SAVE THIS DATE: The 2007 Fall Gathering wil be held on September 8.
, starting on Page 6.
These are from the 2006 Fall Gathering at Glenn and Luisa Cooke's home (which was held as scheduled, on October 14, despite the unexpected snow storm some 36 hours earlier!).
Here's Pam's account of the event:
Our October gathering was a great success! I wouldn't have missed it for anything--including the Great October Surprise Storm that hit Buffalo on the night of October 12! Monte called me early in the evening and said she was worried about the weather. She called later and said they had 2 feet of snow and limbs and branches and power lines down everywhere. She hadn't lost power yet (that happened early Friday morning). So as I was preparing to leave on Friday I got a call from another friend saying the Thruway was closed and there was a driving ban in the city of Buffalo due to extensive power outtage. Decision time. Being the intrepid traveler that I am, I hit the road. The weather was beautiful all the way.
When I arrived in Fredonia, the Thruway was still closed, but I know my way around that neck of the woods! Many a Friday night I headed for Middleport on Rt. 20 when the old Thruway was shut down (whether I could see the road or not). But it wasn't that bad. By the time I finished a nice meal with an old friend, they had opened it up and I was able to drive into Kenmore. The main streets weren't too bad except for no signals, but Monte's street was another story--I literally gasped when I turned the corner. There was just a path down the middle with snow, limbs, leaves, etc. piled high on both sides. What a mess! I made it to the parking lot. We unloaded and went upstairs to sit by candlelight with heat from gas range burners and enjoyed sharing a bottle of wine. Then we headed to bed with extra comforters and hot water bottles! We had checked with Glenn and knew that the gathering was on, so we had something to look forward to.
Saturday dawned with no power again. Fortunately we did have hot water for showers. Lucky for all the party people! We headed for Victor. On the way we passed convoys of tree and power trucks coming from everywhere to help in Buffalo. We honked and cheered as we passed!! We arrived at the festivities to find a crowd already gathered and enjoying snacks and beverages--what a welcome scene!! The hours passed quickly as they always do and it was time to go downstairs for the feast that Glenn and Luisa had prepared for us--a great spread with ribs, wings, salads, and a wonderful antipasto potato salad. Of course we stayed too late so it was a long ride home, but we felt we needed to get back and watch out for things in Kenmore.
This year's revelers included our host and hostess, Glenn and Luisa Cooke, Ritch Smith, Nancy Broderick Waugh, Chip Porter, Carol Grove Benoit, Nancy Corser Randall and her husband Mike, JoAnn Budziszewski Lasal and her husband Ron, Ken and Sandy (Donner) Marks, Dick Williams and his wife Mary, John Shepard, Al Webster, Judy Winters Evra, Judy Gilbert McConvey, Bob Dickinson, Monte (Aeyna), me, and our surprise guests, David and Sue Bowman--what a treat to see them since they had not made it to the reunion. We had a blast catching up with each other. Next year's gathering may happen just a bit earlier--we want to include Ritchie as he is planning his retirement and 2nd career in the Peace Corps! It will be in the Lockport area with cocktail "hour" at Sandy and Ken's house.
We are already starting to talk about a 45th reunion--where it might be and what it might look like. Let us know what you're thinking. Interest has been expressed in having it in the fall rather than summer months. We might go for a hotel-type venue possibly closer to Buffalo since there isn't really anything good in Lockport, but the party at Olcott was such a success we might want to repeat it. We have time to think about it...
The valiant traveler did make it back home again to Indiana safely! Cheers to all! Don't forget to post your updates on our bulletin board... ~Pam
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