The best part of planning the reunion and future reunions via the internet is that some of the responsibility lies on the attendee.  I've helped with all of the reunions and notifying people is the hardest, most time consuming and expensive part.  Now everyone only has to be responsible for themselves instead of a  handful of people being responsible for finding 400 plus people :)  So thanks Shannon for getting this started!!!

And, it's good for us who are currently living far away from M'town, because we all have access to the same information.  I continue to try to locate old classmates and get them connected with this site.  It's a good tool, and I hope that the number of active profiles will keep growing in the future. 

At the 30th reunion, I learned/relearned lots of things.  Here are a few--

• Just like in church life, the women do most of the work to make great events happen.
• With every reunion, the walls (cliques, labels) that divided people back "in the day" crumble a little more.
• It's okay to be a bit nervous on your way to the first event on Friday evening.  You haven't seen most of these people for a long time.  Most of them arrive a bit upright too.
• Cherish the old stories, but don't be sad that you can't go back in time.  There was a lot of rough stuff that went along with the fun times.  Can you honestly say that you were happier as a teenager than you are right now? 
• 48 is not old!  Men are still rascals.  Women are still hot.
• Some spouses have a blast at the reunion, and some just tolerate it.  Some wouldn't be caught dead there.  Some are better left at home.
• Most of the groups that you belong to are ones that you choose to belong to--your church, your softball team, your service club, your book club, and so on.  What binds you together is your common interest or values.  What binds us together as the MHS class of 1980?  Where and when we were born, for the most part, put us together as a group.  So we're stuck with each other.  And it's fantastic!  We are this weird and wonderful hodge podge of people who would not otherwise be drawn together.   The unlikely combination of people is what makes our gatherings most sweet, I think.  A reunion invites us out of our comfort zones.   Wonderfully.

I thought the reunion website only made it more exciting.  Got to go back to fond memories, reconnect with people who were coming or not.  I looked forward every week to seeing who new was on, what they had been upto , and what they remembered.  But I really think Mitch said it best!!!

Well said Mitch!!  I love the website and think Shannon and the reunion committee did a great job!  Can't wait for the 35th!

I agree that the website is a great tool. I heard from a few people that they "didn't know anything about the reunion until they got a postcard a week before," but let's face it, we are all adults.  We knew we were in a reunion year, and people have to take responsibility for finding out their own information. Knowing what was going on with people before you showed up helped greatly with the "What have you been up to for 30 years?" conversations.  I will say I did not like the Friday night location at the park.  It was a good idea, but there was just too much going on. For future reunions I'd vote for a "just us" location.  Saturday was a blast precisely because it was "just us," and  there were lights so we could see each other.  I love Mitch's comments.  Every bit is true!

I'm so sorry that I couldn't come to Marshalltown for the reunion, but I wanted to thank everyone for posting all the fun pictures on the website!   Everyone looks great and happy.   I'd also like to thank Shannon and the organizing committee for setting up the website and for planning the reunion.   I've had a lot of fun getting in touch with people and reminiscing about life in Marshalltown.

I can't wait for the 35.