Reunion Saturday

The Official Photo

After the epic Friday night I was a little worried the actual reunion wouldn’t live up to the hype.  These were baseless concerns.  If anything the day surpassed my greatest expectations. 

The day started a little slow, based on Friday night’s adventures.  Since my Keene Friend had only 2 bedrooms I volunteered to sleep on the couch as Buddy was ensconced in his normal kitchen hideout.  I didn’t want him waking someone else up.  This was good call because he had one of his panic attacks around 5:30am, thanks Buddy.    I was able to get back to sleep and we all combined for a very late breakfast that held us until the reunion. 

Reunion Site

The reunion was held at the same location as the graduation night party in 1973.  Some very vivid memories survive from that night.  Even though I’ve been back to Keene hundreds of time since then, this was the first time I was on that road again.  The nostalgia was only beginning. 

The Pavilion

The location has changed significantly and the old cabin, while still there, was only used for the class photo and bathrooms.  The rest of the time was spent in a long pavilion set up with tables and a band. 

Keene Friend at the Fire

We immediately fell in with a bunch of long lost friends catching up as fast as possible.  In a major win we had to bring our own beer which made service no problem whatsoever.  The Cantankerous Friend joined us and the afternoon seemed to fly by.  There was even a small bonfire that I just had to assist with additional wood.  What can I say, I’m a bit of a pyro.   

Surrounded by Some Truly Great Friends

The rest of the time was spent in the pavilion enjoying some truly awesome food.  Yesterday was my chosen weekly vacation day from the keto diet and I made the most of it.  I didn’t have a problem filling up too fast this time.  There was even a sheet cake so I finally had my chosen delicacy of cake and beer, more times than I care to remember at this point. 

I Guess We'll Find Out if My Wife Reads the Blog

There was a long “awards” program that turned out to be the highlight of the evening.  So many memories were visited, several poignant from classmates who are no longer with us.  The funniest moment was the recounting of a planned prank against a well known brown nose (and former neighbor of mine while growing up).  The prank went astray and ended with a semi-electrocuted teacher who enjoyed a night of unparalleled sex with his wife afterwards.  One of those things you kind of had to be there for.  So funny. 

Cantankerous Friend During Awards Ceremony

The program was running pretty long and the great beer service resulted in a necessary call of nature.  I was making my way back to the pavilion when I heard my name called over the loud speaker.  For reasons unknown I was crowned Mr. KHS (Keene High School) 2013.  I say reasons unknown because I missed the introduction and reasoning completely while in the bathroom.  

Big Surpise That I Still Don't Understand

I was forced to wear a beauty contest like banner for the rest of the night and my friends had no amount of fun with that.  It was also funny that my 4^th grade sweetheart was chosen as Ms KHS.  It only took 50 years but I finally got next to her.  She’s a very nice lady now with an invalid husband who still donated a bunch of time and effort towards the reunion so her selection at least made sense. 

With my 4th Grade Dream Girl

The rest of the night had a very entertaining band playing hits from the 1970’s while the reminiscing took center stage.  It was so cool to see this group of kids from my memory grown into a very entertaining group of middle aged partiers.  The shared legacy of growing up in such a fantastic, nurturing home town was evident. 

My Outfit for the Rest of the Night

The night was not over when we helped clean up.  We all traveled to the beautiful house of a class mate that overlooks Keene.  It was a fitting end for an almost perfect day.  An immense amount of beer was sent down range but being around such good friends was the true intoxicant.

The After Party