More specific info on the Class of 1986 reunion
Date: May 19-21, 2006.
Location: Natchitoches, Louisiana, at the Samuel Guy House B&B (www.samuelguyhouse.com) on the river side of the old cemetery.
Cost: This is only an estimate for now. Approximately $60 per person for both nights (Friday and Saturday), $35 per person for either night. Food will be included in that price. There will be a cash bar.
Dress: Very casual. Shorts are fine. It will probably be too hot to play dress-up.
Where to stay:
Last year, the Ramada Inn (318-357-8281 or 888-252-8281) was the unofficial HQ for people who planned to socialize heavily before, after and between reunion events. Those looking for R&R after hours (i.e., old farts like me) generally stayed in B&B’s in and around the Samuel Guy House. I think lots of folks with kids stayed at the Ramada to take advantage of economies of scale on the child-care front. I’m accepting volunteers to organize child care. Last year, child-care was led by non-alumni spouses who worked child-care shifts at the hotel. I also strongly encourage non-alumni spouses to serve as designated drivers if they are staying at the Ramada or anywhere else that is not within walking distance of the Samuel Guy House. We have blocked 15 rooms at the Ramada, so mention the reunion if you call.
B&B’s: There will be a few rooms available at the Samuel Guy House. It’s a really nice place. The Friday and Saturday events will be held there, so these rooms may be in demand. www.samuelguyhouse.com
Other B&B’s recommended to me include Maison Louisiane (www.maisonlouisiane.com), which is well-run by the same folks who run the Samuel Guy House. The Levy-East House (www.levyeasthouse.com) is supposed to be the nicest B&B. The Judge Porter House (www.judgeporterhouse.com) is also quite nice. The Church Street Inn (www.churchstinn.com) is more hotel-like, but is also nice. Steel Magnolias House B&B (www.steelmagnoliahouse.com) is where the movie was filmed and has the same blush and bashful decor seen in the film. The Queen Anne B&B (www.queenannebandb.com) is very nice and has a delicious breakfast – it’s the only one of these I’ve stayed at. The Good House (www.goodhousebandb.com) is run by the Queen Anne B&B people, so it’s probably quite nice also.
All of those places listed above are within easy walking distance of the Samuel Guy House and are in the $100-per-night range. There are dozens of other B&B’s around, which are listed at: http://www.natchitoches.net/accommodations/bandb/index.php
There are also a lot more hotels/motels/inns than in 1986, most of which are very economical. All lodging options are listed at: http://www.natchitoches.net/accommodations/index.php
So far I’ve received one photo (special thanks to Pat Collins Lopez). Unless you want the video/slideshow to be painlessly short, please send your scanned LSMSA photos from the 80’s to my e-mail address below, or post them somewhere and let me know they’re there. I will begin working on the video project with a young filmmaker (really -- he owes me money!) around Thanksgiving, and the project will probably be finished before Christmas, so get that stuff to me soon. I plan to sell DVD copies of the final product, with proceeds going to the Louisiana School Foundation (more on the LSMSA Foundation later).
Coming soon will be an e-mail from me via “LSMSA86 moderator [LSMSA86-owner@yahoogroups.com]” – this is an invitation to join the LSMSA Class of ‘86 yahoo group so we can get to re-know each other before the reunion.
Acknowledgements:
Credit goes to Dr. Sharon (Sturdivant) Williams for her valuable help in making the on-site arrangements.
Shout-out of thanks to Cindy Breithaupt Billiot for setting up the Yahoo group.
Special thanks to Katrina for shutting down the court system and giving me the free time to do this reunion stuff.
-Dewey Scandurro