I have had the pleasure of writing for the Messenger for a year as of September, and have met so many of the community members because of this "job" . You see, I have an insatiable curiosity about everything around me, and being a writer for the local papers encourages me to get out of my comfort zone and ask people I don't yet know questions about what is going on in their lives. And nobody questions why I want to know what's going on! It's a win/win situation, and I want to thank the Messenger staff for giving me to opportunity to meet you all! I have made many friends in the towns I write for, and feel like I have been given the opportunity to help others in so many ways. I want to say thank you to all of you who have reached out to me for help in getting their news out to the public, and a special thanks to those of you who stop me on the street or at events to tell me how much you enjoy my articles. It means a lot to be appreciated!
One of the first articles I wrote was on the 69th Reunion of the graduating class of Wanamingo, last year. For me, it was a delight to be able to bring my mother, "Carly Carlson" to the event. As you may or may not know, I lived in Wanamingo until I was 6 years old. Most of my classmates have moved out of town, but the parents of those classmates are still getting together every year for a reunion, and to be a part of that was special to me, because I remember my mom's friends from way back when I was young.
This year, on September 13th, the Class of '53 met once again, and to our surprise, the class of '55 was also at JB's to celebrate their 68th reunion. We had a lot of fun, taking pictures, and going back and forth between the tables to say hello, and find out what everyone has been up to. I was able to ask some of them where my classmates were living and what they were up to. The food was great, the company was so fun, and I must say, a good time was had by all! Because of the timing of the 2 reunions, you get pictures of both classes this year!
Someone brought the yearbook, so we all reminisced about the classmates who couldn't make it to the reunion, and the ones who are no longer with us. Norlene brought a pamphlet from the 50th reunion in which she had written a poem about the 12 years of schooling they had to go through to get to graduate, and others brought a scrapbook and pictures to share. As you can imagine, there were lots of stories told, and a bit of teasing each other about high school antics. They shared stories about their first jobs, and their children's accomplishments. Telling stories about growing up in a small town never gets old, and I had my share of laughs as well. All in all, it was a really fun event!
