Marengo Sesquicentennial - July 2-5, 2009

Classmates,

Don't miss Marengo's 150th birthday! The celebration boasts four days of exciting events including music, food, history, tours and more. The fun happens July 2-5, 2009.

Celebration Events:

• Opening Ceremonies
• Evening Entertainment (and street dancing)
• Parades (compete for prizes!)
• All School Reunion
• Band Performances (Civil War Band, etc)
• Kids Pioneer Activities
• Beard / Vintage Style Contests
• Sunday Community Church Service
• Pancake Breakfast
• Historical Vignette Performances
• Cemetery Tours (via horse drawn transportation)
• Tours of Library, Courthouse, Jail and Memorial Hospital
• Food Concessions
• Agriculture Display
• Horseshoe Tournament

See the official website for the complete schedule of events.

GET INVOLVED!

How can I contribute to this historic event?

1. Contribute to the History Book, Including Family Histories
   
   
2. Submit a recipe for the Cookbook - 150 Years of Recipes:(500 Recipes so far!)
   
   Recipes may be submitted to marengo150_cookbook. Include your name, phone number, recipe name, ingredients and instructions within the email. In addition, if your recipe is a family favorite, or you have a special memory associated with the recipe, note this on the email or bottom of the form. Submission deadline is June 1st. Call Mary Jane Stanerson @ 319-642-3628 with questions.
   
   
3. Buy T-Shirts and other Sesquicentennial Memorabilia
   
   
4. Get a 2009 Calendar

If you would like to be involved with any of the events or volunteer during the event, please contact the committee chairperson associated with your interest.

I hope to see you all in Marengo next July!

Connie

From Heidi & Ron

Hello Class of 1988,

It was great seeing some of you at the reunion and to those that didn't get to come, maybe our paths will cross someother way. Ron and I would like to thank all of you that contributed to the raffle benefit. This hasn't been the easiest of times for us, but having family and friends helping out has meant a lot. We hope to put the money towards furniture for our home or where ever we end up living in the future. We appreciate it very much. Thanks again and I hope we can stay in touch.

Heidi (Hinrichs) & Ron McKay

Reunion Photos

The reunion was a blast! I hope everyone had a great time.

Here is the link to some of the photos collected.

http://picasaweb.google.com/connie.gougler/20thClassReunion?authkey=u8QtK01BOyU

If at any time you want a photo removed from this group, just let me know and I'll take care of it.

Rhonda & Stephen

Rhonda and Stephen Krug will be married 8 years on July 15th. They reside in Atkins, IA. They have two children, Owen (2 ½) and Megan (8 months).

Rhonda worked at The United Fire & Casualty Insurance Company for 12 years, holding various positions. After United, she became employed at Alliant Energy. She is a Customer Operations Assistant II at the Cedar Rapids Operating facility, where the crews make sure your lights stay on. She handles the paperwork for the crews, along with daily clerical duties.

Her husband, Steve is a Licensed Landscape Architect for the Parks Department for the City of Cedar Rapids. He also farms 500 acres of corn and soybeans.

Rhonda and Steve moved into their new house the first weekend of June 2008. They are enjoying the extra room and spending time with family and friends. Rhonda is a photographer on the run taking photos of her kids and anything that sparks her interest. Rhonda and Steve have noticed a difference in personality between Owen, the laid back easy going toddler, yet, he has those 2 year old moments and then there is Megan, with her high maintenance attitude!

They look forward to seeing everyone at the 20th reunion this evening!

Tonight at 6:00pm! It's finally here!!

Everyone is looking forward to catching up with 1988 classmates!

When you arrive tonight, here's what to expect:

1) Sign-in first.

Verify that your current mailing address, phone number and email address is on file. Email is a preferred method of communication due to low cost, speed and flexibility. Following the reunion an email will be sent with a link to all photos from our 20th reunion!

If you have not already RSVP'd for the event, the event is $20 per person which covers rental of the Fireside Winery, catering, drinks, postage, etc. Cash or Check accepted at the door.

2) Test out your Trivia knowledge.

Take a trivia sheet upon sign-in and test your memory! If you have questions to add, let us know at the door and we'll add those to all remaining trivia sheets!

3) Participate in a Benefit / Raffle.

One classmate of ours lost her house in the Cedar Rapids flood. We'd like to pitch in to help her and her husband rebuild their lives. There will be a benefit box with envelopes available. If you would like to donate with a cash or check, any amount is greatly appreciated. Please write your name on the outside of the envelope and we will have a drawing for a gift a few hours into the event.

Reunion Location

Haven't been to the Fireside Winery?

DIRECTIONS:

Leave Marengo on Hwy 6 (Ampride Gas Station) and turn left (east). Continue on Hwy 6 (heading towards Homestead) to P Avenue and turn right (south). Fireside Winery is 2 miles south on the right (west) side of the road across from the First Lutheran Church. There are red flags out front.

PICTURES:

Take a look at where we will be hosting our reunion at:

http://picasaweb.google.com/connie.gougler/FiresideWinery?authkey=pCEo5Ad_Tmk

Desserts

Myer's Grill in Williamsburg is doing a nice job preparing food for our reunion. We'll have a tasty assortment of meats (chicken assiago, pork chops wrapped in bacon), vegetables, au gratin potatoes, salads, etc.

Desserts will be brought from various contributors, including:

Texas Sheet Cake - Kelsie Ballard
Chocolate Sheet Cake - Mary D. Miller donation
Fudge Cookie Bars - Tascha Yoder
Cookies - Lori Bearbower
Apple & Cherry Pies - Chad Martin

Need 1 Raffle Item for Saturday

We are looking for one raffle prize for classmates to contribute to a benefit. Please email ivhs1988@gmail.com if you have an item that could be raffled off for a very good cause.

Weekend Schedule - Iowa County

Iowa County 2008 Schedule:

July 3: Marengo's July 3rd celebration. Parade starts at 6:30pm, Street Dance is 9pm-2am, Fireworks at dusk, plus a carnival & games.
July 3-4: Amana's Firecracker Fourth Tailgate. First ever antique show in the Festhalle Barn. Hours: July 3 (4-8pm), July 4th (10 am-4pm), Free Admission.
July 4: 4th of July Celebration, Williamsburg City Park
July 5: Tour de Brew: 32 mile bicycle ride from Iowa City to the Millstream Brewing, Amana 10am-5pm, Admission $5
July 5: Class of 1988 Class Reunion, Fireside Winery, 6pm

36 Confirmations!

Woo Hoo! We're at a total of 36 people at the reunion so far! We felt 40 was doable, but secretly desire 50. Still... feeling good about 36 at this point. It's a week away - please put in your RSVP so we can finalize catering (and "yes" is preferred).

Feel free to still send in checks, even if you think it will arrive during/after the event. Just let me know you are attending and I'll put you on the list. If you prefer to give cash the day of, that is fine too - just let me know you are coming (when you read this) so we can plan accordingly with catering.

Why you can get '500 year floods' two years in a row

Gotta slip in a post regarding this crazy flood.

I thought this article from "Highly Allochthonous" (my new word of the day) was interesting.

Parade - Class Float Canceled

There has not been a tremendous amount of interest in a class float, so we're cancelling this. Many work that day because it is mid-week and others are already working in the park or at the softball game.

Returned Invites

The following reunion invitations have been returned:

- Andy Crosby
- Nghi Tu Huynh
- Debra Border

Send current addresses to ivhs1988@gmail.com.

These were returned, but re-mailed with new addresses (thanks Mindy!).

- Jonathan Hocker (re-mailed 6/20)
- Eddy Meyer (re-mailed 6/20)
- Greg Rotter (re-mailed 6/20)

Heidi & Ron

Heidi (Hinrichs) McKay and her husband have been married for almost 6 years and live in Cedar Rapids. Heidi works for HACAP, a non-profit organization offering programs to help low income families and people. She works with the Care For Kids program, helping families on T-19 (state insurance) find doctors and dentists in the area that will take the insurance. Heidi has been with HACAP for over 10 years, getting her start as a Head Start teacher.

Heidi's husband Ron works for a glass company as an estimator. He bids projects such as the renovations at Kinnick Stadium. His company did all the glass and glazing work for the new press box area. The McKay family children? Well, that would be 2 cats - Cosmo and Murray.

When Heidi & Ron are not working, they like to work in the yard and tackle household upgrade projects. They also enjoy concerts and movies. Heidi says they are both still fans of "big hair bands" and will be going to see Cinderella, Warrant and Night Ranger as well as Def Leppard at the state fair this year.

They look forward to seeing everyone on the 5th!

An update on Jennifer

Jennifer Ryan has big news! She's taken that giant step towards motherhood! She had her first child on February 8, 2008, a beautiful girl named Mariah. She was 5 lbs. 4 oz.

Jennifer lives in Cedar Rapids and works at the East Central Iowa Council of Government as a solid waste planner. She assists cities and counties with waste and recycling services through contracts, ordinances, grant writing, and education. She also writes the state required comprehensive plan for her six-county region.

Before baby, she enjoyed traveling, baseball games, and her belly dancing classes. She hopes to get back to those things someday. For now Jennifer loves taking care of Mariah, especially when she lights up with a smile.

Jennifer looks forward to seeing everyone at the reunion on July 5th.