Bishop Hendricken High School

Class of 1986's 35th Reunion, September 18, 2021

5pm until 11pm or beyond

Rain or Shine... Large Tent Is Up

 Directions to Schartner Farm Pond

Rt 2 in Exeter, RI to Schartner Farm property… Dirt road next to former Farm Store, continue back, through construction… continue beyond homes and barns to a row of hedges that hide the pond. Dirt Road is called Arnold Place, Exeter, RI

https://www.google.com/maps/dir/41.5662722,-71.524721/Arnold+Pl,+Exeter,+RI+02822/@41.5701447,-71.5329006,16z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m8!4m7!1m0!1m5!1m1!1s0x89e5b6f70c4636c9:0x6e3013ed96f0628a!2m2!1d-71.5218774!2d41.5652219

Site Under Construction

Details being updated, check back often

Details so far….

Welcome to your 35th Anniversary Reunion for the Class of 1986!

As you know, Hendricken, is a school for boys, and thus, our alumni is all one-sided. The planning committee is men, and most attending are men… so this party will be… for men.

Significant others, as last time, are always welcome. If your significant other would enjoy... old men exaggerating their legends of their twisted youth, please have them come on down… if your significant other shudders at the very thought of blow-hards waxing on about the good ole days… please have them bow out gracefully. Whatever you decide, is fine with us.

Our 35th will be held at Schartner’s Farm Event Venue at the Pond, same as our 30th. We have some new plans and a new approach to share. Last time around, Tim Schartner, his resources and his family made our reunion look much easier than it was. To their credit, a wonderful time was had, with wonderful resources, not all of which are available this time. Although they have made the venue available to us, very generously, other folks have stepped up to build this party, with different resources. We hope to learn from last time and have the same fun and camaraderie.

As our small group of brothers started to plan, we realized that the big wedding approach to parties that Timmy executed so well, was difficult without his resources. We retooled to think about the reunion more as an expanded house party, capitalizing on what we do well, and avoiding stressful things we could do without. Read on, and find out what our happy medium became.

The Party

The overwhelming feedback from the 30th told the story of a warm, friendly party between old friends, with lots of freedom, lots of time... talk to everyone… lots of drinks help us shorten that curve to the good ole days. Conversations at the bar, around the fire, on the dock, under the tent sprung up effortlessly. Generous contributions at the bar, setup volunteers, cleanup volunteers, and even donations by those who couldn’t make it, really told the story of our class. Same wonderful guys in the best ways, 35 years later.

These ideas became the focus of the party. Freedom and choice carried the day, Contributions and gifts followed. We hope to give an opportunity to get all the same stuff from our reunion.

The Venue

The Schartner Farm Pond venue is the perfect place for us. Resounding feedback on this, everyone wanted to do this again. And although resources have changed, Tim and the Schartners have made the space available again. We will endeavor to treat their space as it were our own, and respect their offer to use it.

The Food

Nobody can agree on what to have to eat… and the effort to deliver a choice of food was daunting… like planning a wedding. So we decided NOT to choose. We have booked a Gourmet BBQ food truck called, Little B’s BBQ from Scituate, RI. They will serve between 5pm-8pm. Smmoke meats, sandwiches and side. These self-contained kitchens provided redundancy, choice, and easy logistics for the planners.

The Bar

We will have an open bar, rather than the cash bar.

Pat Reilly ‘87 owner of Ravenous Brewing in Cumberland, RI will be providing our gourmet beer, and will serve us the beer under perfect conditions.

Ravenous Brewing’s beer offerings are described on their website at RavenousBrewing.com

Bill Provencal ‘86 owner of Walter’s Bartending Services in Warwick, RI, our classmate, has developed a gourmet themed cocktail menu for our reunion. Expert bartenders will build these masterpiece drinks for you all night.

Hickey’s Ring Manhattan-   Whiskey, Sweet Vermouth, dash of bitters, cherry. Named for the bruises and scars on the back of our collective heads from doing dumb things at school.

Farley’s Hat-   Jameson, cranberry juice, splash of ginger beer, lime. A touch of class for the reunion from old man Farley

Morganrita-   Tequila, triple sec, lime juice, sour mix, simple syrup, lime. Brother, why are these books so expensive?

Crogan’s Old Fashioned-   Bourbon, dash of bitters and simple syrup, muddled orange and cherry. Old Fashioned and give you a beatin, if you step out of line.

Miss Martel Cosmo-   Vodka, triple sec, cranberry juice, lemon. She was out there, all right.

Jack Berry-   Bourbon, agave nectar, lime juice, muddled blackberries and ginger beer, lime. Our signature Berry cocktail, think about life, the universe and everything over a cocktail.

Long Island InviTEAtional-   Vodka, rum, gin, tequila, triple sec, sour mix, splash of cola, lemon. Do I need to explain this one?

Ms DiPrete’s Sangria-   A mix of red wine, Jack Fire and apple cider. A spicy little number to be sure.

as well as On The Rocks…Grey Goose Vodka, Jameson Irish Whiskey, Basil Hayden Bourbon, Balvenie Single Malt Scotch

and wine J. Lohr Chardonnay & Cabernet Sauvignon

and donations of beverages will be served, as well.

More Food

Next, appetizers and desserts (and some beverages)… we needed a way for people to contribute in-kind, that favorite recipe, that generous extravagant dish. So the dessert table and the appetizer table (or bar) will be a seeded pot-luck style. There is no requirement to bring something… only an opportunity to show-off that family recipe. Tickets cover the whole thing… but people love to show-off, the planning team included. There is also an opportunity to arrange a special contribution to the drink and wine (and non-alcoholic) menu… as those plans firm up, we’ll know more.

We will fill the bar with nuts, pretzels and bar mixes. We will provide a Smores kit for the fireplaces.

Wagering

Next we need fun things to do. My first idea was Lawn Dart Death Matches, I was overruled, and the lack of Jarts in the world to buy is disturbing. Next we decided cornhole and bocce (perhaps some new fangled frisbee game) were the next best thing. I think horseshoe’s would damage the lawns.

Anyway, games designed to talk, brag, assisted by beverage, and finally talk smack. Perfect for our goal… warm party with a subtext of 80’s peer abuse.

Fireplaces

The fireplace was a hit, last time. But there were nowhere near enough seats to enjoy the fire and talk. We hope to buy a few lawn/deck-fireplace units so the fireplace circle can be larger and more not a circle, and include anyone who needs to burn marshmellows when they gab. Lots of smores, because they pair well with any cocktail.

Shuttle Service

(logistics of a shuttle proved too difficult, we will have to rely on ride sharing and Uber)

Music & Entertainment

We have live entertainment planned, as background (or foreground, if needed). Pete Thomas’s son PJ Thomas has agreed to come and play guitar for us, like he does at bars in RI often. The music will be toe-tapper background music. We would also like to make him the seed of any Jam Sessions from the musicians in our class. If you’d like to come and play, jam, please bring your stuff, and something might develop. Help with this is needed, power requirements, etc.

Price

Last year, the price was $75/head, mostly for commitment… most wouldn’t back out on a pair of those. I don’t think we have that problem this time.

We’ve decided on $50/head, with free guests of honor like invited teachers, etc.

The $50 covers the party, the upfront capital for deposits, rentals of stuff. The money is lopsided… we need to pay in advance, yet a full 1/3 waited until “day of” to pay. This caused a cash flow issue. $50/head should give us an upfront amount, a commitment and more to get this done.

PreReunion Golfing

Plans for an optional golf outing, noontime day-of is being planned by our favorite golfer. Inexpensive at the golf course next door to Schartner's, leading up to the reunion. More details coming.

Class Gift

All extra monies will be put towards a class gift to Hendricken. Something labeled “a gift from the class of 1986”. It could be signage, it could be benches, tables, or other equipment they might need. Ideas are forming on this… but I’d like to have it decided before the reunion. Ideas welcome.

Any donations could be put towards this class gift, too.

Participation

We have several parts to execute here. The above plans cover the actual party. Next we need attendees… two aspects… awareness and tickets.

Awareness is simple… every member of our class needs to know the day, time, and cost. Send them all to Hendricken1986.com for instant ticket purchase, and donations.

Tickets… Cash sucks… We will be using a trusted EventBrite.com service to electronically buy tickets. This is low friction, so people act when they think about it. The monies are electronic, no banking, no logistics… remember we need to make this easy to finance. I don’t think we’ll do any cash this year, last year I did not enjoy taking cash personally at the reunion, couple of grand in my pocket to lose.

PreReunion Golfing - Sat 9/18/21, 2pm to 5pm (Reunion)

Shot gun start at 2pm (09/18/21)

$23 for 9-holes (carts additional $10)

Rolling Green Golf Course
(very close to Schartner Farm)
1625 Ten Rod Road, Rt 102
North Kingstown, RI 02852

http://rollinggreensri.com/ (corrected)

We have 16 tee-offs reserved and will expand to more if need be. Please submit $23 payment to reserve your spot. We'll place you in a group and also feel free to invite a friend.
Early Confirmations include Kevin Flynn, Chris Cronin, Dean Vescera, and our golf-pro-organizer Brian Hanley

Buy a Ticket with Golf and Brian will organize you on to a foursome, and figure out the best way to play.

The Golf is an add-on in the ticket purchase form.

Everyone is familiar with the Rhode Island landmark, Schartner's Farm Farmstand & Greenhouses on Route 2 in Exeter... but this venue is located behind the farm, in the woods on a beautiful private pond.  It has docks and wharfs, as well as, a spot for a beautiful wedding tent, so weather won't be a problem.  There's a firepit, chef's kitchen, and lots of room to spread out.

Networking!

It's easier than ever before to stay connected or reconnect with old classmates.  Facebook and LinkedIn provide great resources for social and business networking.  There are Hawks in most major ciites, whether they're college-age attending school, or older alumni who settled down there.

Take advantage of your built in network.  Survey;s tell us that most Hawks would like to do business with other Hawks, and there's a natural trust, already there.

On Facebook and LinkedIn, we've set up a user called "Hendricken Net", which isn't a person, but it allowed us to contact Hendricken grad of all classes into one large network.

https://www.facebook.com/hendrickennet

https://www.linkedin.com/in/hendrickennet

Remember to Add Bishop Hendricken High School To Your Education Profile in your LinkedIn & Facebook account!

Facebook Group 1986

We've built a Facebook group for the Class of 1986.  It's a good reason to have a Facebook account.  It is closed and private for discussions, and you can invited any classmate we've missed into the group.  We're using it for planning and sharing about the reunion.  Grab a Facebook Account, and check it out today.

The largest Hendricken Alumni class group on Facebook.

https://www.facebook.com/groups/hendricken1986/

Can't Make It... But Wish You Could?

Contribute to the Reunion Fund Today.  Simply follow the links to Buying A Ticket, and use the Reunion Donation choice instead.  We'll catch you at the 40th!

Website & Payment Engine Donated by Jon Cyr '86