A Homecoming For The Pee Dee As Wilson High Marks 160 Years With A Parade Block Party And Gospel Weekend

Send us Fan Mail160 years doesn’t just mark time, it marks sacrifice, pride, and the kind of education that reshaped families across generations. We sit down with Bryant Moses, chairman of the Wilson High School 160th anniversary committee, to share what’s coming and why this celebration belongs to the entire Pee Dee region, not only Florence locals or recent grads. If Wilson touched your family through parents, grandparents, church ties, or the old freedom school legacy, you’re already part of the story.Bryant walks us through the full Wilson High School anniversary weekend lineup: a parade that leads into a community block party with vendors and music, the return of the Purple and Gold Gala, and a Sunday that honors the school’s roots through Cumberland United Methodist Church followed by a gospel concert featuring Vickie Winans. We also talk history that too many people never hear, including Wilson’s earliest locations and how students once traveled in from surrounding towns like Johnsonville, Hemingway, Marion, Pamplico, and Lake City. The message is simple: purple and gold runs deep, and “you’re a Tiger” whether you realize it or not.Then we get real about the future. Bryant shares why he’s concerned for today’s students, what mentoring should look like now, and why listening matters as much as advising. We push one core takeaway again and again: education is the legacy, and nobody can take it from you once you’ve earned it. We close with practical details on tickets, packages, committee contacts, and how to attend the Vickie Winans show at the Francis Marion Performing Arts Center, including the note about no online service charge for Wilson Tigers.Subscribe to Native Drums, share this with a Wilson Tiger, and leave a review to help more alumni find the celebration. What does Wilson mean to your family?Support the show