Roger Morton

Terri and I are ready for a party!  I really liked the way the 60th birthday party was done.  The venue, food, and the band were fantastic.  The camp hawk cook-out was a lot of fun, too.  Whatever date is chosen, Terri and I will do our best to be there.  Please don't choose October 10-24 though, 'cause that's when my whole family is going to Disney World.   

Veronica Camargo

Sounds good! Let me know how I can help from my end.

Tom Collier

ABOUT THE 65th BIRTHDAY PARTY

(NOTE: This is also in Railer Rumblings and an email "blast")

A great big THANKS to CONNIE -

for hitting “KIM and TOM” with your comment!

About the 65 Birthday - here’s some news from the monthly breakfast.

• Everybody thought it was a good idea.

• Nobody wanted to “chair” a committee to get it done.

• The consensus was for “Kim and Tom” to ask for a “volunteer” to chair the event on this website.

• “Kim and Tom” didn’t think that there would be anyone volunteer to be responsible for the task. (But we’ve been wrong before)

• There was a brisk (albeit short) conversation about those who prefer to sit and talk, and those who would like a dance/music included. A reasonable solution evolved in making sure that there are “many” hours of uninterrupted conversation time and allowing 3-4 (?) hours for a dance.

• There was also a brief discussion about whether to have one night be more “formal”. In the end the overall conversation leaned toward a get together that is “as affordable as practical”, where (hopefully) as many classmates as possible can attend and at a location where folks could sit, talk and have fun. PLEASE REMEMBER - There is NO start up cash on hand for a Birthday Party!

• Target dates finally narrowed in around the last 2 weeks of September and the first weekend of October. (This is still a tentative time slot but allows for planning)

• NO ONE addressed the “several elephants” in the room -

How much are you willing to pay to attend a 65 Birthday event? $40 per person, $70 per person, $100 per person?

Newton has a limited number of venues that meet ALL the criteria and more “formal” locales will be pricey ($$$$) - most of the venues available in Newton are more “casual” and less pricey ($$).

In the end - all that is of concern is that folks have fun and enjoy their time and conversations with old friends.

If there is an idea out there that you would like to share, then let us know.

If anyone wants to “chair” this event, then let us know.

If you have input about the “per person cost”, then let us know.

SO - Let us know - you can email us (Kim and Tom) - but let us know what you think.

Roger Morton

I would love to have a weekend event like we did for the 60th birthday bash. I don't remember what the cost was then. I would be willing to pay $75.00 per person. The cookout gave us a good opportunity to visit, and the dinner-dance at the country club in Wichita was a lot of fun. The food and the band were great. The last two weekends in September will be fine with us. I feel bad about not offering to help organize, but I really cannot take on any more tasks without failing at all of them. Lee, congratulations on your upcoming retirement, but let me caution you; once you retire you will be busier than you have ever been before!

Bill Boyd

September sounds pretty good, although I'm not sure what my performance schedule will be in the year to come.  If I can get there, I would be willing to put out $100 for myself and Rhonda. As long as there are soft drinks, iced tea, and water available, I'm in.

Leroy Buller

One and Done Buller here.....

Thanks Kim for putting the "moniker" on me.  That was she said!  Anyway, I am very happy to support this 65th birthday party,

I think that we must understand that the party needs to be self supporting...no seed money available becaue the seed money is for the reunion.  I think Tom made the clear.

Newton has a dirth of venues where we can have this party that don't cost a pretty penny.

I can get the people from Goessel to cater again....they are very good.

I am willing to co-partner with the movers and shakers to make this happen.

One and Done Lee Buller

Mike D. Roberts

I'm in Italy all September, so October works best for me!

Mike R.

Monica Schmidt (Thompson)

In case anyone is wondering, there is definitely no seed money left from the 60th Birthday Bash. We started with zero seed money and ended up with a large deficit due largely to the inexperience of the Party Planners in doing something like this AND our wish to keep it as affordable as possible for our classmates so that everyone who wanted to attend could!  Paula and Mike Morris graciously covered the deficit, along with donations from a couple generous classmates.  Just to recap the activities in case whoever is planning the 65th would like to get some ideas and an approximation of how much everything cost, here is how the weekend went:

FRIDAY - Reserved long tables at The Brewery in Old Town.  Casual and lots of great conversation and catching up.  No charge for our classmates; everyone paid for whatever they ordered to eat and drink.

SATURDAY - Cookout at Camp Hawk.  Also casual and lots of conversation.  Also no charge to the classmates who bought a ticket for the Dinner-Dance.  Steve handled it all through donations.

SUNDAY - Great dinner and fabulous band at Crestview.  This was where all the costs were incurred for dinner, band, venue and invitations.  From the feedback we received, everyone who participated had a great time and they got a lot of bang for their 55 bucks. If we had only charged $10 more, we would have broken even.  That's water under the bridge now; just something for the new Planners to consider.

I also wanted to mention one other thing.  Unfortunately for those not lucky enough to still live in Newton or within a short drive, there is far more to consider than the price of the event.  It is very expensive for out of state classmates to come back home for something like this - airline ticket(s), rental car, several nights hotel rooms for those who no longer have family in town, meals, etc.  For something as momentous as our 65th Birthday, it seems we should do something SPECIAL and different than the Reunions if you want classmates to come from long distances.  Besides, it's fun to dress up once in awhile as long as the event is reasonably priced! Just something to think about.

Paula Graber (Morris)

Great points, Monica!  Mike and I are all in for a special 65th birthday party!  We all deserve a fun party!  (While we're all still fun!)

Linda Diringer (Guhr)

I agree with Monica, the 60th was great and something special.  I was not crazy about the Camp Hawk venue because half of the crowd was inside and the other half outside.  I think we could do better for a Friday night venue. As for the Saturday venue, the Crestview had plenty of room to mingle or dance; something that Newton venues have not been conducive to.  We're not getting any younger so why not have a special celebration while we can.  Just my thoughts.

Tom Collier

ALL good stuff  - keep posting your feelings/input about the 65 Birthday . . . we have been receiving emails also - so keep your ideas/thoughts coming. (REMEMBER - You can email us - Lee, Kim & Tom - by clicking on Contact Us above.)

Anyone volunteering for "chair" yet?

Keep up the conversation - time is short!

Veronica Camargo

I, too, am gone most of Septmember, so October is better for me.

Tom Collier

Hey ALL -

We have a plan for the 65 Birthday that we would like to discuss face to face with as many '68 Classmates as possible. (This ain't our first rodeo . . . .)

PLEASE try to attend a SPECIAL Saturday morning Breakfast at the Breadbasket in Newton at 9 a.m. this Saturday (3/28/15) if at all possible and we will layout the ideas and costs.

We think we have a plan that will work for everyone and is cost effective. BUT we were afraid to sit around waiting - when the time window is growing short for classmates to make plans and travel arrangements.

WE HOPE TO SEE YOU THERE!

Tom and Kim (yeah, them.)

Barbara Gabel (Gabel)

Speaking for one who will be traveling the farthest (unless Kate comes from Australia), I would love to see everyone and have lots of time to chat. Since I missed both the 40th & 45th reunions due to moving and then buying my condo, I feel out of the loop.

A lot of things to consider but I've never been disappointed w/anything the 'Committee' has come up with yet. Great job guys!! I'm open to either month. Just let me know ASAP so I can get the vacation time approved and make all the travel arrangements.

C-ya all very soon! Party hardy everyone!!

Barb G

Tom Collier

Hey ALL -

We have been questioned whether the 65 Birthday Bash could be held on Labor Day weekend (September 4, 5 and 6, 2015) providing a "4 day" weekend for travel.

It's an interesting question - the 60th Birthday got good response and it was held on Memorial Day weekend, plus it does provide an extra day for travel. We know there are folks who have holiday picnics, etc. with family on that weekend - so that is a consideration, too.

SO . . . our question to you is . . . .

Would a Labor Day weekend party be a "game breaker" for you?

Let us know if Labor Day is a Go or No Go for a 65 Birthday event.

Thanks for your input - send Kim or Tom an email or post a note on the Message Forum with your thoughts.

Tom Collier

Becky Barker (Davis)

GO 

Rich Martinez (Martinez)

I think Mike Roberts should host and we all go to italy to party

Veronica Camargo

Go with it!

Barbara Gabel (Gabel)

I'm go w/a 4-day holiday weekend! I'm also go with have the party in Italy w/Mike!!! Any day - I'm game!

Cheryl Dawson (Stallard)

Unfortunately, it would be a no for me this year.  It's home opener of KState football.  Let the booing by my KU friends begin!

Cheryl Dawson (Stallard)

Actually that wouldn't necessarily rule out the whole weekend.

Roger Morton

Labor Day weekend would be fine with us.

Vickie Yotter (Moore)

Can't do September 4, 5 & 6th....I'll be on Mackinac Island. Already pre-paid so I can't get out of it.

Mike D. Roberts

Can't do September.  Already booked.

Kim Saylor

Hey Classmates, 

Thanks for all the message posts and personal Emails concerning your availability and desires. Feel free to let us know your feelings anytime! We will meet this Saturday at the Breadbasket at 9am, but the backroom has been spoken for so we have a large table reserved in the main dining room. Please be there if you can so we can finalize dates and venues so everyone can be notified as soon as possible. We have several options to explore in regards to caterers as well. If you like wine have we got a deal for you.............

KS