What Happened!!

By Thursday night a small group had arrived and since there were no formal activities everyone met for dinner at a wonderful Italian restaurant recommended by Marge Mathieson. The evening was full of picture passing and time to catch up on the last thirty years.

By Friday morning the arrivals were steady and the Reunion Committee was fast at work taking care of all the final details for what promised to be a perfect weekend. By noon a group of 50-plus was ready to head for the NASA tour at the base, while others stayed behind to catch a little pool time or catch up with friends in the lobby.

The Cocktail Party (did we have a name for this one?) Friday night held in Nina's Garden Room was jam packed. As it happened the Antelope Valley High School class of 1966 planned their 30th reunion at the same hotel on the same weekend. Since many of our classmates finished at AV there was a lot of mingling and mixing between the two parties. Gina Bouche Papa provided beautiful purple floral arrangements to go with the purple and white balloons which completed the decorations. The noise level for most of the evening was so high that few were aware of Mike Robinett's efforts as a 60's DJ until late in the evening. The Class of 1961 stayed late and managed to close the bar.

Everyone was up bright and early Saturday morning for the photo opportunities at Desert High. Although there were few changes to the school, the air conditioned Scorpitorium was a welcome place for class and organizational pictures to be taken. Following the formal shots friends and classmates wandered the grounds looking for other changes (where are those lockers, anyway?) and taking candid shots. The gym, which was the center of everything we did while attending Desert, was a place of much curiosity and little change. A surprising highlight was the opportunity to check out the locker rooms which still contained dust from thirty years ago. The girls finally answered the question, "Did the guys have a better locker room?" If you missed that tour, the answer is yes but not by much.

After leaving the school, many took nostalgic drives past their homes. It was like dejavu to see Kitty Anderson Burlington and Judy Van Brunt Crane sitting on the corner in front of Judy s house. A place they spent most summer evenings in high school.

The General Branch Memorial Park was the sight of the Reunion Picnic. When everyone arrived the smell of burgers and hot dogs already cooking was in the air. Little did we know how difficult that feat had been. Marge Mathieson had volunteered to store all of the food at her house and then transport it to the sight. Unfortunately, on the way she had a flat tire and was stranded for over an hour. Fortunately, Ken's well trained team was able to do double time when she arrived. The highlight of the picnic was the distribution and signing of the Reunion T-shirts which were designed by classmate Mike Buchanan (still the most talented guy in the class). The T-shirts were so popular that many classmates bought two, one to sign and keep and one to wear.

When the picnic ended everyone rushed back to the Essex House to get ready for the big event of the weekend. The gala Magic Carpet Ride dinner/dance. The committee paid particular attention to making this a spectacular event from the beautiful theme decorations to the perfect 60's disk jockey. The Lancaster Banquet Room was filled with twinkling light, purple and white gossamer and even included a Magic Carpet hanging from the ceiling. Despite the best efforts to plan for every contingency, Mother Nature will sometimes intervene. At 4:30 on Saturday afternoon the electricity went out in most of the Western United States and Mexico. For two hours the committee scrambled and discussed options. It was finally decided to bar-be-cue, serve dinner outside in the hotel's courtyard, and assemble in the banquet room when the lights came back on. This of course was complicated by the fact that AV High School was also having its gala on the same evening and the hotel needed to serve almost 500 people. While there were many tough minutes, the lights came on just as dinner was served and the party continued as planned. Following dinner, Steve Cranney acted as emcee of the formal program which included recognition of the Reunion Committee and speeches from several past Desert High teachers and administrators including everyone's favorite Coach Jones. Then it was time to dance the night away to the oldies.

Sunday morning the Essex House provided a wonderful brunch for all the DHS Alums and families. For many who were heading for home it was a last opportunity to share stories and reconnect with friends.