Published: 6/5/2013 4:03 PM | Last update: 6/5/2013 4:03 PM

Solomon, population 1,095, sits along Interstate 70, sandwiched between Salina and Abilene, and adjacent to the river that gave the city its name. Those who grew up inside Solomon were known as town kids, and all others were farm kids. I was one of the latter, having grown up on a farm 10 miles to the northwest of the city.

Walking into Solomon High School past a huge likeness of a gorilla, the school mascot since 1928, I could not help feeling a little like Rip Van Winkle as a sea of unfamiliar faces appeared in the banquet hall.

John Krisher, from the Class of 1960, arrived wearing his FFA (Future Farmers of America) jacket from high school, and it still fits perfectly.

Numerous graduates beyond the age of 90 were evident, and most were walking with the gait of someone 30 years their junior.

Clyde Venneberg arrived in Solomon in 1946 following service in World War II and would remain a part of the school system until his retirement in 1983. After an 18-year stint as Vocational Agriculture instructor, he switched gears to become the school's guidance counselor and high school principal.

Arriving moments before the start of the dinner, we were seated next to Don and Janice Janssen, neighbors whose farm is barely a stone's throw to the south of the Shank farm.

Don is a youthful 80 years old this year and is making plans for the wheat harvest. I won't be surprised if he is still harvesting wheat at age 100.

Actually, longevity of life is something not all that uncommon in Solomon, as a result of a healthy lifestyle, hard work and positive attitude.

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Alumnus takes tour - literally and on Memory Lane