Main event of the weekend was Castle
Manor, all day Saturday, with midday potluck meal. Terry
DeMaegd opened the doors at 7 o'clock in the morning, and
we had the place all day: Huge central room with big
stone fireplace, quiet side room, two restrooms, big
double kitchen with center island, tables and chairs,
several doors for coming and going, front porch, covered
pavillion outside, plenty of parking.
Once again, Castle Manor was home for
the MHS Class of 1968 for one day.
Above: Early morning at Castle Manor.
Debby Parnell brought balloons and a welcome sign.
Above: Terry DeMaegd arrived early and set
up the tables and chairs. Toby Roose added table covers.
Center pieces were by Pam Craig. Someone brought potted
mums that decorated the fireplace mantel.
Above: From left, Debbie Koepke, Pam
Craig, Toby Roose, and Brenda Burkett were on site early
to help make things look good. The one who did most of
the on site interior decorating and arranging was Debby
Parnell.
Above: Some final arranging by Debbie
Morse.
Above: The spread kept growing. Two long
side tables, one round table, and overflow in the
kitchen.
Above: Dinner was at 12:30 p.m. At 12:25
p.m., some of the women who had grown up in the Mishawaka
Council of Camp Fire Girls called everyone to eat by
singing the "Camp Fire Law." Castle Manor used
to be owned by the Mishawaka Council of Camp Fire Girls.
It was used for summer day camps, for Council events, and
for group sleepovers. Some years past, the Council
donated Castle Manor to the City of Mishawaka.
Above: Time to line up for food. There was
more than enough for everyone, and the choices were as
complete as any restaurant menu. We had everything from
homegrown tomatoes to Peggy Sinkovics' homemade Hungarian
noodles. There were meatballs and chicken and German
sausage and casseroles. There were fresh-from-the-garden
vegetables and salads and homemade deserts and fresh
fruit. We had pink lemonade and beer and wine and bottled
water, and even chocolate milk. Randy Smith brought
homemade waffle-cookies made from his German grandpa's
recipe. Everyone brought what he or she wanted to add to
the table, and Debby Parnell arranged it all to look as
if there had been a master plan.
Above: The center pieces were by Pam
Craig. Each three-sided centerpiece was made from Pam's
1968 yearbook. Surrounding the center display were photos
from past post-MHS get-togethers, to look at and to
remember when being 48 was being young.
Above: Mid-day meal, and the socializing
and catching up moved into full swing as we chowed down.
Above: Time to move to the kitchen for
dessert. From left, Spider Draves, Dave Hoskins, Bill
Hickey.
Above: More gathering in the kitchen. From
left, Mike Squibb, Terry DeMaegd, Pete Dexter (in
distance), Tamara Reed, Mary Jane Dexter.
Above: Tamara Reed brought her parents'
quadricycle. Pat Long explained to Brenda Burkett how to
manipulate it.
Above: After dessert in the kitchen, it
was time to go outside and check out the cars. The car is
Joe Swift's 1956 Avanti. The men are Bill Hickey, Steve
Cunningham, and Dave Hoskins.
Above: Pat McGee's granddaughter and Dan
Nicolini play with bubbles. Eve Thompson brought bottles
of bubbles and decks of cards as party favors.
Above: Pat McGee and Mary Rhoade canoeing
on the St. Joseph River. Pat brought the canoe, paddles,
and life jackets and invited any and all to go out on the
river.
Above: From Debbie Koepke, "Hello,
Randy Marks, Connie Kelly, Paula Miller. Wish you were
here."
Above: In the evening, there was birthday
cake for Becky Smith. There also was ice cream, and there
were plenty of leftovers from the noon meal. We just kept
eating all day.
Above: Almost all of us turned 63 in 2013.
There was a big sheet cake from West End Bakery.
 
Above: When it got dark, we had fireworks.
Terry DeMaegd brought some fireworks that shot into the
sky. Spider Draves donated some fountains, sparklers, and
hot air balloons. That's Debby Parnell's husband with the
hot air balloon.
Castle Manor cleanup was by everyone
who was there, but it was Linda DeMeulenaere who did the
final "scrub & polish" on everything.
MORE PHOTOS FROM CASTLE MANOR:
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