Class of '69 reminisces

Walter Sprague
Arts and culture reporter
 
The Newcastle High School class of 1969 celebrated its 50th reunion this past weekend. Some classmates came from as far away as England, Alaska, California and other places around the country. Plenty of local graduates of the class also attended. Everyone had one thing on their mind – to have fun and fellowship with their fellow classmates. According to Beverly Krell, 52 graduates of the 1969 class, plus many spouses, gathered together for the festivities.
The weekend culminated with a dinner at the Cambria Room in the Newcastle Lodge. People started arriving as early as 4:45 p.m. for the 6 p.m. dinner. At 10 p.m. classmates were still visiting, laughing, reliving good memories and just enjoying each other’s company. Laughter was constant throughout the evening, especially when some members of the class used the microphone to share memories or funny stories.
The Newcastle Lodge put on an excellent spread of prime rib, twice-baked potatoes, honey-glazed carrots, green bean almandine,
smothered chicken, salad, and rolls. For dessert, Decker’s Market provided a couple of cakes decorated for the occasion. A bar and a self-serve coffee, tea, and lemonade counter completed the food scene. The staff at the lodge were kept very busy and were very professional, receiving a big round of applause from all after the dinner was complete. Linda Ahlers, the general manager of the lodge, said she was very pleased with the turnout and expressed pride in the workers there.
The Cambria Room held displays of yearbooks, photos and other memorabilia on decorated tables. People wandered over and paused as they viewed the memories. Of special significance was a triptych with pictures of those classmates who have already passed on. 
Folks gathered at a make-shift “photo booth” to don vintage hats or other costume items and take individual or group pictures. Throughout the evening, people came by, took their photographs, laughed some more and had a great time.
After dinner, an auction raised money for the general fund of the class of 1969. Those monies are used to help fund these events, to help with the needs of families who lose a loved one who was a member of this graduating class or to help fund school projects. No firm decision has been made about where the funds raised during the auction will be used, according to class of ‘69 graduate Ann McColley, who helped with the auction. McColley handed out the items to the winning bidders, while Krell kept a tab on the winning bids and her husband, Gary, called out the bids as the auctioneer.
At the end of the evening, those members of the class who stayed gathered on the stairwell at the  lodge entrance to pose for a picture. Not wanting to leave, they then broke up into small groups to continue visiting with friends from years past.