<p>So the big reunion is next fall and I plan to attend. The last couple–according to some who attended–were not as fun as perhaps they could have been. So I thought that I would ask my 1000 best blogging friends to give me some ideas for what things have made your reunions special.</p>
<p>Now this is a small town in the Midwest, so expensive cruises and things like that are not what I am looking for. Any ideas?</p>
<p>Midwestern Reunion Story:</p>
<p>My last HS reunion was the summer after my mother had died, which meant that my BFF and her daughter drove down from Chicago to hang out with me, my sisters, Happykid, and all the other cousins one last time in the Big House before we cleaned it out to sell it. Happykid and the Chicago-pseudo-cousin packed off to one of my sisters’ homes for a day and a half while BFF and I entertained other HS pals at my old family home, stayed out late, and sat with the old sponsor of the Biology Club at the “Geek Table” at the reunion dinner. We had a blast. Other than the requisite tour of the recently renovated HS, we dodged all activities that required more than sitting around, eating, talking, and laughing.</p>
<p>If you don’t have an old family home to lounge around in, make sure that at least one of your HS BFFs is booked into the same hotel, and that the place has a pool, bar, breakfast/snack area or the like to hang out in. All you will really want to do is talk, and the location won’t matter much at all.</p>
<p>Wishing you a wonderful time!</p>
<p>I went to a private school and we have reunion every year, with “special” reunions every five. At our 35th, a few years ago, one of the girls brought her iPod complete with early 70s playlist and we danced … </p>
<p>The school had a dinner buffet for us – we were a small group – in one of the dorm lounges. We talked and ate and then danced. And opened the doors to the quad and let the music wash over us into the warm June evening and it could have been 35 years before.</p>
<p>At our 35th reunion last summer, the more novel events were a golf tournament, a softball game paired with school tour, and a barbeque paired with a high school football game. The standard dinner dance also happened, but it was nice to have an array of events so that those on a limited budget or with limited interest could participate in a smaller way. People seemed to have a great time at all the events.</p>
<p>The fancy dinners can scare off the locals (due to cost). And loud music prevents easy conversation.</p>
<p>I liked the BBQ the best. Kids of all ages played ball. Very casual.</p>
<p>My sister’s reunion found a number of teachers who were still alive and living in the area and invited them. A full table actually came. It was fun for the students AND the teachers to reminisce.</p>
<p>A tour of your school would be fun.</p>
<p>Thanks…I wonder whether a tailgate party before the football game would work?</p>
<p>The 100+ year old high school is being renovated now, so perhaps it will be ready for a tour in the fall.</p>
<p>I would think a pre-game tailgate would be great. It should be relatively easy to organize and pull off if there’s a small core of people to organize the grill, the tents, the decorations (balloons, banners etc) and the invites.</p>