A homecoming celebrating 100 years of diversity and progress took over the Wapato Convention Center Aug. 29, as about 300 people converged there for dinner and reminiscence, during the Wapato Centennial Dinner.

The evening began at 5 p.m., with a no-host social hour that provided the opportunity to renew old acquaintances and make new friends.

At 6 p.m., master of ceremonies Keith Jones began introducing the evening’s entertainment, which included the Aztlan Mexican Folkloric Dancers, Helen Downs, who is a yodeler, TV performer, and Wapato alum, and the dancing Filipino Youth Performers.

Dignitaries and special guests attending included Washington State Hispanic Commissioner Alicia Luna, Washington State Senator Jim Honeyford, State Representatives Dan Newhouse and Phyllis Gutierrez-Kenney, Enrique Cerna, and Gene Juarez.

At about 8 p.m., dinner was ready, prepared and served by Classic Events Catering.

The menu included turkey with stuffing, baron of beef, roasted parmesan red potatoes, mixed vegetables medley, Caesar salad, rainbow greens, fruit tray, and apple crisp and chocolate raspberry torte for dessert.

The dinner announcement by emcee Jones caught caterer Donna Menard a bit by surprise, she said, but she and her hard-working crew recovered quickly, to the delight of dinner guests.

Dinner was followed by a specially-prepared slide show entitled “Wapato Looking Back.”

Throughout the evening, emcee Jones encouraged a variety of guests to share their memories of Wapato.

Wapato Centennial Committee members were Rick and Terri Sanchez, Alan and Kathy Quantrille, Ricardo and Monica Garcia, Tony Guzman, Bertha Garza, Barbara Peterson, Jesse Farias, Debra Manjarrez, David Hacker, and Yosh Uchida.

Supporters of the dinner were the Wapato Lions Club, Pride Packing, Imperial’s Garden, Abbott Printing, Skone and Connors, Brockway Architecture, Yakima Valley Farm Workers Clinic, Backflow Management, NLA Group/Cad*Lac Copy Center, Agate Field Vineyard, Horizon’s Edge, Claar Cellars, Wineglass Cellars, Paradisos Del Sol, Masset Winery, Susie’s Fruit Stand, McMahan’s Nursery, and Western Materials.