Picnic Report

Updated October 5, 2017

Great people. Great weather. Great food. Great drink. Great conversation. Great fun.

For seven pleasant hours on September 23, Pavilion #5 and its beautiful natural surroundings at Louise Moore Park were transformed into a 21st Century outdoor "campus room " for 40 classmates and spouses of the Wilson High School Class of 1971. It was the first large gathering of the class since its 35th Class Reunion in 2006. To say "a good time was had by all," might be an understatement - it was pretty much a perfect day, with hugs, kisses, smiling faces and laughter the order of the day.

28 classmates and 12 spouses made their way to Northampton County's beautiful Louise Moore Park, where nearly everyone stayed for most of the seven hours between 11:00 a.m. and the closing of the park at dusk.

Attending were Ed Adams, Patty Adams Pavkovic, Bob and Linda Agosta, Cindy Allen Seiple, Terry Beiber Balcavage, Betty Chroust, Barry and Marilyn Dragotta Worman, Ed and Linda Frey Kleppinger, Joy Garren Hemming, Darlene Hetzel Scheetz, Bruce and Donna Howey Bysher, Shelly Hunsicker Murphy, Mary Killar Capobianco, Terry and Barbara Nuttall Horinko, Al and Monica Perruso, Sue Scalzo Kerl, Scott Schaffer, Kathy Rasener Smith, Bob and Kathy Seiple, Frank and Claire Simonetta Grosso, Mickey and Kathy Snyder, Bob and Debbie Hoover Statler, Rod and Tina Steckel, Ernie and Debie Vogel Bossert, Patty Wagner Dickey, Leo and Maryann Wismer, and Diane Yurko Mahoney

Unfortunately, four more classmates with picnic reservations - Rachel Dreisbach Wissner, Barb Riegel, Dennis Causey and Marti Ott Sebring - had to change plans during the week preceding the event. Rachel, who would have made the longest trek of all the attendees, had to stay in New Orleans when her husband, Bob, was hospitalized. Likewise, Barb remained in Delaware, where her daughter was undergoing surgery. Dennis spent some time in the hospital himself. Marti and her husband Ron were called into duty to assist friends living in Florida in their recovery efforts from hurricane Irma.

The 28 Class of '71 suspects (usual and otherwise) who did make it to the park, managed to gather for this official mug shot:

The ~~Official~~ Class of '71 2017 Class Picnic ~~Group~~ Photo

Front row: Debbie Hoover Statler, Betty Chroust, Terry Beiber Balcavage, Mary Killar Capobianco, Darlene Hetzel Scheetz, Claire Simonetta Grosso, Marilyn Dragotta Worman

Second row: Sue Scalzo Kerl, Ed Adams, Patti Wagner Dickey, Bob Seiple, Cindy Allen Seiple, Shelly Hunsicker Murphy, Linda Frey Kleppinger, Barbara Nuttall Horinko, Kathy Rasener Smith

Third row: Debbie Vogel Bossert, Mickey Snyder, Al Perruso, Leo Wismer, three-quarters of Bob Agosta

Top row: Bob Statler, Scott Schaffer, Rod Steckel, Joy Garren Hemming, Diane Yurko Mahoney, Patty Adams Pavkovic

Wait a second . . . someone's missing . . .

The Complete, Official Class of '71 2017 Class Picnic Whole Group Photo

That's better. The day's designated photographer, Donna Howey Bysher, has jumped from behind the camera to the slot between/behind Linda and Barb. The move also had the added beneficial effect of shifting Bob Agosta into a nearly full-frontal facial position.

And yet, something just doesn't seem quite right . . .

OK. There we go. Now we've got it!.

Let's face it, it just isn't a complete class photo without Jim Davis in the front row, surrounded by beautiful women.

Remember this . . . ?

Just kidding, James. We bust your chops because we love you. Actually, Jim was literally the first classmate to respond to our "Save the Date" survey on WHS1971.com way back on March 4th. He clicked the "I'd love to come, but, believe it or not, I already have a prior commitment on 9/23/17" checkbox, sending his regrets that he and his wife Roxanne wouldn't be able to attend the picnic due to a planned anniversary trip to Italy. Thanks, Jim, for your quick response . . . and Happy Anniversary!

And a special thanks for remembering us while touring . . . everyone got a real kick out of your postcard:

Carol Tylus LaFleur also responded with regrets in early March, she and her husband Mark also having committed to an anniversary trip on the picnic's scheduled weekend. Happy Anniversary, Carol and Mark!

But we digress . . .

The dozen spouses who joined the Class of '71 for the day also played a big role in putting the "festive" in the "festivities." It was a pleasure meeting and enjoying the day with Linda Agosta, Ernie Bossert, Bruce Bysher, Frank Grosso, Terry Horinko, Ed Kleppinger, Monica Perruso, Kathy Seiple, Kathy Snyder, Tina Steckel, Maryann Wismer, and Barry Worman. Thanks for helping to make the day a big success!

It's Not a Picnic Without Good Food (and Cool Refreshing Drinks)!

The picnic was catered by Dickey's Barbecue Pit, with pulled pork and beef brisket sliders at the top of the menu. Dickey's also provided a range of tasty side dishes - baked beans, potato salad and cabbage slaw - which we supplemented with Caesar salad, copious raw vegetables, crusty rolls, a variety of crunchy, salty snacks and plenty of watermelon slices. Wine, beer, iced tea, soft drinks and water were abundant.

We even had a backup supply of franks in the event we ran out of food. (They weren't called into action, but we donated them to a local police department for use at an upcoming sobriety test checkpoint.)

And there was cake . . .

Prepping the provisions . . . Master chef Mickey Snyder instructs his wife, Kathy, and Terry Bieber Balcavage in the proper technique for dispensing romaine lettuce from a bag, the first step in the creation of the definitive Caesar Salad. "Veni, vidi, creaviti acetaria," Mickey unexpectedly announced moments later, in an apparent homage to his first exposure to the Caesar family back in Frank Kuna's Latin class.

Friends since childhood, Joy Garren Hemming and Terry Beiber Balcavage team up and enthusiastically employ methods learned together at Hay Elementary School to uncork a fruity, unpretentious yet surprisingly bold red.

"Let's eat!" Mickey channels a lunch lady (substituting a baseball cap for a hairnet) and rings the bell for Lunch Period 1.

Unlike the WHS cafeteria, with its strict self- and third-party-imposed seating protocols, at Saturday's lunch in the pavilion every table was a "Senior Table" and everyone qualified. Enjoying the food, drink and good company at this one were Monica and Al Perruso, Maryann and Leo Wismer (Leo's presumably off getting seconds - we'll need to track him down), Debbie Vogel Bossert and Ernie Bossert, and Linda and Bob Agosta.

Obviously demonstrating a high level of good taste and refinement, this foursome elected to dine at a more exclusive table - evidenced by its colorful and festive party-themed table linens. Patty Adams Pavkovic and Betty Chroust join one of the four "Class of '71 Couples" - Debbie Hoover Statler and Bob Statler - while enjoying the savory barbecue fare and varied selection of tasty beverages. By the way, Williams Township Elementary boasted the most attendees at the picnic, representing 25% of the classmates attending with six - Debbie Hoover Statler, Mary Killar Capobianco, Bob Agosta, Rod Steckel, Patti Wagner Dickey and Cindy Allen Seiple. (Cindy also attended Livingstone School in sixth grade, qualifying for "dual citizenship" in any intra-elementary contests.)

We said there'd be cake. And there was cake! Not just any cake. THIS CAKE - which is actually a bunch of CUPCAKES (chocolate AND vanilla, mind you) smooshed together and covered with icing so it looks like a regular cake. But it's not. It's much better. Damn, it even has a Warrior on it. And writing. Cursive writing at that! Sure, admittedly the "F" in "Fun" is a bit funky, but let's face it: this cupcake cake actually predicted sunshine for our picnic and hit it on the nose! If you didn't believe us about having cake and your skepticism contributed toward your staying home, next time have a little more faith IN THE CAKE! Joy knocked it out of the park with this cake! Note: Joy didn't actually bake this cupcake cake, but we're pretty sure she invented the concept of the cupcake cake one day back in the early 1990s and therefore obviously knew the best place to GET a cupcake cake in 2017. Thanks, Joy. Great cake.

Fun in the Sun . . . but mostly in the shade

Committing to an outside venue nine months in advance (and in the middle of the winter at that) is a bit of a coin toss weather-wise, but the spacious pavilion at Louise Moore Park turns out to be a great hedge for all but the worst of conditions. Barring a wind-driven storm, the expanse of Pavilion #5 offers enough shelter even in wet conditions.

As it turned out, rain was not an issue. To the contrary, the first full day of autumn was a record-breaker, with clear skies, intense sunshine and a thermometer that hit 88-degrees F. Ironically, and quite pleasantly, the pavilion not only provided plenty of shade, but a slightly cooling breeze as well.

The sun and heat did put a bit of a damper on a few of the planned outdoor activities, though the pavilion's size did allow us to bring the quoit boards into a shaded arena and they saw some steady action. The disc golf course, set up to hug the tree lines, at least afforded enough shade to accomodate a few rounds, and a few adventurous folks tried their hands at KanJam and Solo Cup Stacking. Some of the more proficient "athletes" . . .

Scott Schaffer flashes the Victory sign, acknowledging his one-stroke win over Bob Seiple in the final round of the first Class of '71 Disc Golf Open Championship. Scott, who's also a low-handicap player on the regular links, "frizzed" a 30-foot putt on the final hole to break his personal best, finish 1-under for the round and claim the trophy. Cindy Allen Seiple, a champion golfer in her own right, expressed a clear preference for using clubs and balls, rather than frisbees. Cindy, however, did demonstrate her superior hand-eye coordination and quickness (flashback to the elementary track meet) with a dominating display of Solo Cup stacking skills. Mickey Snyder, here being consoled by his charming wife Kathy, was a favorite to also capture hardware, but was upset in his bid on the quoit boards and was punished for his wicked slice, as well as his confounding hook, on the tricky disc golf course.

Donna Howey Bysher and husband Bruce Bysher each had a trophy to show for their prowess in aiming and tossing round objects. Donna, teaming up with Patti Wagner Dickey, turned in a commanding performance on the quoit boards, after which she casually mentioned her active association with a local quoit league. Kind of appropriate that a "ringer" should take home the quoit title. Bruce introduced us to KanJam and put on a show of the unique skills demanded by that increasingly popular tailgating and picnic event. Donna also snapped many of these photos and Bruce provided and managed the background music for the day, so we thank the Byshers for their contributions to the success of our gathering!

Ed "Magic Fingers" Adams loosens up Patty Wagner Dickey prior to her opening match in the 2017 WHS Class of '71 Quoit Showdown. Whether it was Ed's massage technique or Patty's years of Dickeyfest quoit experience, she proved to be the perfect partner for the Quoit Ninja, Donna Howey Bysher, as the two "ringers who throw ringers" dispatched the team of Mickey Snyder and Cindy Allen Seiple, as well as Bob and Kathy Seiple to claim the 2017 title.

Despite falling just short in his effort to snag the quoit pitching title, Mickey Snyder graciously imparts a bit of his wisdom to novice tosser Diane Yurko Mahoney. Her reaction seems to indicate that she'd nailed a ringer! Nice job, coach. Diane travelled the farthest distance to join in the festivities - coming all the way from Woodbridge, VA, a 225 mile trip. Mickey's journey was a tad shorter - just 2.6 miles.

Catching Up . . .

While the hot conditions may have played a role in limiting participation in the more physical of the planned activities, the fact is that most everyone was just too busy catching up with old friends and meeting new ones to really notice. Seven hours flew by before we knew it - before we could even get to Joy's karaoke machine or set up Diane's vintage turntable and spin some authentic wax!

And in the end, that was the whole point of putting this picnic together in the first place - and why it was such a great success, as is clear to see below . . .

Okay, we found Leo . . . chatting it up with Mickey, while loading up another plate. Perhaps they're discussing the fact that Leo and his wife Maryann are the latest from the class to become grandparents, welcoming their first grandchild - Sydney Jane Massini - born just six days ago on 9/17/17. Congratulations to the Wismers!

The prize for Most Recently Married went to Claire Simonetta Grosso and her newlywed hubby Frank Grosso, seen here bringing Mary Killar Capobianco up to speed on their fabulous extended honeymoon travels. The Class of '71 got to help Claire and Frank celebrate their 3rd month anniversary - they tied the knot on June 23rd - and the picnic was officially entered into the logbook as a featured stop on the Grosso Never-Ending East Coast Beach, Resort, Landmark and Restaurant Extravaganza Tour. June was truly a big month for Claire, who also welcomed her second great-granddaughter, Nariah.

Ed Adams, Shelly Hunsicker and Rod Steckel looking fabulous at 64! Be honest, if THEY stayed out till quarter-to-three, would YOU lock the door? Send them a postcard, drop them a line and state your point of view! (Please indicate precisely what you mean to say.)

Bob and Linda Agosta not only enjoyed the picnic, but also traveled to a wedding in Flemington, NJ later the same day. Talk about Class of '71 spirit!

It was hard to choose between Marilyn Dragotta Worman and Darlene Hetzel Scheetz in the battle for "Who's Changed the Least Since High School" Meanwhile, Marilyn's husband Barry concentrates on his barbecue lunch.

How do you spell TROUBLE? We're pretty sure it starts with "S" and ends with "ER"

Our official picnic bouncers kept everyone in line throughout the day.Mickey and Bob were not called into action to enforce any Northampton County Parks and Recreation Regulations, but were quite helpful during the cleanup and packing at the end of the day.

Bob Seiple and Ed Adams discuss the reasons that self-adhesive name tag stickers should not be purchased at garage sales, as well as what prompted each to dye his hair gray just for the class picnic.

Sue Scalzo Kerl, making the trip from Berks County, attended her first post-graduation class gathering, so she had a lot of catching up to do. Here she explains her love-hate relationship with high school gym class to Monica and Al Perruso. It was great seeing you again, Sue!

On a beautiful day full of equally beautiful smiles, it was hard to beat these heartfelt grins by Barbara Nuttall Horinko and Darlene Hetzell Scheetz.

Thank You . . .

Joy Garren Hemming provided the spark that got the machine rolling toward this latest gathering of the WHS Class of '71. Reaching out to the remnants of the class reunion committee and beyond (through the Facebook Group page started by Bob Agosta in April 2016), Joy organized a meeting in the first week of November 2016.

As a result of that meeting, we purchased the domain WHS1971.com and set up a class website. By the end of November we had an event survey up and website signups and survey responses began to trickle in. The venue was reserved in January and "Save the Date" cards were mailed to our existing mailing list, encouraging all to visit and sign up on the website. Once the site was in gear, the event essentially planned itself - utilizing the responses of our classmates (right down to the preferred side dishes on the menu) and the functionality (reservation system, credit card processing, etc.) of the platform.

But Joy continued to keep the train on the track and moving - ensuring that key deadlines (e.g. venue reservations) were met, researching multiple catering options, cheerfully encouraging Bob Seiple's unconventional event promotion efforts and addressing so many details that went into making the day a huge success. Kudos for all you've done to bring the Class of '71 back together, Joy!

Credit for much of the outreach effort that was necessary to contact classmates and begin to populate our class website's database goes to Betty Chroust. Betty has painstakingly and meticulously maintained "The Reunion Box" - a treasure trove of records, photos and memorabilia from each of the Class of '71's gatherings since our graduation. The contents of "The Box" will gradually be incorporated into WHS1971.com, but Betty will continue her other role: she has faithfully represented the class by extending condolences to the families of classmates we have lost - now numbering 28 - throughout the years. Thanks for your dedication and hard work, Betty.

And thanks to the group who stayed past the end to help clean up and pack up and allow us to make it out of the park just as they were closing the gates!

And the Final "Word" Goes to Mr. Schaffer . . .

This fella's not usually at a loss for words, but Scott's summed up our fantastic day in the park without saying a thing. Thanks to all the classmates and guests who made the picnic a day to remember!

If you've got more photos and stories to share, please upload or email them.

And be sure to reach out to classmates who have not yet signed onto the website and get them to join in on the ongoing conversation, news, features and (we hope) fun that is WHS1971.com.