Fifth-grader Charles Gapp is getting ready for the birthday of a lifetime on Friday as he turns 11 years old on Nov. 11, 2011.

The St. Matthew’s School student said he doesn’t know what he’s going to do for the occasion yet, but he hopes to go to The Zone Family Fun Center with family and friends from school.

“I really like laser tag and bumper cars and you can play both of them at The Zone,” he said.

Gapp said as far as he knows he’s the only student at St. Matthew’s celebrating an 11th birthday on Friday. But he’s not the only one in his family celebrating 11 on 11-11-11.

Family members said that Derek Juve, a cousin who lives in Thompson, N.D., also is celebrating his 11th birthday on Nov. 11, 2011.

Gapp’s father, Allan Gapp, said the family is still working out plans to celebrate the boy’s 11-11-11 birthday, a once-a-century occurrence.

“We’ve been aware of it for a year or two,” he said.

“We know it’s a little more special, his golden birthday obviously, with the circumstances and the way everything lined up.”

Reporter Tom Lotshaw may be reached at 758-4483 or by email at [email protected].