Saturday Grand Slam #3

SATURDAY NIGHT  "GRAND SLAM"

“Grand Slam” 50^th Reunion at PARKVIEW Field! *  For those who don’t know what that is …. In a word ‘WOW’!  This 5 year old Retro Ballpark was a game-changer, one-of-a-kind, multi-purpose facility that revitalized downtown. Stadium Journey magazine ranked Parkview Field the “#1 Minor LeagueBaseball Experience in the Country” two years running, and that’s just the beginning of the scores of awards & recognitions they’ve received for Food & Beverage, Atmosphere, Neighborhood, Fans, Access, Customer service!  “A truly great venue worth going out of your way to see.. if you love baseball, or if you just love life, then get this on your to do list asap!” It is home to the FW Tincaps!  (Affiliated with the San Diego Padres) who draw 400,000 fans each season to the games. This is theTeam previously known as the "Wizards". The 'Tin Cap' refers to a fictionalized depiction of John Chapman wearing a cooking pot as a hat in the 1948 Walt Disney movie "Johnny Appleseed." They use FW’s legend Johnny Appleseed as inspiration for the team’s Apple-head logo, red/green colors, mascot “Johnny’, and apple themed food items. Our Party home plate is the ‘Suite Level Lounge’, a 5,000 sq. ft. room with an upscale built-in Bar, featuring an exceptional view of the ball field, 1/3 mile Concourse, and the City’s stunning night bright-lights Skyline! 

STORYTELLERS AND THEIR STORIES

Barbie Rea

Saturday night at the baseball stadium was suitably impressive for our 50^th reunion. The antique cars out front were shiny and sparkling, and if not like actual cars we had in high school, they felt like they might have been. They were antiques just like us, dressed up and ready for the party and renovated for some more good years. People could have their pictures taken near them or in them as their owners looked on from the side lines.

The stadium made Ft Wayne unrecognizable for those of us who hadn’t been in town for awhile. The party room was spacious, and yet intimate enough so you could look across the way and know who was there and see who was coming in. There was a bar you could gather around, as well as display tables, a DJ stand, and tables for eating. Saturday night you could reconnect more easily with people you had identified Friday night and find others who might be coming for the first time. There was a big screen on the side flashing eerily familiar pictures from the past of our younger selves doing things like meeting in clubs, cheerleading, playing on teams and planning events. It’s a wonder anyone had all these records and could assemble them for a slide show. Every once in awhile you would see an old black and white photo of someone you knew or of yourself looming there for an instant.

Some people reserved their places at a table with a special group. My husband and I took our chances, hoping to get to know some people better who we hadn’t had an opportunity to know as well in the past. The tables were small enough that you could talk to everyone at the table. People also got up and walked around between courses to find people they wanted to talk to.

The DJ played music later and some people danced. We didn’t stay late enough to see how that picked up. The fireworks were the crowning moment of the evening. The night was balmy for September and we were able to go out and sit on the stadium seats. From there we could see the skyline of Ft Wayne, perhaps noticing it for the first time. It was majestic with the ball field in front and the lighted buildings behind. The fireworks were impressive and our classmates made the appropriate oohs and aahs to accompany them. As they were going off I was thinking we really did deserve a round of fireworks for making it to our 50^th, for all we’ve done since those school days, and for returning to celebrate the memories. It was a show of sound and light celebrating our life and years.

I heard some people went out to the bar and had a good time, maybe even a hilarious time. You’ll have to ask them about that. But for us, the fireworks rounded off the evening and we were satisfied that we had survived and well celebrated our 50^th High School reunion. Imagine that!

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