A community game in honor of fallen students. This Sunday, September 29, as the afternoon sun shines down over Copake’s idyllic park, a game will be played among friends, neighbors, and members of the local community. The 14th Annual Taconic Hills Alumni Soccer Game and Chicken BBQ will be held on Sunday at 1pm and is open for anyone to attend. Since 2006, Taconic Hills Alumni and current Taconic Hills educator Ryan Proper along with his fellow alumni have hosted the event in honor of former classmates Justin Burger and Fred Laverack lll. Burger and Laverack, both members of the class of the Taconic Hills class of 2000, passed away tragically in September of 1999 and July of 2005 respectively. But the spirit of the beloved young men lives on each year in the form of the highly anticipated community gathering at the park the two young athletes loved so much, “Having the game at the Copake Park is so significant for all of us because both Justin and Fred played in pick-up games here during the summer to prepare for high school soccer seasons during the fall.” says Mr.Proper. Not only is the Alumni game held in honor of their former friends, Proper and his fellow organizers also donate the proceeds from the chicken BBQ held the same day to the venerated Dollars for Scholars. For the past 13 years, the group has raised over $44,000 and donated the funds to Dollars for Scholars, money that helps to provide TH graduates with scholarships after graduation. The event is held each fall and has hosted over four decades worth of Taconic Hills Alumni year after year. As Mr.Proper says, “It allows us to gather with old classmates, remember lost friends, continue a scholarship that perpetuates their memories, and play the game of soccer, which they both loved.”
The 14th Annual Burger-Laverack TH Alumni Soccer Game and Chicken BBQ will begin Sunday at 1pm with the Chicken BBQ taking place at 4pm all are welcome as both players and fans. T-Shirts and BBQ tickets are $10 each, all proceeds will be donated to a Dollars for Scholars scholarship in honor of the memory of Justin Burger and Fred Laverack lll. To buy tickets contact Ryan Proper at rproper@taconichills.k12.ny.us or message Bridgette Proper on Facebook.