Update 5-13-14

Hi,

 

We didn't hear from any new people this week about our 50th reunion location, but we did hear from 3 who'd already supported Hauppauge, and they wrote to confirm that choice.  Each also specifically said, "Please not Brooklyn," and one explained "Brooklyn holds no memories."  So our 50th reunion will be at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Hauppauge, New York, from the evening of Friday, April 24th to around noon on Sunday, April 26th, 2015.

 

Over the past few weeks, several people have asked, "Why does it have to be Friday through Sunday?  Can't we just do a Saturday night party like other classes?"  I explained that we will be gathering on Saturday night, and if that's when most people want to meet at the hotel, that would be fine.  But there's already a group of around 20 people who are interested in starting the party on Friday evening and meeting together in various planned and unplanned groups until Sunday afternoon.

 

The point is we're staying flexible.  The hotel will be our base, and people can come there when they want.  We'll have phones.  We'll be easily reached.  We can coordinate any changes and help direct people to other people they want to see.

 

The big question is "How many people will be there on Saturday night?"  If it's around 25, we can make a series of small reservations at the hotel restaurant or at one of the nearby restaurants and then move from the hotel bar around 8:00 to eat and afterward return to the bar.  It's simply a good central meeting place.  Again, the point is to stay flexible and let people choose what they want to eat and drink and how much they want to spend.  The hope is to gather as many people as possible and not let a fixed price interfere.

 

If we have more than 25 people interested in being there Saturday night, we'll have to make more formal plans, involving collecting money well in advance and making a deposit on a room.  But we've learned from the past that doing that can put a lot of pressure on the people collecting the money, and there's no reason to do that.  This is supposed to be fun.

 

Presently, we have about 40 people interested in coming to some part of the weekend.  But interested isn't the same as standing next to you grinning, and it's a long time from now until next April.  We don't have to start counting people and formalizing Saturday night plans until after New Year's.

 

I did talk to a rep from the hotel today about reserving a block of rooms and got a very good price -- $139 a night plus tax.  That's about 150 bucks total.  But I also had to guarantee 20 overnight stays.  That could be 10 rooms for 2 nights, 20 rooms for 1 night, or some variation.  It also meant I had to pay $2400 if our plans changed.

 

Now, I like the people I went to high school a lot, and I have confidence that enough of them will come to the party and stay at the hotel.  But as one of my sisters-in-law is fond of saying, "This isn't my first time at the rodeo."

 

Still, if you go online right now and probably for some time to come and search out Hyatt Regency, Hauppauge, and make a reservation with a AAA card or an AARP membership or using several other organizational connections, you can get that same room for $143 per night plus tax.  And you can cancel the reservation if you need to.  And there's no group $2400 deposit.

 

So if you plan to stay at the hotel, make your reservation soon.  The price will increase as we get closer to April.  It shouldn't go above $160 a night plus tax, but I can't promise that.  Also, the sales rep mentioned that March and April are the new wedding season, since May and June are filled with proms, graduations, and other weddings.  So the recently remodeled hotel may be popular

 

That's pretty much everything I know about our reunion plans, and it's filled this newsletter.  A number of other interesting notes came in this week, including a link to an article in the Long Island Herald about Amy Kassak Bentley.  If you remember, Amy created the Valley Stream video that's now on YouTube.  The link to the article is: liherald . com/valleystream/stories/Documenting-Valley-Stream-through-pictures,54844#.U2zXgb2DGaw.email   (as usual, please take out the spaces).

 

The class of '64 reunion:  Friday, October 10, 2014, 6 to 11 PM.  $70 per person, cash bar.  Hyatt Regency, Hauppague, New York.  Committee phone numbers:  Tom McPartland  570-223-2577.  Ken Silver: 631-463-2217.  Bette Silver: 631-463-2216.

 

The class of '65  50th Reunion:  April 24 through April 26, 2015, Hyatt Regency, Hauppauge. 

 

The South '65 e-mail addresses: reunionclass65 . blogspot . com  (remove the spaces)

 

The South '65 photo site: picasaweb . google . com/SouthHS65    (ditto)

 

 

Rich