Alumni roll into town for weekend of golf, parties, parade and more

By Karen Zuppinger

The Chester High School/Green Mountain Union High School Alumni Association kicks of its annual alumni weekend celebration on the morning of  Friday June 7 with a golf tournament at Tater Hill Golf Club on Popple Dungeon Road. “This is one of our most popular events,” says association President Karl Lauren. “We often get as many as 100 people participating.”

• Play begins at 11 a.m. Friday, and the players take part as teams of four in a scrabble format. Individuals and two-person teams will be paired with others. The cost is $60 per player and $240 per team. As of last Thursday, 40 people were signed up to play. More information and a link to the form can be found here: http://www.chsgmuhsalumni.org/files/2013GolfForm.pdf

• At 6 p.m. Friday, the American Legion will be hosting a party for all alumni. Local disc jockey Sharon Baker, (Class of 1970) will be on hand spinning tunes from 8 until midnight. There is no cover charge and the beer will be cold.

• Saturday morning begins with the Chester Rotary sponsored pancake breakfast from 7 to 10 a.m. The breakfast takes place the Chester Andover Elementary.  Cost is $3 for children 5 to 12, $6 for those up to 62 years old and $5 for senior citizens. On the menu are pancakes, maple syrup, sausage, orange juice, milk, coffee and tea.

This year’s parade theme is The Movies. As of late last week, five floats and 17 participants had signed up to participate, according to Alumni Association 2nd Vice President Laurie Jackson. Each float will be judged on content, originality and overall theme. Third, second and first place prizes will be awarded to alumni floats in cash prizes of $200 to $400. And one $50 prize will be given to the best non-alumni float. Prizes of $10 to $25 will also be awarded for the best decorated bicycles.

• The parade begins at 11 a.m. and travels from Depot Street, down to the Green and ends at Cobleigh Field. Pre-line up is at 10 a.m. on Elm Street. It’s free to enter and all are welcomed. To receive a prize, a class/float representative must be present at the finish. Registration forms can be printed here: http://www.chsgmuhsalumni.org/floatregform.php.

• The day concludes at GMUHS with a 5 p.m. social hour and a 6 p.m. banquet. The Rev. Tom Charlton, a GMUHS alumnus, will be the speaker. Lauren says, “Tom is such a great speaker and does a good job every year. We’re lucky to have him.” A 50/50 raffle will also be held. Seating is limited to 200, and advanced registration is encouraged. The event is catered by Father’s Restaurant. The cost is $20 per person, and includes a salad, main dish and dessert. Dinner will be followed by music and dancing.

Also, starting this year GMUHS has partnered with the Alumni Association to form a Wall of Honor. The Wall of Honor will recognize alumni who have made major accomplishments since graduation. The deadline for 2013 nominations was June 1. You can find out more information and nominate someone for next year by clicking here. http://www.chsgmuhsalumni.org/files/2013GMwallofhonor.pdf

Jackson says that, a few years ago, the association hit a rough patch and it was uncertain that the group would be able to continue. But, she says, “new management and new hope” helped the organization maintain its footing.

This year, the group mailed out more than 2,000 invitations, spent nearly $5,000 and expects close to “1,000 people” at the high point of events, according to Jackson and Lauren.

For more information and registration you can contact Karl Lauren at 802-380-4439 or Jon Clark at 802-353-6043. You can also visit the alumni newsletter page http://www.chsgmuhsalumni.org/files/2013Newsletter.pdf