Events

This page will bring you plans for events of interest to Ke-Alians and others.

Our 35-year Reunion is scheduled for Saturday August 2, 2008 at the Sheraton Crowne Plaza Hotel, in San Pedro!

The reunion committee numbers as many as 16 Ke-Alians at each meeting and we are well underway with plans for a spectacular weekend.

Not only will there be a grand dinner-dance for our 35-year reunion, there will also be a picnic and a great community event going on both Saturday and Sunday.

On Saturday and Sunday, "Taste in San Pedro" will be a major event going on at Point Fermin Park.

There will be restaurants offering samples from their menus, there will be bands playing during the event, and there will be vendors selling their wares.

Please plan on having an active weekend when you come to gather with us to celebrate being gone from San Pedro High School for 35 years now!

If you haven't received your "Save the Date" postcard that we sent out at the beginning of the year and you are a Ke-Alian, please Email me at mrichards2@hotmail.com and we will get one to you. Please provide your snail mail address AND your Email address.

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May 15, 2008 Update!

The price for tickets to the 35-year reunion increases effective June 1, 2008. If you wish to attend the reunion at the current price for tickets, please send in your funds soon.

It is with extremely little regret or sadness that I must back away from everything dealing with the 35-year reunion and just about everything else dealing with the Ke-Alians, Class of 1973.

I am moving on. I hope I am moving forward, and I am sure I am not moving backwards.

Things change. People change. I have changed. What I accepted in the past seems no longer enjoyable at this time in my journey.

It is with profound hope that everyone who wishes to attend the reunion does so and has the best time possible.

I am still considering whether I will work on the A Gathering of "The Crowd" and Friends Picnic, on August 3, 2008. I will make the decision whether I will attend that event if and when I find out if we have a booth at "Taste of San Pedro."

This site will remain up until at least after the reunion, as it is already paid for.

Much insight and comfort can come from making decisions that one hopes better themselves to go head on into the future.

Please allow me to fade away into the great adventures that hopefully await all of us.

Peace. Be well.

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Now that the "Save the Date" postcards have been mailed, those of you who have received them should check your mail in about four or so days. The invitation notice and return form is, as they say, in the mail.

If you did not receive a "Save the Date" postcard, please visit www.kealian.blogspot.com or Email Nancy or Mark to have an invitation notice mailed to you or you can download a copy of the notice at the Blog site mentioned.

The price of the reunion is set for $65.00 per ticket until May 31, 2008. After that and up to July 19, the price of a ticket jumps to $75.00 per ticket. NO TICKETS WILL BE SOLD AT THE DOOR!

The menu for the dinner/dance includes your choice of "Surf and Turf" which is medallions of beef AND a fillet of Salmon. You can also order, with the return of the notice's form that you would like Chicken Promenade, instead.

As has been written before, the reunion weekend will kick off with a no-host welcoming gathering in the lounge of the Sheraton Crowne Plaza Hotel, in San Pedro. Reunion committee members will be able to welcome guests who live locally and also guests coming in from wherever they are coming from.

The hotel is offering a room rate of $109.00 per night for guests attending the reunion. So far they have blocked out one group of ten rooms. If all ten rooms are reserved quickly, the hotel will block out another ten rooms for reunionites. It should be noted that it is better to reserve rooms sooner than later.

The invitation notice for the reunion should be on this Web site within a week, if you choose not to download it from the Blog.

Plans are running very smoothly and there are more creative committee than there has been for the past several reunions. Surprises are already in the works.

Please keep coming back to this site for more information and news concerning what looks to be a wonderful reunion weekend.

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In July,2003 our 30-year reunion was held at the Cabrillo Marina Hilton Hotel. Since that time two things have happened. First, the Bath House at Cabrillo Beach was reopened. This classical piece of San Pedro history has been restored and is used for many affairs including classes, meetings, and festive events. The second thing that happened was that the Hilton Hotel Corporation is no longer affiliated with the Cabrillo Marina Hotel. While the hotel is still a fine place for reunions and other events, we now have a new location that we can consider for our 35-year reunion.

On the Sunday after our 30-year reunion, Ke-Alians along with their families and some friends spent the afternoon continuing to reunite and share stories, good times, and plenty of snack foods. During that afternoon, we listened to two bands playing for free at the bandshell in the park.

Pictures of the picnic and photos of our 30-year reunion can be found on the Photo pages of this site.

For our 35-year reunion in 2008, many Ke-Alians have shown interest in having it at the Bath House. Not only is the location familiar to many of us, the Bath House has a distinct feeling to it. During an evening reunion at the Bath House, classmates will have the opportunity to mingle around a bonfire on the beach and take moonlight walks on the sand.

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After such a successful 30-year reunion, some committee members along with quite a few alumni wanted to find a way to have an informal gathering during the years between the "official" reunions.

Some of us thought such a gathering would not only benefit our class, but we wanted all alumni to have the same gathering opportunity that we were looking for.

So we came up with "A gathering of "The Crowd" and Friends Picnic". Within the pages of this site, you can find the explanation for the naming of the picnic.

The inaugural picnic for "The Crowd" and friends was held on July 18, 2004, and it turned out to be a great event. We would like to use the similar format for the 2006 event.

Our third, "A Gathering of "The Crowd" and Friends Picnic" is schedule for July 16, 2006. Look lower on this page for more details.

The picnic will be a "no-host" affair. We would like alumni to bring fond memories, old pictures to share, and stories of their days at S.P.H.S.

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A Gathering of "The Crowd" and Friends Picnic is scheduled for Sunday July 16, 2006.

Illusions, Mystics, Ke-Alians, Promethians, Primos, their families and friends, along with alumni and families of all other years are most welcome.

The third annual A Gathering of "The Crowd" and Friends picnic is scheduled to begin at noon at Point Fermin Park in San Pedro. Last year the park was chosen as one of the top rated parks in the country in a national rating.

This year we will be moving our area farther west than it was in prior years. When you come, please look for one of two long yellow banners. The table where you would be able to find your photo name tag will be under one of the banners. We are trying this move to allow those of us who want to converse with others rather than over the music of the bands.

The picnic is a "bring your own everything" affair. If you contact Mark we can produce photo name badges using the senior pictures of the Illusions, Mystics, Ke-Alians, Promethians, and Primos. If you were not a member of any of those classes, you can send me a scan or copy of your senior picture along with your class name, class year, and class colors and I will gladly make you a photo name badge, too. It sure helps us old folks try to remember who you are.

Our picnic will be only a part of the activities at the park that day. As with last years picnic, Music By The Sea will be offering a free concert with two bands in the bandshell. Vendors will be selling wares and there will be some food offered for sale by other vendors. Some vendors will offer activities for children. The historic Point Fermin Lighthouse will be offering tours. Who knows, you might even meet a retired English teacher that I am very familiar with who is now a docent at the lighthouse. You can take a very short stroll and view a tiny portion of the mighty Pacific Ocean. And you can do that for no charge at all!

Nearby, in the harbor area, two restored street cars provide rides on the weekends. If you haven't visited the area in some time, you might want to see the changes, and view plans for the renovations of the harbor area. You will also be offered views of many, many container cranes standing idle.

Back to the picnic. As with last year, we encourage everyone to make their own plans, do "their own thing" and have the best time they can make for themselves. Planning for the picnic by us involves making name badges, hanging a banner or two, greeting whoever shows, and answering the extremely few questions we have answers for. In short, the picnic is what you and your friends make it. Bring yourself, bring your family, bring your friends, bring anyone you wish, we are happy to see folks who enjoy a good outing. You are also very encouraged to visit other picnics that will be held in the park.

So bring your own food, (or buy some from a vendor at the park) bring your own blankets and chairs, and all you picnic needs.

We would also like anyone who can to bring a dessert to share. We will set up a table for the goodies. If you want to set up some kind of celebration for all of us half-centurions, that would be great. Last year I suppplied some bottles of water and some other goodies to share. I will be doing that again this year.

Please let me know if you are planning on attending this year's picnic so I can make a photo name badge for you.

You can also get information about the picnic and view photos of alumni at a great Web site:
http://www.sanpedrohighschoolclassof1972.org

We need your help in spreading the word about the picnic. We will not send out snail mail concerning the picnic.

If you have specific questions or comments about the picnic, feel free to Email either
micheleburk@yahoo.com or

mrichards2@hotmail.com

Please visit this site as the date of the picnic grows closer for more news and information. You can always contact me at
mrichards2@hotmail.com or through the Contact Page of this site.

You might also want to visit the great Mystics Web site at:
www.sanpedrohighschoolclassof1972.org

I want to give a shout out to our friend, Mr. Mike Caccavalla. Mike is the owner of Downtown Subs and More on 6th. Street in San Pedro. Mike also heads the Music By The Sea and other summer activities at Point Fermin Park. He has graciously given us plenty of space for our picnic. If you are hungry for some good food when you are in San Pedro, please visit Downtown Subs and More.

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Please let us know what you think about upcoming reunion activities.

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If you would like to publicize an event that may be of interest to Ke-Alians, please contact Mark Wells by using the contact page on this Web site.