The old saying is that, “Time flies when you are …” Well, wait a minute, time just seems to fly. Period.

Has it really been two decades since I graduated from Paul G. Blazer High School? I hope my fellow Class of 1993 graduates are ready to take a walk down memory lane and catch up with old friends. Our 20-year reunion is set for July 19-21.

Hopefully no one will hold it against me that I was an Ashland Tomcat. Rest assured that I’m an Irontonian and Lawrence Countian now, through and through, and have been for the better part of a decade.

But it will still be interesting to see my former classmates and catch up on what has happened over the past 20 years.

I was asked to help get the word out through the local newspapers. Often that is done through letters to the editor. Since it seemed strange to write a letter to myself (No, I’m not ready to start talking to myself yet) I thought I would work this into my weekly column.

The organizers have put together a fun weekend that starts at 7:30 p.m., Friday, July 19, with food and drinks at Callihan’s at the KYOVA Mall. It will be a casual dress, social mixer that ends when everyone decides to call it a night or the restaurant tells us it is time to go home.

The celebration continues from 7:30-11:30 p.m., Saturday, July 20 with a buffet dinner catered by the Texas Roadhouse at the Paramount Arts Center in Ashland. The event will be cocktail attire with dancing.

Classmates and their families will get together from 1:30-4 p.m., Sunday, July 21 for a picnic at the high school, under Building 1. Food will be courtesy of Giovanni’s Pizza and it is bring your own drinks (no alcohol on school grounds.) We will have access to the campus to tour at our leisure.

The cost is $40 per person to attend all three events. For those attending only one or two of the weekend’s activities, the per person cost is $15 Friday, $20 Saturday and $7 Sunday. For more information or to RSVP, join the Blazer Alumni ’93 group on Facebook or email to pgbhs1993@gmail.com.

The Tri-State is so connected that many graduates are spread out across Ohio, Kentucky and West Virginia. Hopefully, this will reach some we haven’t heard from yet.

Here are the classmates who are not in the Facebook group or haven’t signed up:

John Adams, Phillip Akers, Mike Bailey, Mike Bevins, Frankie Blevins, Vickie Bowling, Duane Boyle, Scott Bradley, Gina Broun, Cindy Burkett, Mike Caudill, Daniel Christie, Melissa Clark, Billy Conley, Melinda Distel, Craig Donze, Sarah Duncan, Darren Evans, Joe Fitch, Corbin Fitzpatrick, Lori Fosson, Greg Gardner, Elaine Gibbs, Mike Hall, Lisa Haller, Scott Hardwick, Charles Hensley, Brandy Hill, Jennifer House, Chris Hughes, Brian Kirby, Billy Kreger, Brandon Layman, Jeff LeMaster, Kenny Lester, Casey Maddix, Lisa Manning, Scott Marsh, Erica Mason, Michele McDowell, Angie McGinnis, Dusty Menshouse, Mark Miebach, Andrea Morrow, William Mullins, Stacie Mullins, Donald Nuckolls, Sean Peffer, Daniel Redman, Jason Reffitt, James Reid, Greg Salyers, Andy Taylor, Glen Thomas, Larry Thomas, Gerald Thompson, Thor Thorarainsson, Kimberly Tutwiler, Karey Vallance, Leslie Waddle, Dean Wallin, James Weaver, Donald Weaver, Michelle Workman.

I am not someone who feels that high school was the best days of my life. I think it would be depressing if four years defined a whole lifetime.

But, I certainly have gotten more nostalgic as I have gotten older and am excited to attend these events, especially since I opted not to attend any of the other reunions.

I’m looking forward to seeing some old friends and, at least for one weekend, living in the past.

 

Michael Caldwell is publisher of The Tribune. To reach him, call (740) 532-1445 ext. 24 or by e-mail at mike.caldwell@irontontribune.com. Follow him on Twitter: @MikeCaldwell_IT.