In 2019 we had the big class reunion – the 50th!! Yep, we are the infamous Coldwater class of ’69.
I wrote about that reunion and admitted that a class reunion was not my most highly anticipated event. After all, why would anyone want to go spend an evening with 100+ people that he had made no effort to have contact with over the past 50 years? I live with one of my classmates, and really haven’t kept much track of most of the others.
Even though I may not have looked forward to the gathering, I thought there might be a rant in it, and Mrs. Mac was connected to the planning, so I went and had fun. Yes, IT WAS FUN!! We reconnected with some friends from the past. We shared memories and learned what directions life had taken for our old friends.
Now, five years later, we re-created the event. We fast-forwarded five years (Wow, that WAS fast), and got together Saturday evening for another class reunion, with a catered dinner and drinks, a DJ, and plenty of desserts (more on that in a moment).
The next morning, about 25 of us got together again for a Sunday-morning breakfast for anyone that didn’t get enough togetherness Saturday night. And it was fun… again.
We are all even older now, and it showed just a little. But no one cared. Everyone was friendly and there seemed to be no judgments.
We started our party a little earlier, at 5 p.m., and old people starting showing up, with an almost-full house by 5:15. Some of us felt we were at our grandparents’ class reunion, and we heard people voice their concerns about driving home after dark.
Like five years ago, some people pretended they remembered and recognized everyone while they squinted to read the name tags. Others were honest and reintroduced themselves to old friends. There were hugs all around, and the old high school cliques were nowhere to be seen.
Mrs. Mac volunteered to bake all the desserts for 70+ people, so she worked for 4+ days prior to the reunion to provide homemade desserts for all. Everyone appreciated her efforts and the variety of tasty treats she provided.
The reunion planning committee worked for a year to make this event memorable, and you have to give it up for those folks who are willing to do all that work. There were several, but kudos especially to Kris, who led the team in organizing, planning, and managing the angst in leading this type of effort.
There were books with pictures of past reunions, and memories of classmates who have died since we left school – there are too many of them.
Personally, Mrs. Mac and I got to spend some time with many old friends, including two other couples who, like us, were high-school classmates that married, and have remained married for more than 50 years. Wow!!
And the memories?? It was fun to reminisce about high school pasts and to re-share those experiences that we originally shared in the 60s. It was a joy to find out where people now live, how many grandkids they have, and when they had their first hip replacement. Many seemed to pick up where we left off 55 years ago.
No one was 18 anymore, and that was good. Everyone was a little more likeable.
Suggestion: don’t just ignore your next class reunion; it could be a great time.
This was probably the last reunion for the CHS Class of ‘69. As we continue to age, it gets more difficult, and the event organizers say they have retired. Maybe someone else will step up, but even if no one does, don’t despair, because they still have regular luncheons, and everyone is invited. They are announced on Facebook.
The final verdict? It was fun – even though two-thirds of our classmates chose not to attend — you guys missed out. It was a nice event, an enjoyable time. And if you weren’t there, we may have gossiped about you a little bit – you should have shown up. Maybe some of the gang will see you at a class lunch sometime soon.
Curt MacRae is a resident of Coldwater, MI, and publishes opinion columns regularly.
Tweets @curtmacrae — comments to rantsbymac@gmail.com
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