HS Reunion pricing/setting

After much debating with myself, I just sent in the $20 to attend my HS 50th reunion. I've made the 10, 20, and 40 reunions and hope that more of the classmates that I hung around with will be there. As many have mentioned, I have few fond memories of that time, it was a way station to getting on with life.

But finally decided I have little to lose but an evening and $20. Do to an elderly parent situation, I moved back to my hometown 13 years ago after being away for 35 years and have made no effort to re-connect. But life moves on and I'm now cognizant that I need to avail myself of opportunities to connect with folks as we will be empty-nesters for the first time this fall. Most of my social contacts have been through the activities of my sons and them moving on to college will create a hole that needs to be filled. Likely, nothing will come of it, but I need to be open to opportunities. I don't hang around folks my age at all, being an older dad, most of my contacts are a good 20 years younger and at a different stage in life.
 
Many interesting comments. My graduating class was 850, so I really only knew the small fraction that made up the football team, the baseball team and the advanced math and science classes. Potentially a wide range of acquaintances, to be sure, but I didn't hang around with the jocks much even though I was a starter on both teams because they were the heavy drinkers and drug users. And I didn't see the academic types outside of class because I was too busy with sports.

I did attend the 25th. It was a few months after my dad died and my mother still lived in the community. I owed Mom a visit so I said, what the heck, and went to the reunion. It was DEPRESSING. As several of you have said, the men looked awful. Most were horribly obese or they looked like meth addicts (which, knowing them in HS, they probably were). The women certainly looked better, overall, but still they were a pretty rough looking bunch. Conversation focused on the 3 D's - deaths, divorces and disability filings.

Although my sister still lives in the area and I definitely am overdue for a visit (according to DW). I just don't see any reason to reacquaint myself with the group that has stayed in that area. I keep up with 4 HS friends on Facebook (all living more than 500 miles from home) and they keep me more than updated on things I might want to know.
 
I was the new kid in a small town and attended HS for 10-12 year. I went to 10 yr, 25 yr, and 45 yr reunions(only ones they had). I was somewhat of an outsider in HS, but glad I attended the reunions. I only had to travel 25 miles, so no big deal on travel. No regrets.
 
I've never been to my HS reunions. Probably because they are in Detroit and I live in CA.

If it was a couple hour drive maybe I would go.
 
Danmar said:
........... Pricing of any reunion is the last thing I would consider...............
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I shop around for the best priced reunion. Since I wouldn't remember any of my actual classmates, anyway, this affords me the choice of an inexpensive local event.
 
My 50th HS reunion is coming up next year and the organizers made a FaceBook page for it over a year ago. Through that page I have been able to see what everyone is up to, looks like, who is left, etc The reunion is in NY and I am in Florida, so flying up and hotel stay is a big detraction. Many have moved to Florida by now anyway, so we had a local reunion dinner about 6 months ago. I did go to the 20th when I lived close by, but that might have been it.

Rich
 
travelover said:
I shop around for the best priced reunion. Since I wouldn't remember any of my actual classmates, anyway, this affords me the choice of an inexpensive local event.
Click to expand...

This could be more fun than my actual reunion. Show up with a bunch of old strangers and start conversations like, "Whatever happened to old, um, whatshisname? You remember, tall guy, blonde hair, played on the football team. Didn't he marry a cheerleader?" OR "Too bad about our old chemistry teacher. Heard he died a few years back from mercury poisoning."

Or a movie, call it "Reunion Crashers".
 
I went to my 30th. My high school was huge - about 1000 in my class. I hung out with the academic/nerd group in high school (chess club/star trek fans/ etc.) I'm still very good friends with many high school friends.

I only knew a few people at the reunion because my peeps - the nerds - didn't show.

Another interesting thing... My high school, my graduating class, was the basis for Cameron Crowe's book and movie "Fast Times at Ridgemont High". Every former surfer/stoner guy from high school was 100% convince they were the basis for Spiccoli (played by Sean Penn in the movie). I shared a table with 3 guys who were arguing that they were Spiccoli's inspiration.

My nerd friends and I ended up having an alternate reunion of just our group of geeks and nerds... got people from several states to come in... About 35 people... had it as a semi-catered potluck in my backyard. Now that was fun!!!!! People who actually remembered each other, wanted to see each other, and hung out together in high school.

I think I'll skip my 40th... especially if they try to do the Fast Times theme again.
 
rodi said:
I went to my 30th. My high school was huge - about 1000 in my class. I hung out with the academic/nerd group in high school (chess club/star trek fans/ etc.) I'm still very good friends with many high school friends.

I only knew a few people at the reunion because my peeps - the nerds - didn't show.

Another interesting thing... My high school, my graduating class, was the basis for Cameron Crowe's book and movie "Fast Times at Ridgemont High". Every former surfer/stoner guy from high school was 100% convince they were the basis for Spiccoli (played by Sean Penn in the movie). I shared a table with 3 guys who were arguing that they were Spiccoli's inspiration.

My nerd friends and I ended up having an alternate reunion of just our group of geeks and nerds... got people from several states to come in... About 35 people... had it as a semi-catered potluck in my backyard. Now that was fun!!!!! People who actually remembered each other, wanted to see each other, and hung out together in high school.

I think I'll skip my 40th... especially if they try to do the Fast Times theme again.
Click to expand...

Did you see that they're showing "Fast Times" in theaters again for its 35th anniversary? Shows are July 30th and August 2nd at 2PM and 7PM.
 
rodi said:
I went to my 30th. My high school was huge - about 1000 in my class. I hung out with the academic/nerd group in high school (chess club/star trek fans/ etc.) I'm still very good friends with many high school friends.

I only knew a few people at the reunion because my peeps - the nerds - didn't show.

Another interesting thing... My high school, my graduating class, was the basis for Cameron Crowe's book and movie "Fast Times at Ridgemont High". Every former surfer/stoner guy from high school was 100% convince they were the basis for Spiccoli (played by Sean Penn in the movie). I shared a table with 3 guys who were arguing that they were Spiccoli's inspiration.

My nerd friends and I ended up having an alternate reunion of just our group of geeks and nerds... got people from several states to come in... About 35 people... had it as a semi-catered potluck in my backyard. Now that was fun!!!!! People who actually remembered each other, wanted to see each other, and hung out together in high school.

I think I'll skip my 40th... especially if they try to do the Fast Times theme again.
Click to expand...



That sounds like what we're trying to do.

My husband organized his 15th year class reunion, as the 10th was a disaster. It was a big success, but he had a lot of help. Haven't been back.

I went to my 25th and had a great time, as I was visiting with my own friends and band teacher. I flew across the country to go. There were lots of people I didn't know.

Band teacher wants to go this year, as long as us musician types are going- we can organize our own little party. We're all Facebook friends so we've kept in touch. One of us is successful in Hollywood, but he's a cool guy who knows how fortunate he is, he'll probably come. I'm hoping I can arrange flights and make it work. It would be nice to go to a music high school reunion.
 
Thanks for starting this thread. I can relate to many of the prior posts.

My graduating class was 715 people. I only went to the 15th reunion at a fancy hotel.

It was somewhat depressing. As others have reported, the guys were already "letting themselves go" and the gals still looked good (early 30s). My classmates (the academics/nerds) were in short supply. I don't know if they went away to college, and then got jobs elsewhere or what. The jocks and cheerleaders were there en masse, just like in their high school cliques. An already-drunk classmate (who I didn't know) commandeered me as I was walking down the hotel hallway to come in and help her zip up her dress. Some guy from my homeroom (I didn't remember him at all) kept telling me how he used to have a crush on me.

The souvenir booklet they gave us included a list of the names of 5-6 classmates who had already died....and about 20 they'd already lost track of.

I've lost touch with everyone from high school due to several career-driven moves to other states...and after the last H.S. 'friend' tapped me for some money 2 years ago. :nonono:

My 50th is coming up in 2018. I'd been toying with the thought of going. It's a 3-hour drive. Part of me is curious to see who's still alive and what they've done with their lives.

If I decide to go, my sister and BIL live nearby, so I could stop by for a visit with them, so as not to feel that the trip was a total waste.:LOL:


omni
 
travelover said:
I shop around for the best priced reunion. Since I wouldn't remember any of my actual classmates, anyway, this affords me the choice of an inexpensive local event.
Click to expand...
Great plan! DW and I moved 1200 miles away after high school. Neither one of us brought our SR. yearbooks our love for the school and people in it was so great!

We did go back for our 20th. Drove 1200 miles back to the Podunk place we grew up in. At breakfast one morning our server greated us like long lost friends. We graduated together! Oh how nice. When she left we looked at each other and both said who's that?

We ended up with a buddy of mine who lived on the edge of a State forest(in a house). He called a group who we hung with. We drank beer and watched about 8 black bears hanging around his place.
 
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cathy63 said:
Did you see that they're showing "Fast Times" in theaters again for its 35th anniversary? Shows are July 30th and August 2nd at 2PM and 7PM.
Click to expand...
I saw that. We own a copy on DVD... I figured at some point my kids would need to see what the fuss was about.... They've heard so many references among my friends. FWIW - *none* of the characters were based on me.
 
travelover said:
I shop around for the best priced reunion. Since I wouldn't remember any of my actual classmates, anyway, this affords me the choice of an inexpensive local event.
Click to expand...

Hahahahah, I remember being ushered into a weddings cocktail hour. No one looked familiar, but hey i made a bee line for the bar. The music was cranking everyone was smiling, I was happy. The bride grabbed my arm after a few minutes and said this has got to be the wrong wedding, Down the hallway we go and some one is playing a harp. This was her old neighbors cocktail reception. Yes a harp. I just left a disco party atmosphere, and entered a funeral parlor.:facepalm:. The only dancing I did, was at the first wedding hahaha:LOL:
 
Blue Collar Guy said:
Hahahahah, I remember being ushered into a weddings cocktail hour. No one looked familiar, but hey i made a bee line for the bar. The music was cranking everyone was smiling, I was happy. The bride grabbed my arm after a few minutes and said this has got to be the wrong wedding, ...
Click to expand...

At this point, you had me--the actual bride grabbed your arm! Then the story unfolded to reveal that it was your own bride. More likely for sure, but not as good as the first imagined reality. :LOL:
 
FlaGator said:
I tell my kids that High School is a place you pass through, it shouldn't be the highlight of your life. If it is, I have failed to prepare you for the world ahead.
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I'm going to steal that quote! I realized early on that many adults in my town re-lived their own HS days vicariously through the current football team. Sad lot. I always hoped I'd have something more to look back on by the end of my own life. I think I sort of succeeded, although I'm not done yet.

As for reunions, I think if I wanted to re-connect with anyone, FaceBook would take the place of those. Seems like they'd be pretty awkward.
 
My 20 year HS reunion is coming up at the end of the summer. It's $25 if you send in the money 6 weeks+ ahead of time or $30 the night of. I'm recovering from a broken hip and don't know if i'll be able to make it so I won't be paying ahead. It's going to be a 2-day event. For $30 I would get basic cookout food in the parking lot of a local bar and tap beer and wine while supplies last. After that we would go to the football game(extra cost) and we would get field passes included. The next day we go to a local bar with a rented out back room. Tap beer and wine included along with a buffet and local band. So $30 would get me a buffet, cookout, lots of beer/wine, and field passes to the football game if I pay for general admission($5 or $10, don't remember). Seems reasonable.
 
I graduated from a small school in Ohio . I think the whole HS was maybe 450 students . We usually get maybe 50 students. This would have been number 45 . Because of nobody wanting to put it together they cancelled it .
But a really cool story I left Ohio a few years after college , so I get an invite to my 25th class reunion . DW and I plan the trip also to visit family . The class reunion was held in a Holiday Inn Holodome . A type of facility that books several events at one time . So we walk in and see a sign that says class reunion this way . We walk into the first party room and everyone is drinking having a good time ( open bar) . Nobody asks our name or anything just people partying . My DW makes a comment on how much better I look then the other guys in the room do . We get a drink and we don't know anyone , looks like people from the walking dead getting drunk. Finally I see someone I knew , It was my old boss from when I graduated from college . I said hello and asked him what he was doing at my class reunion , he asked me what I was doing at his reunion ? He said this reunion is for HS X and year 15 years older then mine . We were at the wrong party for our reunion . Our reunion was on the other side of the Holiday Inn.
 
I attended 2 of my high school reunions. My high school was huge and my graduating class had more than 750 students. So I never knew the majority of my classmates.

My 20th reunion was pretty good. It was the closest experience to time travel I'll ever have. There were a fair number of classmates that I knew who showed up. I had several great conversations, but occasionally couldn't find anything to talk about with others who I had once known well.

I also attended my 25th reunion but there was hardly anyone I knew at that one, so that will be last one for me. Every few years, however, my elementary school classmates have a reunion, and those are always a lot of fun because I know everyone and like virtually all of them.

I'll never forget what my mom said after she attended her 50th reunion: "Well, I'm glad I went, but a third of my class is dead. And at the reunion, the women didn't look great, but the men looked like hell."
 
I've never been to a HS reunion, no interest in it. Except for my senior year it wasn't a fun experience and I don't want to go back there. Someone did track me down at work for the 20th and I declined that too - it was going to be in Ocean City, MD and I hate that place. Way too crowded, at least in the summer and I've never been a beach fan.

DW, OTOH, goes to meetings with a group of friends from her elementary school. It was a Catholic school, which I understand can have some trauma to it in some cases (one of her teachers did some bizarre things but since DW was a child, and not having a standard of reference, didn't realize it at the time). They later removed that person from a teaching position because of her mental issues.
 
Our (DW and I went to the same H.S.) 60 year reunion was in 2014, in St. Augustine. About 35 of the 200 members of our graduating class, in RI... and almost all were full or part time Floridians. Almost to a person, the attendees were class leaders. The setting was the clubhouse of the retirement community where four of the "girls" from the "Tri-Hi Y" club now live. They paid for the whole show...
We had a fantastic time... relived the glories of lettered sports... Four of us guys were team captains... Football, Basketball, Baseball, and me for swimming. DW and most of the other "girls" had also been on sports teams. All of us in our 70's and all, guys and gals... outgoing and funloving.
Can't make this up... was just like when we were in school... teasing, laughing and remembering the day we almost blew up the school.

Nice memories. :)
 
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