PORTAGE NORTHERN HIGH SCHOOL Class of 1979

Reunion Activities

PRAIRIE VIEW PARK
Friday, August 14, 2009
8:00 am - Sunset

Good news!  Come rain or shine!  In reserving Picnic Shelter #3 for dinner, we have exclusive use of the shelter all day.  The park's $5 daily entrance fee per vehicle allows in-and-out privileges so that you can come and go as you please throughout the day.

Prairie View park is located on Gourdneck/Hogsett Lakes and features a swimming beach, row boat rentals, fishing, playgrounds, soccer/softball/volleyball, horseshoes and hiking trails.  Volleyballs and horseshoes are available for a deposit; bring the rest of the equipment you might need.

The park is located at 899 East U Avenue in Vicksburg.  Click here to view the map and park brochure.

GOLF & LUNCH AT GULL LAKE VIEW
Friday, August 14, 2009
8:30 am - ± 2:30 pm

The Golf Committee has put together a great event!  Click here for their flier.  Not golfing?  Spectators are welcome and join us for lunch at the 19th hole.

The Gull Lake View Clubhouse is located at 7417 North 38th Street in Augusta.  For driving directions, click here.

MEMORIAL BLOOD DRIVE
Friday, August 14, 2009
1:00 pm - 7:00 pm
Portage Fire Station #1, 7830 Shaver Road

To honor those classmates who have gone before us, consider giving a pint.  Remember that blood is one thing that still can't be manufactured in a laboratory ... it requires generous donors like you!

Stop by at your convenience or schedule an appointment online at www.givelife.org.  Search the zip code 49024 and select the H&R Block / Portage Fire Department link (our co-sponsors) on Friday, August 14th.

SCHOOL TOUR
Friday, August 14, 2009
4:00 pm - 5:00 pm

Want to show your spouse, kids and/or grandkids where you went to school?  Principal Jim French will do his best to take us around, show and tell us about the exciting new improvements that are currently under construction.  Hard hats will be provided. 

In case you've forgotten the address, it's 1000 Idaho Avenue.  Use the Oregon or Idaho entrance (not Monticello) and park in the North Middle School parking lot near the Igloo.

B.Y.O. PICNIC DINNER
Friday, August 14, 2009
6:00 pm - Sunset

The charcoal grills are ready and waiting for your culinary expertise!  Or if that's too much trouble, stop and pick up something on your way.  There are picnic tables under the park shelter or bring your own lawn chairs, blankets, games, sports equipment, etc.

The park is located at 899 East U Avenue in Vicksburg.  For a map of the park and location of Picnic Shelter #3, click here.

WAYSIDE WEST
Friday, August 14, 2009
Sunset - closing time

The Class of 1979 will be gathering at the upstairs bar at Wayside West (3406 Stadium Drive, Kalamazoo) starting at 8:00 P.M.  The area opens to the public at 9:30 p.m., so we're hoping to have filled the space before then!  Drop by for a quick drink or stay and socialize until closing ...

Our friends from the West Junior High School Class of 1976 (who went to PCHS) have also been invited!

COMMUNITY SERVICE PROJECT
Saturday, August 15, 2009
9:30 am - 11:30 am
Rota-Kiwan Scout Reservation, Texas Drive (near Texas Corners)

Have you ever been to the Rota-Kiwan Scout Reservation?  Perhaps on a Haverhill Elementary 6th grade camping field trip?

Our class has a unique connection to this venue.  Rick DeKam, Kevin McPherson and others have been involved as volunteers for the Southwest Michigan Council, Boy Scouts of America; and Allison (Baker) Hammond has taught Disability Awareness to seasonal staff members.  Rick has graciously arranged for us to assist with various projects at the reservation that will take advantage of the various skill sets and ages of our group.

Follow these links for directions and a map of the reservation:   Directions   Map

Please wear sturdy shoes (not sandals or flip-flops) and bring work gloves.

We will meet at the main gate on Texas Drive (next to/just west of the Al Sabo Land Preserve entrance) at 09:30 a.m. Saturday morning.  If you miss the group, call Rick on his cell at (269) 207-5430.

B.Y.O. PICNIC AT LAKE MICHIGAN
Saturday, August 15, 2009
12:00 pm - 4:30 pm

Remember Senior skip day at Van Buren State Park?  Relive those days with your classmates and children.  Feel free to bring a blanket, chairs, picnic, snacks and beverages.  Alcohol is prohibited on all Lake Michigan beaches.  The park entrance fee is $6 ($8 for out-of-state license plates).  Click here for a map and directions.

Park in the center parking lot and follow the main path to the beach.  Look for our group at the picnic tables.

DINNER & ATTRACTIONS AT THE AIR ZOO
Saturday, August 15, 2009
7:00 pm to midnight

The Kalamazoo Aviation History Museum opened to the public on November 18, 1979, making it a very appropos venue to hold our reunion!  The current facility, located at 6151 Portage Road, debuted on May 1, 2004.

Combining a sense of adventure with a sense of history, the "Air Zoo" got it's name from part of its collection of planes:  a Wildcat, a Hellcat, a Bearcat and a Flying Tiger.

We will have all 120,000 square feet of the "museum of the future" to ourselves including 360-degree, full-motion flight simulators, the Midwest's first 4D theatre, indoor amusement park rides, a 3D space shuttle ride to the International Space Station, continuous traveling exhibits (including many from the Smithsonian) and the Guinness World Record indoor mural.

Dinner will be catered by the Radisson.

For more information about the Air Zoo, visit their website at www.airzoo.org.

BRUNCH AT THE RADISSON
Sunday, August 16, 2009
10:30 am - 1:30 pm

Finish out the weekend on a social note by joining us for Sunday Brunch at the SOL World Café located inside the Radisson Plaza Hotel at 100 West Michigan Avenue in downtown Kalamazoo.