HERE'S WHO YOU'LL CHAT WITH IF YOU COME TO JULY 17 FUN IN MONONGAH TOWN HALL

 

These are just some of the people who will show up in the Monongah Town Hall on July 17 for the J&J&Lions Get-Together of family, friends, Monongah High graduates, North Marion graduates, Monongah residents who didn’t graduate from MHS or MNHS.

 

Mayor Johnboy Palmer will be there. He’ll draw the raffle ticket to see who gets the autographed football provided by Alabama football coach Nick Saban, Class of 1959. 

Both Nick, or Brother as many call him, and wife Terry Constable Saba autographed the football so it’s doubly special.  

Brother also sent me a boxful of items that will be handled out to other raffle drawing winners.

Only those who made Reservations in advance and paid for them will be allowed inside the Monongah Town Hall. And only those inside the Town Hall can purchase raffle tickets for the Saban items, including the autographed football.

Monongah Town Councilwoman Susan Staron Sanders also will be there, lighting up the place the way her zillions Christmas street lights light up Monongah during the Yuletide season. So will Shellie Yankie, on Susan’s Christmas lights committee and, with Susan, handling black and red streamers (Monongah High colors), the cake with the Monongah High building image on it and pastries with an “M” for Monongah High.

Dinner will begin at 6 p.m., catered by Say-Boy Restaurant in Fairmont, where my father took me as a teenager for my first-ever ribeye steak dinner.

Coffee and ice tea will be available throughout the evening.

There will be music for listening and dancing till 9 p.m. And a photo frame with 1,400 revolving photos on it, a new photo every 10 seconds including photos of many at previous Monongah High Alumni Banquets.

I’m bringing a 28 x 36 inch framed photo of the Monongah High Lion, a 10 x 15 foot WVU wallhanging and there will be a speaker for the 72 songs on my iPod, including Kate Smith’s “God Bless America,” John Denver singing “Country Roads” and, as the finale, “The Party’s Over.” Non-stop music for listening and dancing.

There’s still time – barely – for you to make a Reservation for $20 per person as long as you have had your covid vaccine shots. But the ONLY way to join the party at this late date is to call co-host Jackie Olesky Straight, Class of 1955, at (304) 278-7157. Jackie will direct you to her Rivesville home. She has Registration form for you to sign. You hand over $20 per person IN CASH ONLY (too late for checks) to Jackie and you can join the fun.

 

Be there or be square.

 

Jackie and I look forward to seeing you there. Our Fazio cousins, Dave and Cora Fazio and Mary Chris and Tom Ramsey, will be there, too. Davie is Class of 1975.

 

So will Jackie’s daughters, Lea Ann Barnes (with husband John Barnes) and Belinda Morris (with husband Dave Morris) and Renee Straight, pharmacist at WVU Medicine in Morgantown across the parking lot from Mountaineer Field.

 

And my son, John Larry Olesky (3^rd of 5 Johns in our family, more than a row of outhouses), and daughter, Monnie Ann Johnston (named after my late wife, my Mona Lisa – actually Monia Elizabeth Turkette Olesky) and her husband, Bob Johnston.

 

So will Monongah Alumni Association treasurer for decades Donna Davis, Class of 1961, and her husband, Bill “Carney” Davis, Class of 1958.

 

And Monongah firefighter Jim Birdell, grandson of famous Monongah mailman Byron Birdsell.

 

And probably the oldest Monongah High graduate in attendance, Kathern Herndon Loss, Class of 1942. Hell, she’s even old than ME!

 

And Jay Holman, who organizes his Class of 1971 for reunions at the drop of the hat.

 

And the famous Ahouse sisters, Kitty Morrison and Sue Schrader. Kitty is lining up a Monongah food charity to take the leftover food from the dinner to be used to feed hungry children and their parents in Monongah. Waste not, want not.

 

And, to add even more class, Fairmont State professor Ron Pearse and wife Julie Pearse.

 

Also Charlene Borelli, Jim Roy Foster, Class of 1971, Aaron Justice, Class of 1972, Judy Mills, Christina, Roseanne Loss and Tim Orwing, 1997 North Marion graduate, Judy Mancino, Class of 1971, Judy Niells, Kayla and Steven Tolssone.

 

And maybe a few last-minute Registrations who phone Jackie.

 

Be there or be square!