THE FIRST NIGHT AT SHIRLEY'S 50TH HIGH SCHOOL REUNION (MET AT DOWNTOWN PERRY FOR BLOCK PARTY & GET TOGETHER) - Friday, July 19, 2024

As my 50th high school class reunion approached, I thought back to the glory days of high school -- circa 1974. Proms, pimples, hormones and hickeys (which I had none of as I didn't go to prom and luckily with my genetics, I never had pimples -- and of course no hickeys for me). I do however, remember all the jocks and jerks -- in high school, there seemed to be quite a few. But, who would not want to celebrate these golden times -- a half-century later in 2024?

The "Class Reunion" poem shown below talks about rolling back the years and being young again if even for only one evening. I love it!

It is estimated that only 20% to 30% of alumni attend their 50th high school reunion. After all, people die, lose interest or just don't want to be reminded of four of the most awkward, frustrating and confusing years of their life.

Ultimately, there is nothing more exciting and frightening than going back for a 50th high school class reunion. I decided to attend my 50th high school class reunion to have a chance to catch up with old friends, reminisce, and develop relationships. During my high school years, I only had a few close friends. There were probably more that liked to pick on me, but I still surfaced with my head held high. And I was determined to attend this class reunion -- even though I had only attended our 10th (1984) and 15th (1989) years class reunions. I can now truly say that a high school reunion is a milestone that shouldn't be missed.

In 1974, the year I graduated from Perry High School, Richard Nixon was the first US President forced to resign after the Watergate Scandal. Gerald Ford was sworn in as the 38th US President. A first class postage stamp cost $0.10, a gallon of gas cost $0.53, a dozen eggs cost $0.78, a loaf of bread cost $0.28, a gallon of milk cost $1.57, a movie ticket cost $1.89, a new car cost $3,500, and a new house cost $34,900. The average income per year was $13,900.

Popular movies in the theater were: The Towering Inferno, Young Frankenstein, Blazing Saddles, Earthquake, The Godfather II, and the trial of Billy Jack. And some of the television shows were: All in the Family, Sandford and Son, Chico and the Man, The Jeffersons, and M*A*S*H. 

Popular 70s slang included:

* Psyche! -- which meant "Just Kidding"

* Far Out! -- which meant "Cool"

* Dream On! -- which meant "Unrealistic"

* Right On! -- which meant "In Agreement"

* Can You Dig It? -- which meant "Do You Understand?"

So tonight, Mel and I headed to Perry, Iowa to meet up with some of my classmates at the block party in downtown Perry.

Going to Perry was only a short jaunt -- about 50 miles from Martie and Karen's house in Pleasant Hill, Iowa.

We met up with some of my Perry High School classmates from 1973 and 1974 in downtown Perry at around 6:00 p.m. to listen to a local band and take part in a block party.  I just couldn't wait to see all the Perry Bluejays and Jayettes!

Perry is an established community located 40 miles from downtown Des Moines. Flanked by the Raccoon River to the southwest, multiple parks and 89 miles of bike trails, locals enjoy the experiences that Perry has to offer. 

The Hotel Pattee (shown above), which was originally built in 1913, has been restored and is a focal point of Perry's redevelopment. In 1912, Harry and William Pattee decided that the best way to honor their beloved father, David Jackson Pattee, was to build a hotel in his honor. Blueprints were drawn up, ground was broken, and in the spring of 1913, their much anticipated vision was unveiled -- a grand hotel.

In Perry, close to the Perry Welcome Depot located at 1019 Willis Avenue, we spotted the  big bike sculpture (see below). 

This very old bicycle sculture stands at 14-1/2 feet tall by 28 feet long and was created to bring awareness that Perry and the surrounding areas are raising funds to join to the High Trestle Trail in Woodward-- 9 miles away. The bike was assembled in 2016 from industrial and farm junk by local artist -- who is also one of my classmate's, Cheri (Tice) Scheib. She designed its pedals to serve as seats for photo-ops.

After arriving in Perry at around 5:00 p.m., we decided to grab something to eat before going to the block party. 

The state of Iowa is full of quiet small towns and backroads where even residents who have lived in the Hawkeye State their whole lives may have never visited – and that means they may be missing out on some great hidden gems! A perfect example of this is the small city of Perry in rural central Iowa, where you’ll find an unassuming local restaurant that may serve the best BBQ in Iowa. 

Bett & Bev’s BBQ is a little roadside shack that puts some unique twists on classic barbecue, combining a menu full of all the old favorites like pulled pork and brisket with some cuts you may not have seen before. The humble exterior of Bett & Bev's means many people might just pass it by - but the delicious smell of smoked meat might convince them otherwise! And since Bett & Bev's BBQ was having a 5th year anniversary special and it came highly recommended, we decided to give it a try -- so pulled pork sandwiches for us!

Shown below is the inside of this eating establishment. 

The pulled pork sandwiches (made from pork shoulder that is smoked until it's tender enough to fall off the bone) at Bett & Bev's BBQ have been voted one of the top pulled pork sandwiches in Iowa! 

Mel had two pulled pork sandwiches with a side of creamy coleslaw made with carrots and red cabbage (see above and below).

Shirley had a pulled pork sandwich with Frips (see picture above and below). Frips are crinkle cut potato chips that are fried in house. The BBQ was excellent and the price was right!

After we ate our dinner, we headed to 2nd street in downtown Perry where they had it blocked off for the "2nd Street Block Party" featuring Oreo Meatwagon Trio! The block party began at 5:00 p.m. Entertainment was provided by the Oreo Meatwagon Trio -- one of Iowa’s best party bands playing our favorite hits.

We sat just outside of the Tin Pig Tavern (see picture below), which is somewhat of a classic diner and old-school saloon combined, with a bit of a sports bar thrown in for good measure. Here we were able to visit with classmates, get drinks or food, and go in to use their bathroom when needed.

Some people ate dinner at the Tin Pig Tavern including the "Mod Squad" as they called themselves. From left to right in the above picture is Linda Modlin (Joy's sister), Mary Ann (Modlin) Connors ('73 & Joy's sister), Joy (Modlin) Farrell, Holly (Meier) Lester, and Joanne Modlin ('73 & Joy's cousin).

The above picture shows Peter Gelbowitz visiting with Barb (Sheeder). Another person that I can identify is Barb (Tiernan) Fiori, standing and located right above Peter Gelbowitz's head in the picture.

Above is a group visiting -- only one I can identify is Hollie (Sailer) Hart, who is in the gray striped top in the middle of the picture.

Shown above, Mark McMichael and Audrey (Blougher) Mohr visit at the block party.

Shown above, Mike Brelsford visits with Joelle (Conklin) Miner.

In the picture above, I'm in the second row with a blue shirt trying to photo bomb this picture of some of my classmates. Starting with the front row from the left is Eileen (Zollman) Watson, Marcia McDowell Fink, Christine (Menz) Greer, Hollie (Sailer) Hart, Jim Patten, and Dawn (Hansen) Bach. In the back row from left to right is Holly (Meier) Lester, Shirley (Blaisdell) Mendenhall, Rhonda (Long) Blair, Audrey (Blougher) Mohr, and Mike Brelsford.

As posted in "The Perry News", the Perry High School Class of 1973 and the Perry High School Class of 1974 joined forces for a joint class reunion. Shown above is the class of 1974. Those identified are as follows: sqatting or sitting in the wheel chair in the front row from left to right is Joelle (Conklin) Miner, Donald Shutt, Jim Patten, and Mark McMichael. First row from left to right is Nancy (Jenkins) Hillaker, Sheri (Stewart) Long, Diane (Vestal) Martelli, Barb (Sheeder) Chevalier, Ann (Collins) Hattery, Joy (Modlin) Farrell, Andrea (Ahlstrom) Germann, Rhonda (Overton) Macarthur, Linda (Waters) Gibson, Dawn (Hansen) Bach, and Cheri (Tice) Schieb. Second row from left to right is Jeff Stewart, Mike Lind, Randy Hanlin, Greg Strait, Barb (Tiernan) Fiori, Kathy Pohl, Holly (Meier) Lester, Rhonda (Roberts) Olson, Mike Hulsebus, Sandy (Malm) Grubbs, Sharon (Vines) Fessler, Eileen (Zollman) Watson, Shirley (Blaisdell) Mendenhall, Marcia (McDowell) Fink, and Christine (Menz) Greer. Back row from left to right is Mark Grubbs, Ron Sutherland, Ed Hurd, Danny Stout, Mark Day, Lila (Davis) Lind, Mike Brelsford, Audrey (Blougher) Mohr, Rhonda (Long) Blair, Hollie (Sailer) Hart, Dan Hagar, and Randy Gibson.

Shown below is the class of 1973 from the Friday night celebration in downtown Perry, Iowa. In the front row from left to right is Keith Davis, Julie (Behlings) Bitner, Mary Ann (Modlin) Connors, Connie (Knepper) Sheehy, Deanna Zollman, and Jim Fiori. In the back row from left to right is unidentified person, Kent Scheib, Peggy Wuebker, Lori Main, Deb (Carr) West, Roger Stech, Dr. Paul Ruggle, and Randy Bach.

And shown below is another picture of the Oreo Meatwagon Trio, the band playing at the block party tonight.

When it started sprinkling, we left the block party at around 9:30 p.m. and headed back to Pleasant Hill arriving there at 10:30 p.m. 

It was simply a beautiful night with marvelous weather for July in Iowa. I had a great time with past acquaintances and friends from high school!

Shirley & Mel