Mariner High Class of 1976

Heard from Dave Cernich today — he’s trying to get a fix on how many people might show up for a Friday night dancing/beer/good times get together at the Oxford Saloon, which sound slike a funky little place in beautiful downtown Snohomish. The where would be 913 First Street, Snohomish, WA. That would be Friday night, July 14 — when the band is supposed to be these guys (Miles from Chicago):

Now, as if what the band (who describe themselves as “… a high-energy dance band that knows how to have fun!”) sounds like makes a whit of difference for a gathering with old (really, really old!) friends, you can hear them on their mySpace site.

Now, this is mySpace — so remember, stay away from the 21 year old surf punk from Encinitas who wants to chat. She’s more than likely to be your 16 year old daughter in real life….

Oh, and while you are hanging around with the teens at mySpace, be sure to check out “Mighty Aphrodite” — these demos were recorded right here in the Butner basement, by my son Sean and his friends (Sean provided the sound engineering — the lyrical hilarity and sweet guitar playing are courtesy of the band).

So, anyway — I digress again — if you are interested in getting together w/ friends at the Oxford on Friday, please e-mail Dave Cernich, or post a comment on this post.

I’m not normally a tavern kind of a guy, but from the reviews I’ve read and everythigng else I can find, the Oxford looks like a real fun place. If you go, be sure to wear a whalebone in your hair, so that people will recognize you as a former Maurader…

If you haven’t guessed by now, I spend a lot of time on the Internet.

Between work (where I do research on how the semantic web can be used to catch suspect terrorists, among other things..) and play (where I hang out on various fly fishing discussion boards, and write soft-core pornographic fishing reports), I am on the web pretty much most of my waking, indoor time.

So, it’s not surprising that a lot of my friends are online.

I recently asked some of them to offer suggestions on activities for the reunion.

I think I might have to keep thinking…

Unless you guys want to have naked oil wrestling contests?!?

SB

I realize that some people may want to organize “special events” around the reunion that may appeal to some subset of our class — we’ve tried to provide a few generic events that will appeal to, and be accessible to most — but that shouldn’t stop anyone from organizing side-events.

For example, you might want to organize:

• a golf outing?
• a fishing trip?
• a poker game?
• a wine tasting?
• an Amway party?

Who knows? In any event, since this site appears to be the focal point for Reunion planning activities, please feel free to use the comment feature on this post to announce any special events associated with the reunion. Just be sure to provide a time, date, place, and contact info.
SB

Want to help out for the big reunion? Here’s a list of things we know we need help with. If you see something on the list you’d like to help with, send me an e-mail, or better yet, add a comment to this post.

See something we’ve overlooked? Let us know that, too!

Trust me — you don’t want me to organize the picnic activities…see what I mean?

List Of Things That Need to Be Done

• “Costco Run” — we need someone to pick up picnic essentials prior to Sunday’s get-together:
• napkins (linen would be nice, but we’ll settle for paper)
• paper or plastic cups
• soda pop (I don’t dare use the southern “Cokes” for a class that gradudated in the 70’s)
• bottled water
• ice
• a collection of simple, traditional side dishes (e.g., cole slaw, pasta salad, potato salad, or Yataklete Kilkil — Ethiopian Vegetables With Garlic and Ginger)
• Have an ice chest? We could use a few to hold the sodas, water, and don’t forget that Yataklete Kilkil!
• Publicity! We are in The Herald’s announcement section, but perhaps someone local to the area could see to getting us placed in some of the other local newspapers, cable TV, etc? If you’re willing to lead a publicity effort, let us know.
• On-site activities. We are not planning much — hopefully simply seeing each other again and laughing at Scott’s ever-expanding waistline will provide entertainment enough. But if someone wants to help organize a Trivia contest, or perhaps a slide show, etc — let us know.
• Signage. We need someone to make a banner (something to the effect of “MHS Class of 1976 Reunion” — or something equally creative) and some signs to let people know they’re in the right place.
• Sports equipment. You know — volleyball or badmitton net/equipment, yard darts, frisbees, unicycles….). Oh, and by the way — several of our classmates (Ozie Greene, Kevin Hayes, Brian Zelmer, and Dave Van Beek, to name a few) are firefighters, so there will be plenty of paramedic training onsite for those who overexert!
• Music. Some period music would be nice, if we can get away with it (we still don’t know). If you might be willing to provide an amp and some speakers, we can go the iPod route.
• Baby Sitter(s). At our ages, perhaps not many of us have kids who need to be watched over — well, at least not by a babysitter. But a few people get late starts on having kids, and many of us have grandkids. So if someone wants to organize a small child-safe area (you know — a few toys, a responsible teenager to supervise, some concertina wire…) that would be a very, um…progressive! thing to do.

That’s about it for now. If you have interest in helping — in any of these categories, or any other way — let us know.

SB

First of all, thank you! thank you! thank you!

Secondly, there’s little worse than offering to help, but not being taken up on the offer.

Well, we’re working on it. The truth of the matter is, we’re making this up as we go along, and soon hope to have a list of chores and preparations that we’ll need help on.

But while I can’t speak for the others, I am socially inept, and have ZERO experience organizing social events. So I don’t have a clue what needs to be done.

Which is a roundabout way of saying this: if you would like to help, the best way to do so (besides tracking down other class mates of ours and inviting them!) is to identify a task that you think needs to be done, and offer to take charge of it.

For those who like a little more direction, we’ll try to have a list of chores up on this site by June 26.

Thanks!

I told you I’d make some progress on this reunion thingy!

So, today I called up Sharon (Verg) Johnson, who has been down in Miami, trying to reason with the hurricane season, and she decided to make some executive decisions.

Now, I haven’t seen Sharon since I visited Miami in the late 1980’s, but I get the impression she is used to making a lot of decisions — it sure came naturally to her!

So: July 14-16, 2006. A reunion for the Mariner High School Class of 1976. Exact place, and exact times, TBD. But SOMEWHERE in the Everett/Mukilteo Metro area.

Details will be announced on this site, and anywhere else we can think of.

Be there. Or be…

well, just be there, OK?

If you’re interested in helping with some aspect of organization or planning, please let Sharon or I know. This is a grassroots effort: Power to (and from) the People!

You can contact us via Comments left on this blog, or via e-mail:

Scott Butner

Sharon (Verg) Johnson