COVINGTON, Ky. — Tents barbecue and some ball games now make up a long-running reunion in Covington every year. The Old Timers Weekend event made its annual return this weekend, with lots of people spending their weekend catching up in Randolph Park.

What You Need To Know

  • The Old Timers Reunion has been going on 36 years and counting

  • People who've graduated out of Covington come back each year for this yearly reunion event to catch up

  • They set up tents and camped out for a long weekend at Randolph Park with food, tournaments and more

  • Organizers hope to keep this tradition alive and pass it on to younger generations to keep it going

Darren Offutt made his way back for the annual gathering. He says growing up in Covington means lots of great memories.

“Everybody took care of each other, you know what I mean? If you messed up at the top of the projects, your parents knew once you got to the bottom of the projects,” Offutt said.

Offut lives in South Carolina now, but he’s a 1983 graduate from Holmes High School. He’s made a point to return home when he can. He joined the crowd that flocked to Randolph Park for the 36th annual Old Timers Reunion.

“It first started up in Lincoln Grand, and it’s called Scholar House now,” explained Old Timers Coordinator Charles Kirtley. “So the graduates from Lincoln Grant would all get together on the first weekend of August and they started with a basketball game.”

It has since grown, becoming the big tradition that it is now. People who grew up in Covington now make an effort to get to this yearly even when they can.

“It’s a community thing. You can go from tent to tent and eat whenever you want to eat,” Offutt said.

Aside from food, there are also basketball and softball tournaments as well. It’s more than just a weekend of festivities for Offutt — it’s also a chance to come together with those he grew up with.

“It brings tears to your eyes. It really does. Just to see somebody that you haven’t seen in so long,” Offutt said.

The goal is to keep the yearly tradition going. “We’re 36 years in,” Kirtley said. “We’re wanting the next 36 years. Yeah, that’d be great.”

“This is Convington, this is home,” Offutt declared. The Old Timers gathering is a chance for him and others to find their way back to their roots.

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