Stay Connected

We created several ways for alumni to get connected for Reunion 40 and now you can stay connected. We are keeping this blog site up and will post as needed for any upcoming events in the future. Our email address is still the same and we continue to build our confirmed email address list for new events. If you have not already confirmed your email address, send us a note to carrollreunion@yahoo.com so we can update your record. If you are not sure then send one anyway! We are also keeping the Facebook group called Carroll Class of 73 so you can keep posting there anytime. Until the next event...Go Tigers!

Reunion 40 A Huge Sucess!

If you missed this event, then you missed the mother of all reunions! Reunion 40 turned out to be a weekend full of fun with Class of 73 alumni all over Port A.

Many came in early on Thursday and left on Monday making the best of the time there on the beach. I saw alumni at the beach, in the lobby, driving beach carts, in the tent on Friday night, in restaurants, shopping, and at the main event Saturday night. What started out a casual get together on Friday night, ended up being a huge beach party with a big tent glowing in the night. I think the two night minimum stay at the condos turned our event into a "weekend" event instead of a one night thing.

The decor for the main event was incredible! It kept getting better and better as the day went Friday preparing. By the time Saturday night came the room looked like a beach club decked out to the max with real surfboards in every corner, live plants all around, tiki faces on the wall, and grass skirts around the tables. Vicki Watson chimed in with Nancy on site and those two; well you saw the room!

The band...well I must say the band was amazing and played the best classic rock songs of our era. At the onset of the very first song ( Old Time Rock and Roll) the dance floor stayed full the whole night with non-stop hits like Rocky Mountain Way, Wonderful Tonight, Take it Easy, Born to be Wild, and Cinnamon Girl. From the Allman Brother to Santana, they played it all! Yes it was a little loud, but we are getting older too!

This whole event I was amazed at the generosity of our class mates. They made donations, worked the registration table in shifts, greeted people at the door, tipped the bar, said thank you all the time, helped clean up after, and did whatever it took to make this weekend memorable. Way to go Class of 73!

Ok! I will admit this event took a lot of planning and a lot of work! But the committee became this incredible bond of classmates with the strongest desire for a great event I have seen. For eight months we emailed, called, texted, and planned until the last day before the event. There was never a time we did not get along! We all had a part and worked together! Rick Cadden was the tech man with on-line registration and the blog and communication and live entertainment guy. Jeff Watson and Bob Church were the Friday night tent guys. Nancy Cantu was the decor person. Vicki Maxwell was the name badge person and compiled the deceased alumni display. Debbie was our encourager and affirmation person. Bob was the t-shirt guy and resource guy and could get anything we needed. Then we all worked on details and implementation. I can't leave out my wife Becky who put up with me for 8 months talking about the reunion all the time and then running the name badge table and t-shirt sales all night long. What a team!

For me, it was over-the-top fun and the best reunion in our history! I just did not want to leave on Monday. At both the Friday and Saturday night events, the buzz in conversations was amazing. It was like we never left high school and picked right up where we left off. Old friendships were re-kindled and I am sure the stories of high school days flowed freely.

So, the question is how do we top this event? We don't! We just do it all again soon!

Comments? Discussion? What was your take on the reunion?

Reunion 40 Important Info for You

More important info for you this coming weekend that will make things smooth and easy. 

• Parking on the beach requires a $12 permit per car that is good for the whole weekend. You can purchase those from City Hall, IGA, and Strips Food and Gas.I would suggest you purchase one especially for the Friday night beach party. NOTE: Parking at the Sandcastle is only for guests all others will be towed.
• We negotiated a great special rate for beach carts too if you want some more fun. They are 4 or 6 passenger you can drive on the streets and the beach all over Port A.
  4 passenger for 24 hours regular $150 for $85 or a 6 passenger for 24 hours regular $180 for $95. just mention Carroll Class of 73 for the special rate
  Brons Beach Carts 314 E Avenue G 361-290-7143 ( plus tax and gas)
• Great news...the Sandcastle is giving us the full 15% room discount since we booked 46 of the 50 rooms we reserved. The discount will be reflected on your bill at check out.
• Please help out by manning the registration table for us in short shifts. Spouses work great for this too. If you can help out for a short time please email rick.cadden@gmail.com. Doors open at 6pm.

See you soon!
Reunion Committee