Over and Done With!

I know for the past so many months now I've been rambling a lot about the big 50th Class Reunion some of my former high school classmates and I have been working on putting together but now, finally, you can relax -along with me -as I tell you the big event(s) came and went this past weekend!

However, considering the fact that I alone too 76 pictures at the reunion only -don't expect that this post will actually be the end of the tales from our big get-together!

I will however make this a fairly short post tonight and will reserve other posts in the days to come for stories and photos from this auspicious occasion.

Suffice it to say tonight that it was a great night spent at the Clearfield Elks Club with 28 of my former classmates and 18 guests. At least, I think that's the final tally anyway. And thus far, all the comments about it have been that everyone totally enjoyed the evening!

We had two gatherings -one on Friday night at the illustrious Moose Hall here in the village where I live -good old Grassflat. Some folks initially didn't like the idea of having our "Night Before:" party there mainly because the building -inside and out -doesn't really look all that much different today than it did back when I was just a child! In appearance, it is a bit on the frumpy looking side. However, just like with people and their appearances, that can be a bit deceiving, can't it?

The young woman who is the manager of the place bent over backwards to see that whatever I wanted or needed for our group was available! Her sister, who does the cooking most of the time did a bang-up job with the food items that those who ordered dinners or just sandwiches were well satisfied.

My good friend from our high school days and with whom I have remained close over these 50 years and her husband got one of the big meal surprises of the night when Mitch ordered the daily special -which was chicken and waffles, mashed potatoes, gravy, a vegetable, tossed salad and rolls and butter. Sounds like a rather simplistic meal, doesn't it? Well I wish you could have been there to see the look on his face when the waitress delivered to him a very large platter, filled completely to the brim with the waffles, mashed potatoes and a huge serving of chicken gravy that was loaded -and I do mean LOADED -to the gills with chunks of chicken! The old expression "his eyes almost popped right out of his head" definitely rang true of the look on Mitch's face, for sure! I didn't check back to see if he managed to eat all of the food on that plate by himself but he did remark the next day that it was "very good!"

Unfortunately, I won't be sharing any photos with you from that particular event though because, in my infinite wisdom and due to a case of nervous energy that just wouldn't quit, I went to the Moose with my camera in my purse and was having such a great time visiting with those classmates who attended that party that I forgot completely about having my camera with me. Apparently I was not the only one with a severe case of forgetfulness though because no one else thought to take any pictures that night either! Crazy, huh?

Saturday evening the hall where we had our reunion looked great -very pretty candle arrangements on the table gave a nice cozy atmosphere for us to start out the occasion.

We had the best time meeting folks as they came through the door -sharing hugs and even kisses too with people who we hadn't seen -some not since we graduated in May of 1962! Laughter began almost immediately to fill the air and that ambiance remained throughout the entire night there!

The food was very good -no one had any complaints about that which is always a big relief considering one reunion we had a few years back, many of us still talk about how terrible the food as well as the room we had to use that night were!

Finally, the time rolled around to where it was time to do the "program" -if you want to call it that. I couldn't talk anyone of our classmates into being the Master of Ceremonies and I suppose because I had been the one who had the honor (not sure my classmates would have called it that) of doing that job for our last two reunions, this year I got to try and be informative without being totally boring.

This year though, one of our classmates offered to handle the sound issues for us and as a result, he had a laptop connected up to the sound system at the Elks along with a couple of wireless microphones that he had borrowed from the church he belongs to so with that setup and using a cd that a friend of mine had given me with a recording on it of the school band -which, by the way is an award-winning marching bad in this region -when I gave Ernie the signal, he put that CD on and the music began to play of the Band doing our school's Alma Mater!

I had copies on the tables at every other place setting with the words -all four verses -of the Alma Mater and told everyone that they had to join me in singing along to the music! I also added that if I saw anyone who wasn't cooperating, wasn't singing the words, I was going to take notes and write down names which I would then, the next day, be out in search of the grave of our high school Algebra teacher who was a fanatic about the student body learning the words to the Alma Mater and I would put my list on his grave then so Louie could come back and haunt anyone who didn't join in and sing along.

This in itself marked a first for me as for openers, I had never used a microphone before in my life much less trying to sing into it too. But, I gave it my best shot in hopes that whether these were blue microphones or not, I couldn't tell you but all I know is the alto voice I once had sure isn't exactly up to par these days! Probably from way to much use and abuse from yelling at my kids and now grandkids or too many beers and cigarettes over the years as well!

I was so busy with the mike I had in my hand, trying to remember to keep it fairly close to my mouth without shoving it in there and to keep my hands still, I forgot all about watching to see who was singing along with me and who wasn't so anyone who didn't go along with that part of the program -well, they can rest easily because no names were taken!

Our Reunion bagan at 4:30 in the afternoon -dinner was served at 6:15 and by 10:30 that night, it was all over but the shouting! All the things my fellow planners and I had put together were loaded up and out the door and away we went, content in the feelings of so much goodwill that was passed around the room on a very steady basis that entire evening and that everyone was leaving with smiles on their faces and a whole lot of great memories of an evening very well spent!

I got home shortly after 11 p.m. and the first thing I did then was find my tube of BenGay which I then used to slather it on my feet, legs and back because that many hours in which I was on my feet for 90 percent of the time had those areas of my body aching like toothache! Apparently the BenGay did what it was supposed to do though because when I awoke Sunday morning  I was actually able to move and to WALK too!

And I don't regret having acquired a single one of those aches and pains as the good vibes, the happy faces, made that all very worth while!