What's in your Hometown trunk?

How many of you have saved weird "stuff" over the years? I don't remember being overly sentimental about my time in the scouts, but I do have the sash. I guess that says something - what I'm not exactly sure.

And how many former girl scouts do we have out there?

Can you name the merit badges in all three columns and in all 5 rows?

What about those wing-things?

And, for bonus points. What was the troop number (not shown) to which girls in my neighborhood belonged?

On the edge

"There's a hole in the bucket, dear Liza, dear Liza - there's a hole in the bucket, dear Liza, a hole." I just couldn't stand the thought of Deb (Salza) Gorey's son not being able to see her 8th grade graduation picture.

Here's to you, kid. Hint: she's on the right side....

And, oh - please do not let Vinnie's comb-over escape you! (He's on the left.) That's hysterical, seeing as how he had plenty of hair in that picture. A geriatric fashion statement at the tender age of 14.

Happy to be reunioning!

Jan and Andrea had a great time at the 20th reunion. Here's how you, too can have the time of your life:

1) Fill out the reply form attached in Mike's e-mail (or on the web site).

2) Write a check for $60.00 per person, made payable to Newton High Class of 1974.

3) Mail in the form and the check to Mike Richard before July 8th.

4) Save the date (July 25th), and

5) Don't forget to show up at 7:00 p.m. at The Barn at Perona Farms!

A mini reunion at Applebee's!

Sent to me via Mike from Bill Martin, 5 classmates got together at Applebee's in Newton on May 20th, 2009. From left, Lavon Wagner, Carol Wilkens Sanagorski, Mary Gilmartin Shortway, Suzanne Spatarella Wallace, and Bill Martin. Carol - we'll miss you on July 25th, but we'll get some scuttlebutt from those attending this gathering... :-)

Smiles all around...

Funny - three out of the four ladies pictured here were also in the prom photo I uploaded just as the blog was getting started. Now, Mike captioned this "Would-be Homecoming Queens," when he e-mailed them to me - but we all know he's just trying to get back at Maggie for squelching his political ambitions and/or not caving to his romantic advances (crest or no crest) in the 6th grade! It doesn't matter how many years go by - we all still look good. Of course, this WAS fifteen years ago... And since this was my favorite of the photos he sent, I get to choose which ones to post first. Andrea sent some, too. Perhaps tomorrow (or the next day). Stay tuned.

Where's Waldo?

Does anybody recognize this guy? Thanks, Ed for mentioning him. I cannot take credit for "creating" Waldo because truthfully, I can't even remember being on the Aurora staff! (Isn't that awful?) Who would even guess that years later, we would all be reading Where's Waldo to our kids, and something would be niggling at us in the far corners of our minds? Will the real Waldo creator please step forward? You're so clever!

Any interest in bike riding?

Somewhere in one of the messages that have flown around concerning the upcoming Class of '74 and Friends Reunion, someone floated the idea of mountain biking. I'm not sure who mentioned it first. Might have been Peggy (Dolan) Cordell, or maybe Michelle (Edison) Leonard, maybe Andrea (Margaret Herman) Harmon. Doesn't much matter. It seems like a good idea, whoever wants to claim credit.
I've begun to do a little digging to see what might be available for off-road rides. Our choices really depend on who's interested in going, and the level of riding that group wants to tackle. There are converted rail trails in a couple of different places that offer flat or nearly flat riding over just about any distance. Examples are the Kittatinny Valley State Park that lies east of Andover and the Paulinskill Lake Rail Trail that runs some 27 miles from Sparta Junction to Knowlton Township somewhere past Blairstown. The Sussex Branch Trail runs 21 miles through Allamuchy and Kittatinny Valley parks, terminating in Branchville. Kittatinny Valley also has some single-track with more challenging terrain, according to a couple of sources I found on-line. Stokes State Forest has biking as well, though I haven't yet come up with any detailed information. There's always Sunrise Mountain, which seems to have a place in some people's hearts.
On the grander scale is Mountain Creek (formerly known as Great Gorge) with a fee-based, big-terrain experience available ($30 for lift ticket).
There are also paved and dirt sections of the Old Mine Road in the Delaware Water Gap NRA open to biking.

We have Saturday and Sunday mornings available (or at least, I do). I could be talked into any one of the options I mentioned above and am open to other suggestions as well. If you've got a favorite trail you'd like to share, let's hear about it. I'd also be interested in possibly getting a road ride together for the day that mountain biking doesn't happen.

Let's hear some discussion about the level of interest in either/both of these activities and what y'all would like to do.

Dave

LINKS:
Kittatinny Valley State Park
Paulinskill Valley Rail Trail
Stokes State Forest
Diablo Freeride Park (Mountain Creek)
some trail reviews
Delaware Water Gap

And help clear up some confusion, would you?

O.K. - if we all went to two different grammar schools: Halsted St. and Merriam Ave., (clever names, eh?), then why does this 8th grade graduation photo show all of us together and is captioned "Class of 1970, Halsted Street School?" I can clearly recognize some people who went to both schools, so I just can't wrap my little pea brain around this one... (My apologies to the folks who were pictured on either side of this very long, scroll-type photo. My scan-bed won't fit it all on...)

The "I Remember Mike Richard" challenge

It seems to me Mike has been the leading a lot of these discussions. In this role he gets to point out many of his great feats (theatrical and atheletic). I thought perhaps it's time for people to share their memories of Mike Richards and his exploits.


I recollect he was Mr. Dougherty favorite boy at Merriam Avenue School. (Heavens, he seemed ancient then and I know I'm now probably his age!) I managed to beat Mike for 6th grade class president by one vote -his! I know there are many of you who have Mike stories. I sure would like to hear more about the dog and cat theatrical story. I think that happened just as I arrived in Merriam.



So let's get some of those stories out there!

Tony K., '74, of Snake Oil Willie Fame

Quiz: The First to Pay? From Far Away...

Well, THIS is exciting. I got home from work tonight, checked my home mailbox, and, lo and behold, there was the VERY FIRST reply, check included for 2 people, for the Newton High Class of 1974 and Friends Reunion. And where and whom did it come from? Well, let’s make this a quiz:

Hints ...
1) Amazingly, the reply is from a Far West state. (How is that possible? The reunion invitation/reply form e-mails went out at 5 p.m. Eastern time on Tuesday, and I receive a U.S. Postal Service snail-mail reply from this person’s state on Thursday afternoon? Wow.)
2) The person’s first initial is S.
3) The person was the lead, opposite me, in a grammar school theatrical production.
4) Last clue: It’s someone who, I’m pretty sure, has never been to a reunion before (which has me feeling pretty gratified that I tracked him/her down).

The first person to mention his/her name correctly on this blog MAY win a prize on July 25 (the person who actually replied cannot enter an entry in this quiz, because that would be sorta cheating). But, the person who did reply WILL be getting a prize, anyway ... maybe two prizes, one for first reply, and possibly another for coming the farthest (though I’m certain there’ll be some stiff competition for the latter). Again, wow.

Some Gave All

There is a World War II Memorial in Washington, DC. "It honors the 16 million who served in the armed forces of the U.S., the more than 400,000 that died and those that supported the war effort from home."

You can visit the site at: www.wwiimemorial.com

Check to see if your loved ones are listed.

You can also add family members who were not on their list or served on the home front as part of the war effort.

Dancing to the Beat of Tony K.

Any communication I have had over the years with Tony Krucinski about reunion matters always leaves me laughing. Tony, our Newton High '74 classmate and drummer for our reunion entertainment, Snake Oil Willie Band (http://www.snakeoilwillie.com/), is one of the most cooperative and easygoing people I have ever dealt with. He called me this week to say he took a trip over to Perona Farms, not far from his real job at a liquor store on Newton-Sparta Road, to see and tour The Barn for the first time. He had told me weeks ago that he had a few doubts and logistical questions about how his band could perform in this barn-like atmosphere on July 25. I was happy to hear that all those doubts disappeared once he saw the place and examined the second-floor bandstand. My brief conversation with Tony -- in which he told me about people he has seen around town talking up the reunion, and how he thinks of our class as special in a number of ways -- actually got me even more excited about the reunion than I've been (and, as you know, I've been pretty psyched about it for a while). Think Snake Oil Willie can play some of my favorite Manilow songs ... probably not, huh?

On the fence?

Is anyone else experiencing mixed feelings about this get-together?
My memories say that I felt very much an outsider in nearly every situation at NHS and I'd be really surprised if anything that could happen at a reunion could change my sense of that experience.
OTOH there's a pull to try to connect to the group of people who shared that time and place to see if there is something to be gained from reminiscing.

It's possible that my memories are biased and that I'm not remembering a whole set of good experiences.

Thoughts?


Dave Larson

The official invitation/reply form went out today

Hope everyone received it, without any problems. If there's any confusion whatsoever, or questions, please, let me know...Thanks!

A one-question quiz from Kathy (Davis) Johnson

Kathy wants to know who, if anyone, can respond to this memory and answer this question. (I can't):

Here's one for your experts:

Who was the crossing guard with white gloves at the intersection before the school. Very silky in her hand signaling, never shouted, a sweetie....

And her name was....?

"Have gun will travel" reads the card of a man...

Or, have memorabilia, will post...
I cordially invite anyone to send me an e-mail if they would like to contribute to this blog peggyc@montana.com. Sorry I was late getting instructions out for you, Ed - although I enjoyed looking at the Polish Racing Team blog.
Once I receive a request from you - and have your e-mail address, I just send out an invitation to contribute. You accept, create a blogger.com account and the world is your oyster. You can post news, tell tales, or upload photos to your heart's content.

Remember the Polish Racing Team?

Our N.H.S. '74 classmate Ed Rzonca, in trying to contribute to this blog, wound up creating his own blog. Still, some fun and interesting memories here ...

http://cruisinwiththetopdown.blogspot.com/

Guess the location #3

My son couldn't believe all the cool places that were still around Newton. Where do you suppose this one was taken?

Sunday brunch (?) after the reunion, on 7/26

I stopped in at the Lafayette House last weekend to see if they could accommodate a tired bunch of 52-53-year-olds the morning after our July 25th class reunion at The Barn at Perona Farms. If we can guarantee a small group of at least 35, then I'll commit to it. So respond here on the blog, or send me an e-mail at m78richard@aol.com, and I'll try to gauge whether we have enough to set apart a small room for ourselves that Sunday, July 26th, probably at 12:30 p.m. (that way, we can all sleep in a bit). Price for brunch would be $20.75 per person, payable individually that day. It IS one of the better-known and rated Sunday brunches in Sussex County, and it'd probably be a good way to wind up Reunion Weekend. Let me know your thoughts and possible intentions. Thanks, Mike Richard

Guess the location #2

O.K., Mr. Wise guy - no cheating with your very smart mouse cursor... Where am I now???

Guess the location #1

When I was in North Jersey just about two years ago, I visited some of my favorite haunts (and I'm not talking about the "ghost hunts" in the Johnsonburg cemetery). See if you can guess where this photo was taken. Russell - don't give away any clues!

Newton Public School, 1962

Ahh, what a bunch of cuties we were - and look how we turned out. (I guess we'll see, come July!) This was Mrs. Schlough's class (you know, the adult with the brooch and swollen ankles). I believe this was taken before Merriam Ave. school was built. But let's talk fashion... Evidently Mike R. was practicing for future prep school, with his red blazer and pocket crest, plaid seemed to be a favorite, and then there's the Brownie uniforms.
Notice that this photo was ripped? I think I remember being mad at Mrs. S for some perceived social injustice involving grammar. Weird, huh? You're right about the memories flooding back - SOME of them, that is. Other things are better left in the far recesses of one's mind.

Senior Prom 1974

This is just one of the many tables of seniors at the prom that year. I actually can name all of the people in this photo - and I will also take credit for doing a little "match-making" for the couple to my immediate right (who are still happily married after all these years). Now, why we all look so serious is a question I cannot answer - unless we all had a premonition about the prom venue burning to the ground shortly after our event was held there. Does anyone else remember a debutante ball being held there (downstairs) on the same evening? I also remember hosting the prom party afterwards, and yes - my parents were vacationing in the Carribean at the time - how convenient! Do any of you have teenagers now? I am a librarian in a public high school, and our prom was just held last weekend. Things haven't changed much.

Halsted St. School, 1969

O.K. Don't ask me to name all the people in this photo... but our fearless leader, senior class president and reunion organizer extraordinairre, Mike Richard is sitting second from the right in the front row - next to Kitty's heartthrob, Danny Finklea.
In the third grade, I remember being in a cat-fight (men would pay to see that now) with Cheryl Weller, (second row, right)- even though we were really pretty good friends at the time. This picture was taken 5 years after the "main event" which lasted less than five minutes (I got my ass kicked) and involved a lot of scratching and hair pulling. It's no wonder - that was the year President Kennedy was assassinated - the country was in shock and things were tense!
Who knows what this teacher's name was? I'm thinking something like Mr.Diamato? (Or Mr. Roboto...)