Local Bob Harris was sitting midway up the bleacher at the entrance to the "Old Tyme Independence Day Celebration" on Friday evening, July 3, which had been placed near the National Bank of Oak Harbor automatic teller machines within the Mill Street parking lot. He informed entering classmates that local Tom "Head" Leaser was working in the cheerleader fund raising booth with Tom's wife, Nancy, and other athletic booster activists.
Later, from his crow's nest bleacher perch, Bob was able to reconnect family members by telling an inquiring walker where the cluster of his or her family had migrated among the crowds. When Californian classmate Mrs. P. (Marilyn Steindam Palmer) entered the area, Bob informed her that "Mr. P. (Doug Palmer) is eating an American Legion perch sandwich with his father, 'Friendly Uncle Tom,' over near the beer keg."
Later again, word came through a big bunch of Steindams that they had encountered local classmate Arlyn Bensch. So when Ar's and Mr. P.'s eyes came into contact over a long distance and masses of bodies on blankets in preparation for the fireworks display, each gave a hand signal pointing toward a rendezvous in the general area of Bob Harris. As Ar approached Bob, and Mr. P. approached Bob, he served as an air traffic controller and guided them both to a meeting near the beer keg.
Ar was there with his wife, Candy (OHJHS study hall monitor and yearbook advisor), and two sons, Jeff (OHHS freshman in September) and David (OHJHS eighth grader in September).
Sandy Palmer Ciolino (Class of 1968) and her husband, Dino, blew into town Saturday afternoon, July 4, from their Madeira (Cincinnati) home to visit her father, "Friendly Uncle Tom;" her sister, Karla Palmer Windnagel (Class of 1974); and her brother and sister-in-law, Mr. and Mrs. P. from California. After Saturday evening family festivities at Karla's, followed with Sunday brunch at the Oak Harbor Hotel and more family blabbing, they departed late Sunday afternoon, July 5.
On Sunday evening, July 5, pizza-and-beer impresario Arlyn Bensch orchestrated a close encounter of the Rocket kind among his wife, Candy; Tom Sorg and Diana Lutz Sorg; and Jim Goldstein and his wife, Pauline, and their daughter, Jasmine; along with visiting out-of-state classmates Doug Palmer and Marilyn Steindam Palmer. These Rockets devoured several sumptuous sectors of succulent saucy slices and chased them with heavenly headed fluids from bottles the likes of Kilian Red, Michelob, and O'Doul's (for the designated drivers). Tongues were sufficiently loosened by the feast and fluids such that many tall tales and true confessions were revealed, some dating back to first grade. Rocket Revelry to the max!
Diana suggested that the class go on a cruise for the 35th reunion in 2002. Her husband, Tom, said that he couldn't stand to be with that many classmates for that long of a period. After a bit more brainstorming, and a few more beers, it was decided that a cruise is a great idea and that, to placate Tom the carpenter, we'd build a Habitat-for-Humanity House on the deck of the cruise ship. We promised Tom that we'd have Arlyn measure his boards twice before sawing them instead of "cuttin' and seein' how short they are afterward" like he's used to, being a hospital CFO (Saint Charles Mercy Hospital) who's used to hatcheting his budgets to squeeze out savings. And Doug promised to wear special depth perception eyeglasses so as not to "miss the nails while hammering them" and, thus, refrain from marring the wood surfaces big-time. After this novel idea, and more beers, a really great idea came up, but no one can remember what it was.
On Monday, July 6, local Connie Foreman Durdel e-mailed that she had encountered Rick Charlton in the Community IGA Grocery Store (no longer Basset's IGA, they sold out and only run their Catawba Island store now) over the weekend, and that he had informed her about our web site, which she has been enjoying and has agreed to join. She is the first of, hopefully, many Class of 1969ers who will join our site until theirs is built, after which we'll simply redirect the hyper link to their full-blown site. Rick Charlton and Edwina Jeffers Charlton had e-mailed ahead of their low-level and private visit to her parents during the June 28 to July 5 time frame, from their Liverpool (Syracuse), New York, residence. During Carol Brunkhorst Shaw's family's "mad dash" to the lake on Saturday and Sunday, July 4 and 5, from their Pickerington (Columbus) home, Carol was able to blab Edwina for about an hour during their hectic visit.
On Wednesday, July 8, classmate Ken "Horseman" Thorbahn drove into Oak Harbor from Bowling Green and picked up Doug Palmer from "Uncle Tom's Cabin" for a fresh yellow perch sandwich lunch at Toussaint Tavern. Ken was in town to inspect the extensive damage to a couple thousand dollars' worth of high pressure power wash equipment which he had stored in his brother's barn and which had collapsed due to the tornado that had crossed Carroll Township on June 24. Doug filled him in on the brainstorming sessions that had taken place the Sunday evening before; Ken dutifully took notes in his role as our esteemed reunion committee chairman. He said that a planning meeting is going to be scheduled for 1999 near Billy Simpkins' and Janet Axe Simpkins' place in Gainesville, Florida. Then Ken reminded Doug that the following meeting in Summer 2000 is scheduled in San Francisco, near Mr. and Mrs. P.'s place.
Arlyn and Candy Bensch reported that Dan Lenke and Valerie Vaillant Lenke were in great form at the microphone in the Oak Harbor Hotel karaoke bar on Saturday evening, July 11. They were spending a week in the area from their Palm Harbor, Florida, home. Jim's and Pauline's (Goldstein's) daughter was a show-stopper -- she's got a super voice! Harry and Judy (from Maumee) and locals Tom and Candee (Dewitz) also made an appearance after dinner at the hotel. (Doug Palmer was deluged early in the evening with unanticipated visiting relatives, which precluded his attendance as he had intended.)
The Thorbahns, Bensches, Goldsteins, Millers (Dale and Joyce {Hemminger, Class of 1968} who reside in Oregon, Ohio), and Diana Lutz Sorg (Tom was under the weather) went to the lake on Saturday, July 18, for an impromptu reunion committee meeting at Carol Brunkhorst Shaw's mother's house at Sand Beach (Carol's family was visiting for the week). "Thorb" was talking up the reunion committee meeting to be held at the Simpkins' in February in Gainesville, Florida -- he'd like to rent a travel home for the trip! Rumor has it that there were some "drunken sailors" in the area sellin' "yacht rides to Florida real cheap" which "Thorb" had to decline when he discovered holes beneath the waterline from the June 24 tornado that "rocked the shore" very heavily.
Tom Banchich had e-mailed in early July that he hoped to get to the village in the July 17 to 21 period while his family visited the Toledo area from their Buffalo, New York, residence. He lamented that his late July arrival might cause him to miss the "wave of out-of-towners" planning to visit in the first half of the month. He also had written about the strong history influences that Mr. Benny Morse's and Coach Charles Todd's teachings had upon his personal career decisions, which led to a bachelor of arts in history and eventually to a doctorate in classics. Regrettably due to time constraints on the tail end of his trip, Tom was only able to drive through Oak Harbor on his return to Buffalo. He didn't see any classmate or acquaintance in the Community IGA parking lot or on the Water Street sidewalks as he passed by.
Fresh Lake Erie yellow perch sandwiches and dinners are still fantastic at Kozy Corner's. A report on an effort by several "propeller head" classmates from the Classes of 1966 through 1968 to transport a fresh Kozy yellow perch sandwich to Roger Bloom, Class of '68, in Bamako, Mali, Africa, is being drafted and will appear on this web site in the future.
What other public or quasi-public classmate activities transpired during the Fourth of July period near or in our home village (that are G-rated or PG-rated for a family oriented web site)?
[Following is the precursor narrative to the holiday period.]
Who's going to Oak Harbor for the 4th of July?
If you're going to be in Oak Harbor over the Fourth of July Period and would like to see some of your local and out-of-town classmates who may be visiting our home village at the same time, send an e-mail giving the dates that you'll be available for visiting and local telephone and address contact information.
An outline of who'll be visiting and their local contact information will be kept in a text file and e-mailed privately to those classmates with known e-mail addresses. (This will be kept private and off the web site for security reasons -- we don't want bad guys messing with your domicile while you're visiting your home village.) [Semiweekly updates have been distributed to a superset of folks listed on this web site. If a classmate or friend of the class would like a copy, e-mail any of your friends listed and request that he or she forward a copy to you.]
As time elapses and our lives become more hectic, the probability that we can all clear one day every five years for our class reunion becomes, unfortunately, less likely. Therefore, as compensating measures, if we discreetly (i.e., private e-mail) let each other know when we will be home and amenable to some classmate get-together fun, we can pull it off with Internet and e-mail technology.
The out-of-town classmates would be very grateful if local classmates would give some advance ideas of special events that may be planned for the holiday period in The Village and Ottawa County and Northwest Ohio in general. Thanks for any information y'all may share.
Is there going to be a fireworks display in Oak Harbor or the Ottawa County Fairgrounds or Veterans Park this year? [Yes, Friday, July 3rd, on the south bank of Portage River and on a small island in the river. Citizens are to assemble on the north bank, behind the business district, in the National Bank of Oak Harbor parking lots and those adjacent. A dance band will be present. Rain date is the next evening, same place. Rain dance is another gig on Catawba Island the next evening.]
Is a local classmate going to be in a special place waving the Class of 1967 Pennant (or an easily recognizable bottle of beer) to denote an assembly point for classmate revelry? [Don't know yet.]
[Several classmates and friends of the class are going to have dinner on Saturday, July 11, at about 6:20 PM EDT (GMT - 0400) in the Oak Harbor Hotel, followed by festivities in the karaoke bar at about 8 PM until whenever. Experience suggests there's "standing room only" after about 9 PM. Everyone's to re-memorize the alma mater and fight song as homework. Refresher for out-of-towners: Oak Harbor Hotel is still at 200 West Water Street, Phone 419-898-4841.]