Causey, Lingo reunion upcoming

The Causey and Lingo reunion is coming up at the end of the month for former and current residents of the small villages. The reunion happens once every three years and brings in many of the former residents from, as far as Washington State, Oregon and Arizona.

The Causey and Lingo reunion takes place from 3 to 9 p.m. July 31 at the Causey Community Center and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Aug. 1 at the Campus Union Building ballroom at Eastern New Mexico University. People can bring snacks for the Causey event, while the CUB event is a catered meal, with a charge of $12.

Marcel Merrick, a longtime Causey resident, said 50 people reside in Causey and there are perhaps a handful in Lingo.

“It varies with the dairies because people come and go,” he said.

Without employment opportunities, the younger generation leaves, Merrick said.

Jerome Terral, of Causey, said the fire department and the community center are the mainstays of the community.

“People tell me it is so quite around here,” Merrick said. “When you have been here for so long you don’t think about it being quiet.”

Causey was founded in 1907 by Dr. Joseph Manes and named after buffalo hunter George Causey. The village at one time had a general store, a gas station, community center, five churches and several homemaker clubs. Now, the community center, post office, fire department and two churches remain.