Classmates
started arriving at the Marriott Courtyard in Westlake as early as Wednesday,
September 9. What fun it was to be
surprised each morning as more and more classmates arrived and shared breakfast
together.
Friday night was
our first planned event at 6pm at Ironwood on Dover Center in Westlake just over
the tracks from Bay.
I walked in at
530pm and people were already taking advantage of the reduced Happy Hour
beverages. Tables were pushed
together and appetizers and drinks were flowing.
Soon the crowd doubled in size so the tables were pushed aside so
everyone could mingle and chat. Since we were together just
three years ago, we got further than just a hello/goodbye. We actually had
meaningful conversations! What... no
name tags? It didn't take long to get the names & faces
matched....this was a real test for our
senior brains. The TGIF cocktail party lasted well after 11pm and everyone had a
great time.
At noon on
Saturday a group of classmates met at the Bay Lodge to set up tables and chairs
for the evening event. What team work! Soon everyone was off to do
their own thing for the rest of the afternoon. Some cruised by old familiar
landmarks and found some new surprises...what happened to Westgate? Many attended a
fair at Crocker Park or had a burger at Bearden's. Visiting family and friends was high on the list also.
We even had a threesome for golf at the Mayfield Country Club.
The GeezeCats
arrived at the Bay Lodge at 5pm but they weren’t the first to arrive.
The place was packed well before 6pm, the official start time.
We had “professional” photographers on hand to take pictures.
The menu
included custom grilled hot dogs and salads. We offered
everything that you could possibly put on a hot dog, even chili & sauerkraut. Dessert & coffee were served during intermission. All desserts
were provided by classmates...applause applause! They were delicious. I can attest to that as I had taken
one (okay
several) of each, for the airplane ride home. I
could have sold them for big bucks!
The
party was such a
blast! The GeezeCats
provided oldies music the entire evening. They played songs that we all know the words to and
could sing
along. We found that the twist,
jitterbug and stroll are still possible. The
dance floor was busy all night. Guess what, two nights in a row we stayed up much later than usual and had fun.
Clean up was a breeze because everyone stayed and helped.
Sunday
morning we hosted a brunch at the Marriott where most of the out of town
classmates were staying. A
wedding took over our private room but we adjusted and had a great time in the
lobby. After all, we
had been hanging out in the lobby all week until the wee hours. We discussed everything from A to
Z and shared old pictures and memories. The brunch
extended well into lunchtime as no one was ready to say goodbye.
The
weekend was FUN FUN FUN and to quote one classmate
"I
haven’t laughed so much in years”. Everything
was such a success due to the great teamwork of everyone who attended. We
shared real joy at being reunited with such good friends from so long ago and hope
that more classmates will join us in 2012 to celebrate our 50th.
