The Reunion Is Over

This is a picture of about half of the "old folks" that showed for the 30-year reunion of Madison High School's Class of 1977.

Back in 1987, when I was living in Nashville and having fun on the fringes of the music business, the class had its 10-year reunion. I remember having a good time, but the event wasn't as successful as we all imagined back then that it might be. We were still in our late 20s, and most of us--although I can speak only for myself--were still trying to figure out who and what we were. Some were struggling to raise new families or find better jobs. Some were moving hither and thither, and some were staying right where they were--Madison County, North Carolina. Anyway, whether too few were ready for reunion after only 10 years or the plan at the time--dinner and dancing, if I remember correctly--didn't suit folks, only a handful of us were there. It fell to me to organize the 15-year or 20-year.

I didn't do either. When the 15-year passed, I was in the middle of trying to get my BA and trying to be present for a wife, a teenager and a one-year-old. When the 20-year passed, I was in the middle of Ph.D. studies, and I had no mind for much of anything else. I hardly even thought about it as the 25-year marker passed.

Anyway, I planned this one, with a little help from my friends.

The Plan: I wanted to keep it simple. The Homecoming football game at Madison High was scheduled for Friday night, 14 September. I decided we'd meet an hour or so before the game to socialize and then sit together in the stadium. For Saturday the 15th, I reserved a section of a Mars Hill pizza parlor, where we could eat cheaply from a buffet and spend two or three hours just hanging out and visiting with one another.

The Event: Early on Friday afternoon, I received a call from my wife. She'd just heard from the high school. The Homecoming game had been postponed because of rain. Never thinking that something like this would happen, I had no back-up plan. After some calls and some going back and forth about what to do, I set it up for a group of us--all we could contact quickly--to meet at a deli near the high school, a place called Moochie's. The group in the picture made it that evening.

Saturday evening at the Pizza Roma went off pretty smoothly. We had 27 folks, and I think a good time was enjoyed by all. I don't have a big group photo, but as soon as somebody sends me one, I'll post it.