Dr. Imre Schmidt of Bonners Ferry was the oldest to swim in Saturday’s 14th Annual Long Bridge Swim in Sandpoint.

Imre, 87, finished the 1.76-mile swim in 1 hour and 27 minutes. His time was 7 minutes slower than last year’s, when Imre also was the oldest participant. He’s held that honor since doing his first swim in 1999, at age 79. Imre has participated in the event seven times.

A retired surgeon, Imre likes to swim. He’s been a lifelong swimmer and still swims twice a week at Sandpoint Athletic Club.

Imre was among nearly 700 to participate in the swim across Lake Pend Oreille. The race is considered one of the premier open water swims in the United States.

• Sandra and Bert Wolff hosted the Wolff Family Reunion at Bert’s Last Resort in Naples from July 25-28.

Family members are the descendants of Albert J. and Ella Richards Wolff. Nearly 70 attended events, which included a main gathering, a float on the Kootenai River in canoes and rafts, huckleberry picking, and visiting the Farmers’ Market in Bonners Ferry and Crazy Days in Sandpoint.

Guests came from Sandpoint; Everett, Spokane and Marysville, Wash.; Pennsylvania; Alabama; California; Utah; and Las Vegas, Nev.

The youngest to attend was 3-month-old Jayla Renee Hall, who is the great-granddaughter of Sandra and Bert Wolff. The oldest of the siblings to attend was Conrad Wolff, 74.

• More than 70 attended the Bonners Ferry High School Class of 1968 40th reunion at the Eagles Club on July 26.

“The Ladies Auxiliary did a fabulous spread,” said classmate Delrene Lane Daniels.

Classmates traveling greater distances were Garth Yeates from Riverton, Wyo.; Cheryl Metro Florea from Havre, Mont.; Linda Gilliland from Armargosa Valley, Nev.; Wanda Jones from Santaquin, Utah; and Carol Nelson of Walnut Creek, Calif.

Classmates hope to get together within two to three years for a 60th birthday party.

On the day of the reunion, it had been 14,610 days since graduation. Headlines from 1968 included the assassination of Martin Luther King in Memphis, the shooting of Sen. Robert Kennedy in Los Angeles and the Detroit Tigers won the World Series.

Also in 1968, a loaf of bread cost 22 cents, a gallon of gas, 37 cents; a stamp, 6 cents; a home $26,600; a car, $3,326; and milk, 44 cents.

Top songs were “Hey Jude,” “Mrs. Robinson,” and “Love is Blue.”

• The Merrifield-Isakson family reunion will be held Friday, Aug. 8, to Sunday, Aug. 10, at Twin Rivers Resort in Moyie Springs.

The more than 180 expected for the reunion are the descendants of Lynn Earl and Myrtle Merrifield. Myrtle’s maiden name was Isakson.

Family members Irma Merrifield and Irene Rice said the weekend will involve pinochle, singing, fishing, an ice cream social and a lot of food.

Reunion organizers are Judy Ottoson, Patti Nelson, Verna Studer and Rosanna Cartwright.

Spreading the Word is about the people of Boundary County. If you’ve gone on a vacation, have a wedding planned, are moving or anything else you’d like to share, call Gwen Albers at 267-5521, or send an e-mail to galbers@cdapress.com.