Starting last year, two lucky contestants were selected to putt the length of the court, trying to guide the golf ball through a 10 inch opening. Paxton Wilson ‘30 and Gary Yoder ‘80 each had 3 chances to win , but neither were successful. This contest will continue during the halftimes of each remaining home girls and boys games. 

Even though this wasn’t (technically) the last home basketball game before Christmas break, it ended up as a successful evening. The buzz from the crowd lasted well into the night after the game was over, as the friends and former classmates caught up with each other.

Thanks to the generosity of these area businesses for helping to make the event a success. 

Adam & Brigette Ingersoll, Casey’s, Club Car Wash, Everence Financial, Federation Bank, Freeman Foods, Gambles Hardware, Hillcrest Academy Alumni Association, Hills Bank, Hudson’s, Kalona Auto Used Cars & Trucks/Helmuth Ford, Kalona Chocolates, Kalona Coffee House, Kalona Veterinary Clinic, P.C., Scheels, The Appliance Barn, Inc., The Crowded Closet, The Encounter Cafe, The YMCA of Washington County, Wendell Miller of Skogman Realty

Be sure to check out this video recap of the evening done by Micah Gerber ‘25 (@micah_films).