First and foremost, it is very exciting to see all the energy and enthusiasm for a 10 year reunion! When we began these conversations several months ago, we were concerned that we would not have interest, but I guess we certainly do! Secondly, thank you Billy Purcell, your humor is about the only part of these posts keeping me from beating my head against the wall. So you are aware, there have been four main people working on this: Whitney (Baker) Waskiewicz and Kate (Malicki) Sparano, Melissa (Dwyer) Struber, and me Mark (still Dobson) Dobson. While we have attempted to be as participatory as possible, accommodating everyones expectations is incredibly unrealistic. Below is a bit of rationale behind these decisions. I think the most common response from people with regard to a ten year reunion is, pick a bar, any bar. In trying to merge a variety of the below factors, we have arrived on these decisions. I understand that each person will have their own thoughts on these, but I offer the thinking behind these decisions. I want to thank Kate, Whitney, and Melissa for their time and energy. Timing: When we began this conversation, we tried to think of a time that would be convenient for travel. We narrowed to Thanksgiving versus Street Fair Weekend. We concluded that Thanksgiving weekend would be too busy with other events, and that the weekend of the Street Fair with proximity to the 4th of July would allow decent traveling conditions with something else to draw people to town for the reunion. The timing of 5-9 was chosen allow people before and after event possibilities, and travel time for those without local lodging options. Accessibility: The cultural center is right across West Road from THS. In terms of parking in Trenton, there were really no great options, but for those coming a distance we really liked the idea of being back home, in Trenton. In the early 2000s there were some decent renovations done to the cultural center, so its not exactly the place we remember as a child. I think many of you will be pleasantly surprised. Currently, Santa is not scheduled to be there, but after a few beers may be someone will throw on the suit. In terms of the bigger notion of accessibility, we wanted this to be affordable. I think we need to be empathetic to the variety of financial situations classmates may be in. The last thing Id want is for someone not to come because they could not afford to. As a class we have committed to contributing about $1000 to this event of left over class funds, however in an event of this size, this is minimal. With that being said, every decision made was in an effort to throw the best most cost efficient event. For example, the decision to not include liquor. Liquor is a large expense. I have attended events with beer and wine only, cash bar, and a well stocked open bar. Guess what they all have in common? Everyone got drunk. The cultural center is extremely affordable. Many of you have mentioned possible alternative venues. Thank you for including other ideas versus simply attacking items that have already been heavily discussed and debated in lengthy emails. The idea of a cruise and a traditional banquet setting were both mentioned, but in our opinion may be better served at a later reunion (we have also been thinking about events for the 20/30 year mark). Keeping it Casual: Between cost and venue, we really wanted to keep things casual for this event. Were at a point in our lives where weddings are fairly commonplace for summer, so something that resembled a wedding was not exactly what we had in mind. Those above mentioned venues also seem to limit with whom you mingle. Whomever you sit at a table with might be the extent of who you interact with. When considering the cultural center, theres several rooms, indoor/outdoor space, and the possibility to enjoy an outdoor Pure Michigan summer day. We hope the outdoor games make it. With this all being said, we will continue to investigate other options, as quickly and efficiently as possible. The four of us have obviously tried to plan an event that people would enjoy. We have not taken your feedback lightly. I hope those of you with these concerns have actually read this. Many of you have made great points, but the purpose of this now lengthy post is to give to some insight into the hundreds of emails and dozens of hours spent trying to get this event off the ground. I am not much of a social media person, My facebook has been all but dormant for a few years. If youd like to contact me directly, please feel to email me, marksdobson@gmail. My apologies for any spelling/grammar errors you may find. Thanks for all the thoughts, energy, and enthusiasm, and we look forward to seeing you in Summer 2014!
Posted on: Sun, 02 Feb 2014 16:45:44 +0000
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