Last Chance for the Discounted Price

The big day is fast approaching! There has been an improvement in the venue (not that there was anything wrong with the old one). If you've ever been high atop the Pier 66 in the revolving restaurant, then you know what a treat you're in for because that is now where Saturday's dinner will be. If you've never enjoyed the view from atop Pier 66, then what are you waiting for?! Now's the time. If you haven't been there in years and years, then I'll bet the view is all new to you.

You can pay online here. And you can download the registration form to fax or mail here.

R Day Minus 9 Weeks and 6 Days!

As of today, Saturday, May 10, 2008, it is Reunion Day minus nine weeks and six days, but who is counting? Start your diets, renew the gym membership! Time is running out! There is now a link online if you wish to register for the reunion with a credit card and pay through PayPal. However, payment by check is preferred. PayPal charges a fee for credit card transactions.

There are three payment options: (1) the whole weekend, (2) Saturday night only, and (3) a Friday only option for the Class of 1978. The format is a cocktail party poolside Friday night at the reunion hotel for the Class of 1978, which is $55.00 per person, and a dinner and dance Saturday night for $115.00 per person. The full event calendar from the website is here.

There is a also a list of all those class members who have confirmed their intention to attend the reunion. Is your name missing? If it is, don't let it stay that way for long.

I'll see you in nine weeks and six days!

Discounted Room Rates Now Available

The hotel and room rates are set and rooms are available for reservation. The 30^th Reunion is July 18 to July 20, 2008 at the recently completely remodeled and renovated Fort Lauderdale Grande Hotel and Yacht Club. According to the hotel website, this is a $60 million renovation and it looks like it will only have been completed for a few months when we visit in July. Rooms are $129.00 per night if you mention the Nova High 30^th Reunion when you call and make your reservations.

Friday night is a cocktail party for the class of 1978. Saturday night there will be a dinner open to all Nova Alums regardless of year of graduation. Of course, this will be of most interest to those who graduated between 1976 and 1980 on the theory that they’re most likely to know 1978 grads.

SPREAD THE WORD! Information about the Reunion gets spread by word of mouth, emails, and this blog. Make sure that you mention the Reunion to your old classmates and friends of old classmates. About two dozen people came to the 25^th for whom we have no email addresses. There are another six dozen who did not come to the 25^th and for whom we don’t have emails. You can also help spread the word by getting an announcement in your local paper or on television. If you would like to help call people who don’t have email addresses but for whom we have phone numbers, let Sally know.

See you in July!

Date And Place Are Set

A reunion hotel has been selected. The reunion will be held at the Fort Lauderdale Grande Hotel & Yacht Club, which is a proud member of the Hilton Hotel family. The Friday night cocktail party will be held at the Grande Hotel and the Saturday night dinner will be held across the Intracoastal at the venerable Hyatt Regency Pier 66. The Pier 66 apparently has a larger ballroom. Shuttle transportation will be provided from the Grande Hotel to the Pier 66 for those who are staying at the Grande Hotel. Stay tuned for more information on pricing.

Those of you who attended the 25th reunion will realize that the Grande Hotel was the Marriott where the 25th was held. However, it has been completely renovated and rebranded. Those of you with long memories may recall that our senior year homecoming dance was at the Pier 66 so there may be a nostalgic connection there for some of you. I don't think I'll be wearing my nic-nic shirt, polyester pants, and platform shoes this time around though.

See you soon!

Reunion Planning Update

Cathy Hoffman was kind enough to put together a conference call meeting for the evening of Monday, January 21. Cathy, Greg Maduros, Joe Berman, Helen Reisberg, and Chuck and Elayne Boehm were present. Sally Katz, Janet Metz, and Donna Schroeder phoned in. One final hotel is being checked out before the final decision on the venue is made. If you haven't gotten an email, let Sally know whether you are interested in actually staying at the reunion hotel by emailing her at novahighreunion@aol.com .

Stay tuned for updates and a hotel selection soon. The weekend of July 18 is just six very short months away!

Mark Your Calendars!

A reunion date has been chosen. The Reunion Committee has settled on the weekend of July 18, 2008 for the 30th reunion. The hotel rates were best in the off season. The broad where is, of course, somewhere in South Florida. The hotel is still being worked on although there are several prospects. If you have any hotel suggestions, speak now. The format will be Friday night cocktail party and Saturday night dinner. In other words, "the usual." But why mess with success? Everyone seems to enjoy this format and it provides multiple opportunities for mingling, especially for those who can't make one event or the other.

Meeting Announcement

The next Reunion Committee meeting will be at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, January 10, 2008 at Cathy Hoffman's home in South Florida. Cathy will provide fruit and munchies for everyone. Sally, Helen, Cathy, Chuck and Elaine, and Greg are planning to attend. Sally promises to make the meeting worth your while and will try to get things done as quickly as possible. Please let Sally know if you’re attending by sending her an email at novahighreunion@aol.com. If you are planning to attend, you can also get the address for Cathy's house via email. The purpose of the meeting will be to consider the choice of hotels and reunion dates, which so far have been narrowed to the third weekend in July or Columbus Day weekend in October.

By the way, you know what they say about the plans of mice and men ..... I'm afraid that I never got around to preparing those email interview questions as I so optimistically planned to do during my vacation. So it will still be awhile before that feature is implemented.

New Feature Starting Soon

I am about to go to Williamstown, Massachusetts for a vacation. While there, I'm going to type a series of questions to be emailed to everyone on the email list. I'm going to take the more interesting, unusual, or fun responses and post them to the blog once or twice a week for as long as they last. I reserve the right to select the ones that get posted for any reason or no reason at all. After all, I'm doing the work. I'm going to look for people who haven't been to any reunions and, therefore, we may be out of touch with as well as those who have been to every reunion. This is your chance to submit questions you'd like answered as well as who you'd most like to hear from. Post your suggestions in the comments and I'll get them via email. That way your classmates can see your suggestions as well.

Hotel Update

Well, we know that at least one committee member is hard at work looking for a hotel because she sent everyone a report via email. Carol Snyder Wood reports that her old college roommate is the Director of Sales at the new Crowne Plaza Hollywood Beach, which just opened. It is located at 4000 S. Ocean Drive
Hollywood, Florida.

Again, the proposed dates are the third week in July or Columbus Day weekend. If you've got any comments good or bad about this hotel or the dates under consideration, then let the Reunion Committee know your thoughts.

The Latest News Hot Off the Presses! (screen?)

The latest email from the Reunion Committee indicates that the Committee is researching pricing and availability of hotels for the third week in July 2008 and the Columbus Day weekend, which is Friday, October 10, 2008 to Monday, October 13. Hhhhmmmmm.... Fort Lauderdale in October? Could be pleasant, but still hot. The estimated number of rooms is two to three dozen. If you've got any suggestions or the inside line with a local hotel, let the Committee know.