This weekend, our family traveled to Newport, Arkansas...the town both Robbie and I graduated from and the place we call "Home". 2008 is Robbie's 20th year class reunion. I believe he graduated with around 165 people in his class---Newport High School. We were so excited to go to the reunion, to show our kids the school we both attended. (Yes, I'm the grade under Robbie).
We all left town on Thursday night when Robbie got off work (around 6pm) Nothing like being stuck in the Trotter bus for 6 hours! (Trotter Bus=my chevy suburban) We checked all the kids out of school on Friday--since the reunion actually started Friday night.
Friday Night 6pm--Attend NHS football game (Newport vs. Osceola)
Saturday 11:00am--Tour our old school
Saturday 12:00am--Eat lunch together
Saturday 6:00pm-11:00pm--Reunion at Newport Country Club
The football game was fun---even if we did lose. One of my classmates is an assistant coach for Newport. I saw several of my classmates who had kids playing football for Newport. So many "adults" from my past church and teachers from my school. It was really cool. Of course, our kids all wanted NHS shirts, so we headed to the local Walgreen's and picked some up! (Cheerleaders were already sold out!) We were all decked out in our Newport gear (no...I didn't take a picture! I forgot the camera!) Now, the drill team was not what it was like when we went there. The crowd was less, the band was less (but really good, for the size of it)...Our school went from a huge 4AA school to Small 3AA. (brackets go all the way to 7AA now in Arkansas)
Needless to say, it was all quite interesting! Kids had a great time (except Grace-who wanted to play with her cousin, instead of being with us! haha!)
Saturday, we met up at the school to tour our old stomping grounds. Coach Ronnie Brown (who was the assistant prinicipal when we were there--and now is the Superintedent) met us up there and unlocked the doors for us. The auditorium had changed some. Padded seats and a new stage. The graduating class this year only has 88 kids--pretty shocking! He said half the kids, but twice the problems. It's sad to think of your hometown dying...or changing for the worse. The middle class died in our town...they all left. You have the really wealthy (well, for Newport standards) or the really low class. Very few middle class. There were TONS of middle class when we were in school. They were having so much trouble with the kids--they all have assigned seats in the auditorium for assemblies.
My kids REALLY liked going to the school. We walked up and down the halls-pointing to rooms and telling stories about certain teachers. (there is NO MORE TYPING CLASS!! haha) Still has a study hall! :) The old Band Building was now administration building and they built a new Band Building! Very nice! We did get to sneak down to the Junior High area too (yes they are connected by a hallway...doors are there now, but not locked! Sweet! That was a HUGE trip down memory lane!!!The trees have grown so much all over town! When we left 15 years ago (something like that) the trees were there, but still growing. Now they are SO TALL and beautiful! I think we have a really beautiful campus for a small town.
We did get to go to the cafeteria too. All along the walls are each classes graduating composite. My grandmother's class is up there (1939). The classes are almost completely around the cafeteria now! I saw both of my brother's class, Robbie's and mine. (Our parents didn't attend Newport). It was very cool to see my grandmother hanging on the wall! :)Each graduating class usually left a "donation/marker" to their school. My class left signs that great schools and show them the way to our school from an intersection. Robbie's class made flower beds that line the front of the main building. Robbie remembers helping plant flowers/bushes in them. Needless to say, his class needs to give some more money to plant new things and help with the upkeep! haha!!! Actually, one side looked very good, while the other...well...didn't do so well...as you can see in the picture. 
I took our picture in front of the main doors at the school. Made me proud. Even Coach Brown snuck in a picture or two!
Saturday afternoon, we visited with family and rested. Some out of town family showed up to see us...since we hardly ever make it that far north anymore. My cousin Amy Whitehead Williams, picked up ALL my kids and took them to her house to spend the night, so I wouldn't have to worry about them driving my mom and aunt crazy. PLUS they wanted to spend time with their cousins, Lauren and Logan. Now that Hayley is driving (which she drove at least 2 hours both ways for us! yippee!), she drove Lauren and Jake to watch a movie in Cabot, Arkansas (where my cousin lives). They had a good time!
Robbie had a ummm....a class that didn't connect as well as some (like mine! :)---but the ones that did show up....I had a ball with and it was so much fun to catch up with them! I couldn't believe all the guys that served in the military that were there. Over half! Pretty amazing! So proud of all those guys! I also saw some of the "genuines" aka older generation--older even when I was in HS! Some of them were long time customers of my dads and I had to stop and say hi to them. Very bittersweet, since Dad isn't with us anymore.
It's hard to believe it's been 8 years that my dad died. We did go out to the cemetary that afternoon...my dad...my grandparents...one of Robbie's classmates...aunt and uncle. Memories were flooding my brain the whole time...also listening and watching my kids react to this experience. Carson and Grace did not know any of the loved ones we were meeting. So it was hard for them to understand. Hayley, bless her loving heart, remembered "papaw pig" and "Pop". She LOVED her Pop! We all did...still miss him so much.
Random thought-----OMG--I tried Fried Green Beans for the first time and they were absolutely amazing!! Especially dipped in Ranch dressing!
Anyways, after 11:00pm, we met up with a couple of friends that graduated with me! One of my best friends in the whole world...drove 40 miles at midnight to come hang out with me! So sweet! We had a blast. Of course at that time of night, the only place we could go was this Bar/Club. It wasn't in the greatest part of town---but so entertaining....wow...you never know what walks of life you will see in places like that. We laughed so hard that night at each other and our environment! haha! We finally left about 3am. It was an amazing evening!
Well, I've typed forever! Need to get off and get the babies ready for bed! Until we meet again...
J
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