Everything was poppin’ last weekend with myriad events — a 55th class reunion, cross-country baseball games, European travelers arriving home, First Friday fun, birthday bashes, a 60-year plus anniversary and much, much more.
Raye Holt packed in a lot of major league baseball on a coast to coast trip with friends. Traveling with a large group, they left by bus from Savannah on the tour to see the Cardinal v. Cubs game, the Kansas City Royals v. White Sox, the Rockies v. Giants where they saw Buster Posey hit two home runs, and then on to San Francisco for the Oakland A’s v. the Twins. Raye had a super time and said other highlights included visiting the Truman Library, the Mormon Temple Square, the Air Force Academy and Garden of the Gods in Colorado Springs. They saw the bright lights of Reno and toured many points of interest in San Francisco including Pier 39, Alcatraz and, of course, the Golden Gate Bridge, before flying home.
Meanwhile, Zona and Phillip Buchen are catching their breath after a two-week Avalon Waterways cruise in Germany before taking off again later this month, but that is another story we’ll disclose at another time. And it is an exciting one. Anyway, Zona and Phil spent two days in Paris where they attended the opening games of the French Tennis Open before traveling by high-speed train to Luxembourg to board the Artistry and sail away on the Moselle, Rhine and Main rivers with stops along the way at quaint German villages as well as historic Nuremberg and Prague where they disembarked and spent a few days touring the city that was one of the highlights of their trip. The couple reports the entire trip was wonderful and an unforgettable experience. Fortunately they encountered no safety issues at any point, a comforting feeling. They said security flying out of Amsterdam’s Schiphol air terminal was extremely tight with checks and double checks by customs agents in the terminal and after boarding the plane for the flight home.
Donna Becton recently enjoyed a 2,000-mile cross-country trip and had the unique experience of seeing our beautiful country up close and personal from the front seat, shot gun position of an Averitt Trucking Co. 18-wheeler driven by her husband David Becton. Donna flew Delta from Atlanta to San Francisco where she rendezvoused with David and then rode back home with him. The trip, she said, was wonderful and the coast to coast landscapes diverse and beautiful and ranged from rainbows in Texas to the Red Rock country of Arizona and hundreds of picturesque places between here and San Fran.
Former resident Angie Singletary, who presently resides in the John’s Creek community of metro Atlanta, celebrated a milestone birthday at a “Fabulous and 50” party hosted by Charles and Kim Singletary Christmas, her sister-in-law, at their white columned home on South Lee Street. A large group of Angie’s family and friends turned out for the festive event that included tasty hors d’oeuvres, refreshing beverages, along with the tropical beat of Andy T’s steel drums. Guests enjoyed having snapshots made in a “Fabulous and 50” photo booth. Before departing, the guests dropped their best wishes and “bucket list” of suggestions in an appropriately colored hot pink sand castle bucket.
Bob and Jenny Lashley, longtime Americus residents and one of the finest couples anywhere, recently celebrated their 63rd wedding anniversary in Highlands, N.C., with their children and grandchildren. Huge congratulations to them.
And Kevin and Kate Westra Jackson are honeymooning in Mexico this week following their beautiful wedding at First Baptist Church and exceptional reception at Sally Run here Saturday. The couple will make their home in Savannah.
Meanwhile, the Americus High School (AHS) class of 1961 reunited to celebrate their 55th class reunion with two days of exciting events that began with an informal supper party at the home and garden of classmate Bill Sheppard and his wife Gay on South Lee Street Road, while Saturday night they enjoyed a delicious catered seafood dinner at the Plains Community Center, a charming venue for large parties. Charlene Railey Hall and her committee decorated the room in the AHS colors of blue and white along with exhibits of class photos and high school annuals. Classmates attending were Patsy (Allen) Slater and Wallace Slater, Steve Arrington, Shirley (Averett) Ashcraft, Bonny (Beauchamp) Dunbar, Mary (Bell) Ledbetter, Caroline (Bowen) Sanders, Jane (Burgamy) Hainline, Barbara (Cannon) Jenkins , Kay (Cato ) Melvin, Sharon (Chappell) Kleckley, Tommy Clark, Ken Cook, Blimp Davis, Stout Davis, Leroy Delionbach, Clark Deriso, Genny (Dowdy) Woods and Billy Woods, Shirley (Gable) Williams, Schley Gatewood, Ann (Gossett) McAleese, Mariam (Grant) Matthews, Guy Hammond, Billy Hearon, Benjie Johnson, Frank Joiner, Marianne (Kimble) Nation, Diane (Lansford) Jenkins, Cheryl (Law) Smith, Herb Mason, Judy (Pickett) Corbin, Myrtle (Pritchett) Herft, Charlene (Railey) Hall, Jerry Reeves, Wayne Scott, Bill Sheppard, Lee (Shiver) Yates, SuSu (Smith) Eskedor, Judy (Steed) Blackmon, and Linda (Wilson) Hart. Among others attending were Cathy McCarty, Don Hainline, Doris Clark, Deborah Davis, Ferris Delionbach, Denny Williams, Karen Gatewood, Gerald McAleese, Joan Johnson, Carolyn Joiner, Marvin Nation, Bob Jenkins, Gerald Smith, Joan Mason, Lannie Corbin, Noel Herft, Lee Hall, Susan Reeves, Gay Sheppard, Mike Yates, Jimmy Blackmon, and Charlie Hart.

Leila S. Case lives in Americus.