"Poky Pride Tie Dyed"

T-shirt choices available are "Arrows" pattern on the left and "Split"
on the right. They come in Youth: S M L XL and Adult: S M L XL 2X 3X (2X and 3X are $3 more each--and yes, we have a few!) They are $15 each or 3+ for $12 each.  We are encouraging any small donation you can include to help situate the class account for deposits necessary for the 25yr Reunion.

We cannot accept responsibility for the fun you'll have while wearing your~

Poky Pride Tie Dye!

Thanks,

Billie

Reunion Wrap-up

Hello!

 Now THAT was fun. I could stop right there and be content in new memories, but there are a few-post reunion details I’d like to go over.  Although this was our High School Reunion, it, too, seemed nothing like high school. (Is High School Musical like your experience at Poky for crying out loud?) Sure…much of the cast was the same but the plot, themes and theatrical twists were refreshingly different all grown up.

 Feedback
Many of you were very gracious in your complements to me and the rest of the ad hoc “committee.” The folks who were behind the scenes that I regrettably and boorishly forgot to thank Saturday include Thor Conley (money & ideas), Courtney McCune Fisher (invitation, creative design, Saturday dinner at the Bridge & goody bag sponsorships), Kim Clark Embry (blog runner, picture gatherer, slideshow maker), Mark Freeman (idea guy, rock painter, classmate tracker), Rainbow—told you, one name just like Madonna (classmate stalker, door prize gatherer, idea gal, Friday nametag table), Sara Thompson Ray (secured the stained glass class gift, Friday nametag table), Liz Haight John ( idea gal, meeting entertainment), Billie Packer Olsen, Tiffany Short McGarry, Brandy Mann Peck (door prize gatherers and pep club). Paulette Little & Kristin Barnes Merrill gave us a little up-front feedback.  We also need to throw some props to the HHS planning committee because we worked together on the goody bags and Saturday Ross Park event.

 I will be sending a follow-up email requesting specific feedback. If you did not attend, we’d love to hear what we can do next time to ensure your presence.

 Slideshow & Pictures DVD
Kim Clark Embry has graciously offered to assemble the pictures & slideshow DVDs all the way in Georgia. If you have any pictures you’d love to share with your classmates, please upload them to Kim’s FTP site at http://dropitto.me/dembry and use the password “pokyhigh91”.  If you can zip an entire folder, it will make it easier to upload. The deadline for this will be Monday, July 17. I’ve seen captivating shots peppered across facebook, so I hope some of you will take the time to get them to Kim.  I also have about 200+ that my weekend photographer took.

 Tshirts: Poky Pride Tie-Dyed
Check out our spectacular one-of-a kind t-shirts at pokyclassof91.blogspot.com. They are each individually tie-dyed by classmate Megan Riley. We didn’t put ’91 or “20yr reunion” on them because we wanted to be able to sell them at sporting events if we had extras. But, they seem to be flying off the shelf, or rather, out of my garage. They are $15 each or 3 or more for $12 each. They come in Youth: S M L XL and Adult: S M L XL. A 2X and 3X are available for $3 more. (and yes—we have some!)

 Class Gifts
Dr. Carole McWilliam (our former principal), Mrs. Black & Mrs. Call came to some of our events. They insisted that they pay for their meals and that we in turn make a donation to the PHS Education Foundation. The PHS Class of 91 will be sending them $100 in the coming weeks. Also, we have a beautiful stained glass Indian head that will be given to Poky to display. I imagine it will go in the library because it has the most natural light, but I’m hoping for somewhere with more student traffic. Really—how much time did you spend in there?

Funds
There’s no need to sugar-coat this: I budgeted poorly. Maybe it was a subconscious attempt to get out of planning the next one, but I actually had a blast.  We REALLY need you to buy tshirts & photo DVDs and/or send us a small donation to better situate our account for deposits that will be needed for the 25th.  Highland charged an overall reunion fee, and I didn’t want to do that, but we probably should have. I still hate it when the Rams do something better.  Next time, I’m bringing in some of you attorneys to do price negotiations with local businesses.

 Send me some tshirts & DVD orders & donations big & small!  Email pokyclassof91@gmail.com with the header “Orders”  Please do not simply reply to this note.

 Checks can be made payable to PHS Class of 91 and sent to Bank of Idaho
C/O Thor Conley
P.O. Box 2322
Pocatello, Idaho 83206

 25th Reunion
Yes, we are having one.  Mark it on your calendar for July 2016. June is too rainy here & August cuts into teachers’/coaches’ schedules and doesn’t work for those who have kids playing fall sports. Although we learned that many of you have kids who play baseball and you are a freakishly dedicated bunch of fans.  Tell us in your upcoming feedback response what weekends you might prefer. Also, let us know if you are interested in helping with the next one. We’ve got about 100+ classmates we are still trying to find emails for, so if any of you have a private investigation business…

 My dear friend Martha who worked the nametag table Saturday night is generally unimpressed by physical beauty, but she told me later, “Wow. You have one good looking class.” I said, “Hmm, you must think that because we were all so smiley.”  Nothing can make a person more beautiful that a genuine smile., and, I tell ya…I saw hundreds of unique, genuine smiles sprinkled throughout the weekend.  I hope for even more at our 25th.

Cheers,
Billie

Information Sheet and Reunion Details

Please read all the way to the end or you'll miss the best part!

Information Sheets:
Please take a few minutes and fill out the information sheet attached to this post, ESPECIALLY if you are unable to make it. You can email or fax it back to us. We have an entire booklet of 10yr responses that we’ll share and they are priceless.

Costs & Timeline:

The invitation & pricing info is at the bottom of this page. We will honor the early prices through Friday OR if you email your plans to pokyclassof91@gmail.com beforehand. As an example, if you say, “Dudes, I told Rainbow I was coming” but you haven’t sent your plans to that email address, we will (kindly) ask you to pay the later price. With 400 names/people to juggle, this email account and what Thor has received are the gold standard.

Saturday Menu and Cash BarWe asked the restaurant if they can accommodate separate bar tabs and they winced.  Please plan on a cash bar.

If you haven’t already replied with your meal preference for Saturday night, do! You’ve got the following three choices. If you prefer a vegetarian option, please let me know.

1. Prime Grade Sirloin with Burbank Baked Potato and Mushroom Gorgonzola Demi-glace

2. Poached Salmon with Dijon Dill Cream Sauce, served with Yukon Gold Gouda Gratin's

3. Chicken Picatta with white wine sauce, Garlic Mashed Potatoes and Roasted Vegetables

Dinner served with Classic caesar salad with bacon bits, parmesean cream & garlic croutons and your choice of bread pudding or cheesecake with berries for dessert.

Evening Child Care:

There is an evening kids’ activity available both Friday & Saturday nights.  All Star Athletics offers indoor activities including a large inflatable toy, trampolines, a tumble track, a large foam pit, and a huge floor for parachute games and bean bag toss.  They will be offering extended hours IF they get enough pre-event interest. . This gym is a block away from our Saturday dinner. The later hours on Saturday were more to accommodate Highland’s event, but ya never know…we may find ourselves enjoying kettle chips and a fried egg sandwich at stylish, new Efresh at midnight.

Friday Night – July 8th –; 6:00 PM – 10:00 PM, $8.00 per Child, $3.00 per Child for Pizza

Saturday Night – July 9th –; 5:00 PM – 1:00 AM,  $15.00 per Child,  $3.00 per Child for Pizza

DISCOUNTS:  First child is full price and each additional receives 10% off! Pre-Purchase your tickets and get $3.00 off per child Pre-Purchase BOTH nights for $25 including the pizza meal. Call 208-637-8866 ASAP to reserve and she’ll take credit cards over the phone.

Locals:

If you are a local or if you are in town Thursday night, we’ll be painting the rock around 6pm. Feel free to join us!  Also, let us know ASAP if you have any old memorabilia that we could borrow for Saturday night decorating, and if you could bring a store-bought appetizer or munchies to the Friday night meet’n’greet, that would be fabulous!

Hotels:

We have made arrangements with 3 different hotels. Prices MAY have gone up from what is quoted below because it is so close to the event, but tell them you are with the Poky Class of 91 20yr Reunion group and see what they can do.

Rodeway Inn (near the Saturday night dinner, adjacent to Elmer’s by ISU) $45.99 - $55.99/night, 835 South 5th Ave, 208-233-0451

Clarion Inn (near the Friday night meet n greet, Pocatello Creek Exit), $75/night, 1399 Pocatello Bench Road, 800-200-8944

Marriot Towneplace Suites (adjacent to Sunday’s brunch at Ruby Tuesday, Clark St. Exit) $99-$139/night, 2376 Via Caporatti, 208-478-7000

Refunds:

I’d said earlier that we’d be happy to refund extra payments or cancellations during the weekend of the reunion. But due to the nature of our account, it will be much easier for us to issue checks on a business day after the event. I apologize for any inconvenience this might cause. Also, you will have the option to apply any refunds to the purchase of a reunion t-shirt or CD order with a compilation of the weekend’s music, photos and the Saturday slideshow.

Peer Pressure:

In high school it had such a bad connotation. But now, we’d like you to use it. Shamelessly twist the arms of your old friends to join the party. And, if you feel yourself being pressured, go on. Succumb. This will truly be the more, the merrier.

"Do you recognize these former classmates?"

It’s udderly fabulous that the numbers are rolling in, but some of our herd still need a little steer-ing.  With the reunion 2 weeks away, what are you waiting for? A cattle prod? Bovine intervention? A glimpse of the remarka-bull amoosment to be had?

Now, get mooooving with those RSVP’s so we have a cownt for Saturday’s dinner. I cud go on and on with the cow puns, but I’m done. Well done.

~Billie

Info in Group Email #4, June 14, 2011

Meet-n-Greet $3.50/person: We will meet at the Outback miniature golf & driving range. An 18-hole putt-putt course is available if you or your kids want to play, but we’ll also have a great, shaded grassy area with tables and snacks to mingle and visit. Ah…isn’t it awesome that we are at the age where “visit” is one of our most prominent action verbs?  Beverages, both alcoholic and non-, will be available for purchase.

Ross Park Pool & Pizza, $10/adult, $2 per child up to 2, $25/family: We have rented the Ross Park Pool from 10am -noon for us and Highland’s class of 91 for this joint event. That’s right! We’ll have full, private use of their great kiddie pool, water slide, lazy river and large pool. (If you’re rolling your eyes at the thought of a swim suit, please read the blog noted above.) At noon, we’ll meet across the street near the Zoo for pizza and drinks. After lunch you can head back to the pool, check out the zoo (at additional cost), visit the Upper Ross Park disc golf course, or other nearby attractions. If you have family or friends in town that would like to tag along, they are welcome for $10/adult & $5/child under 18 and can pay upon arrival.

School Tour:  See what’s new, a gym added in 2006  known as “the palace”,  and what is still the same. Our class photo’s appear just inside the main east entrance near the venerable rock.

Saturday Dinner, $30/person in advance/$40 at the door:  We’ve rented one of Pocatello’s newest and finest restaurants for our adults-only evening. Located on 1st street near the railroad, The Bridge is a renovated warehouse that offers beautiful views of the Portneuf gap. Local DJ Kelly Martinez will bring his best 80’s & 90’s tunes cued and ready on the outdoor deck, and may even be persuaded to don his personal ensemble of hammer pants, leg warmers and 80’s head band.

Music: Speaking of music…start sending in song requests to pokyclassof91@gmail.com. You don’t have to compile a big list & send it at once; just forward them on as they pop in your head. And, lemme tell ya…if you don’t, you will be stuck with my old favs of Erasure, Roxette and a bit of GnR, Red Red Wine and that one Fine Young Canibals song. Over and over and over.~Billie

Teachers: We have sent invitations to all of our former teachers that we can find. I would like them to join us as our guest and any extra funds that some of you have provided will help cover their attendance.  (I spoke with Mrs. Call and just the sound of her voice made me want to sit up and pay close attention and discuss themes of The Great Gatsby. She was so sweet and so thrilled and would love to hear what we’ve been up to.)

Afterhours: We’d like to suggest a few local businesses for your afterhours revelry. Local non-smoking bars Hooligans & the Flip Side will offer drink specials—with proof of your reunion registrations; Charley’s will waive their normal cover charge, and  EFresh, a spectacular, stylish sandwich shop & gathering place is open from 11pm to 3am for the late crowd,  More information on these businesses will be included in your reunion goody bag.  (oops. I let a little surprise slip there, didn’t I? We have a limited number of these so get going on your registration.)

                                                                                                                                           ~Billie           

Reunion Musings

I’ve gotten a little grief over planning the swimming event. “I can’t believe you’re expecting us to wear swim suits at our reunion! What were you thinking?” I’ll give you a multiple choice as to what I was thinking:

A.      I want the perfect surroundings in which I can handily win a cannonball contest.

B.      I want to resurrect those ole “bun-hugger” volleyball uniforms and prance around poolside.

C.      I thought your kids would love to have the water slide, kiddy pool, and lazy river ALL to themselves so the weekend wouldn’t be so grown-up focused and boring. 

The mere word “swimsuit” can conjure face-scrunching angst for so many; just like the words “high school.”  Some of us revel in our memories while some of us cringe and are thankful everyday that it’s over. Some of us aren’t where we wanted to be 20 years after the fact. Some of us surpassed all expectations. Some, because no expectations were placed on us. Some of us are fat. Some of us think we are fat. Some of us are unhealthily thin. Some of us are happily married. Some of us are getting divorced—for the second time. Some of us can’t wait to bring our partner while some of us are silently wrestling with the idea. Some of us have 3.5 kids. Some of us have 8 in a blended family. Some of us are regretting not having children and some of us have lost a child. Or a spouse. Or a parent. Or both of them.

Some of us just want to come back for a Buddy’s salad. Some of us need to check in with the ‘rents, so the reunion is as good a time as any.  Some of us have never left Poky and love it here, while some have stayed and feel trapped. Some of us are nicer than we were. Some of us are as nice as we always were but are now more outgoing so the world can see it. Some of us are still shy. Some of us are still jerks. Some of us drink. Some of us don’t. Some of us probably shouldn’t. Some of us have heard, “you have cancer” and some of us delight in each new sunrise.

Some of us loved every minute of high school (really? doubtful), and some of us hated it all. But ALL of us spent part of our existence, simultaneously inside the old brick walls of Poky High. And all of us can make our reunion weekend whatever it is we want, or need, it to be.  I want it to be fun and laid back and filled with classmates’ multiple perspectives. I want to reconnect with some and meet others for the first time. I want new, happy memories. I need…RSVP’s. 

~Billie

Greetings Poky Class of 91!

Since our first emailing, we’ve added 40 classmates’ emails, and we are now up to ~130. Only 240 more to go! Please continue the good work and send them to pokyclassof91@gmail.com. We are doing all communication electronically to save time and money.
As promised, here are a few tidbits of important information:

Invitation. The invite & pricing information is attached. (a duplicate for some of you.) Prices go up next week, so send your checks to Thor at the address listed as soon as possible

Hotels. We have made arrangements with 3 different hotels. Please reserve rooms as soon as possible because discounts are based on our estimates, and prices may go up if we fail to fill rooms. Tell them you are with the Poky Class of 91 20yr Reunion group.

• Rodeway Inn (near the Saturday night dinner, adjacent to Elmer’s by ISU) $45.99 - $55.99/night, 835 South 5th Ave, 208-233-0451
• Clarion Inn (near the Friday night meet n greet, Pocatello Creek Exit), $75/night, 1399 Pocatello Bench Road, 800-200-8944
• Marriot Towneplace Suites (adjacent to Sunday’s brunch at Ruby Tuesday, Clark St. Exit) $99-$139/night, 2376 Via Caporatti, 208-478-7000

Old Photos & Slideshow. Kim Clark Embry is assembling a slideshow for our Saturday dinner. While we have loved seeing the old bangs and short shorts on Facebook, please send all of your photos to Kim at the following URL so we have a few surprises at the reunion. Even if you are unable to attend, we’d love to have your pictures. Go to http://dropitto.me/dembry and use the password “pokyhigh91”.

Facebook. For those of you in the Facebook group, “Poky High Class of 91 20yr Reunion Group” who are feeling inundated with notification emails, there is an easy way to turn them off. Click on the group’s icon located on the right of your FB homepage. At the group wall, click on the “Edit Settings” tab at the top to the right of the group name. You can then customize or turn off completely any notifications.

It has been great to hear from you and see the photos and assorted profile pics. I am respectfully asking, however, that you keep your posts g-rated and appropriate.  I can be as irreverent as anyone and enjoy a full spectrum of humor, but we would prefer to maintain a high level of courtesy and suitable content on the group page. Please. I’m asking nicely.

Blogspot. For those of you not on Facebook, we’ve established a non-interactive URL, where we will post information and updates. You can check it out at http://www.pokyclassof91.blogspot.com/

Keep sending those RSVPs, funds, and classmates’ info our way! Coming soon: how you can help if you're a local, a solicitation for DJ song requests, Saturday menu choices and more!

~Billie