Photos and article by Ann Smega Bergstrom
Lend me your ears and I’ll sing you a song.
When the Beatles sang “I get by with a little help from my friends” in 1967, the Buckhannon-Upshur High School graduating class of that year took it seriously. Though 1967 was marred by race riots and Vietnam War protests, it also included hippies celebrating The Summer of Love, the musical Hair opening off Broadway, the Supreme Court declaring interracial marriage constitutional, and model Twiggy and mini-skirts flowering all over pop culture.
Today, that 1967 B-UHS graduating class is still holding dear to its friends and memories. After its successful 2017 50th reunion, members decided to hold a monthly dinner to celebrate classmates and their graduating year. Also, it was just plain fun, much like the meetings the year before while planning the reunion.
Each month, classmate Dave Corley with help from Terry Reed and JoAnne Morrison organizes where and on what they will chow down. According to Corley, the class tries to rotate between local restaurants, venues and eateries, and they usually feed around 30 diners, more or less, and have a fabulous time reminiscing about the good ol’ days, and new.
In October, the group met at the sparkly new Opera House owned by C.J. and Jeannie Rylands located beside C.J. Maggies. The Opera House is a full-service catering facility and entertainment venue, a beautiful event center with 100-year-old hardwood floors, coffered ceilings, exposed brick, colorful lighting and stylish decor. It can seat up to 185 guests, and has an elevated stage and custom bar to get the party going. A green room off the stage has a full bath, wet bar and make-up table to accommodate everyone’s expectations.
Reed organized October’s chow and howl, which from all appearances, proved highly rewarding and tasty. A 1967 Facebook page helps the class stay organized and in touch. The next get-together is Dec. 19, a covered dish dinner at the 88, and they’ll try not to sing out of key.
Pictured are Bob and Masconia Strader, Sue and Scott Andrews, Steve Able, Dave and Di Corley, Roxanne and Jim Harlow, Freda Lofton Branson, Jo Anne Morrison, Janet Phillips Chandler, Terry Reed, Joyce Helmick, Dorrell and Diane Naskey Hyre.
