Ken, ...I don't agree with you on those points. We all anxiously waited for a reunion announcement and now it is a reality. Although there have been expressions of frustration as to the cost and timing of the event, not everything stated can be classified as negative.

If a person is going to attend, he and/or she better be prepared to spend more money than the actual costs listed for the reunion. Such things as airfare, car rentals, accommodations before and after the reunion, beverages not covered in the reunion package, raffles, charity auctions, merchandise that may be purchased at the reunion, etc. There will be a lot of things that won't be covered by the cost of the reunion package.

Can everyone afford it? I guess that depends on where your finances are in life. It also depends on how badly you want to go and what you are willing to sacrifice to be there.

The cost of the reunion is no worse than renting a cottage for a week near the water on Cape Cod or maybe on Martha's Vineyard. They can easily go $2000 a week or a little less if you're willing to jump into your car to go to the beach.

Vacations can cost big bucks, but many people are willing to spend it. People reach into there wallets and pull out $3000 just to fly off to some island and spend some quality time in the sun sipping on tropical cocktails at $10 a pop, just so they can say, "It doesn't get any better than this!"

If there was a reunion every two years, they would still be sold out. It amazes me what lengths people will go to to attend these type of HL functions. Look at the Regionals and how many attend them. Some faithful followers attend them all. When there were four regionals in one year in different parts of the country, just imagine what it cost to fly to all four. This year there were only two regionals but if I wanted to attend the both of them, it would have cost me a lot more than it will to attend the 2005 Reunion.

You're paying for entertainment. You're paying for the wonderful lasting memories that come from this large social gathering. Don't wait until too late in life to have fun. I don't advocate taking food out of the mouths of your family or telling little Johnny he can't attend college this year because we are spending part of the tuition on a reunion. What I'm saying is most people spend close to the reunion cost to just go on vacation. Set your priorities, work it out financially, and go where you want to go and do what you want to do (anyone else start singing with the Mamas & the Papas?).

I'm really beginning to like this topic. It seems people are coming out of the woodwork to speak their mind. It is exactly what this forum needs!

Bob