Living History Day involved ongoing planning and preparation throughout the year. For the day of the event each teacher was given an agenda with specific times to appear for events with their classes. The day began with a morning assembly and was followed by two speaker sessions in each classroom with veterans grouped by the same service branch and military operation or locale. Members of the Tuskegee Airmen were present and survivors of the Holocaust spoke. Regular classes were canceled. A luncheon catered by the high school's student-run catering service was provided in the library. In the afternoon, a USO show featured students performing 1940's style entertainment. Choral selections, big band music, comic routines, and the appearance of a Hollywood starlet made the show complete. The aisles filled with swing dancing students and veterans during lively numbers by the Milwaukie High Jazz Band. A highlight of the day occurred at the USO show when students gave the veterans entering the gym a spontaneous 15-minutes standing ovation.