Hello.
THE 2020 REUNION is now only 5 months away from today!
Welcome to all the newly found classmates receiving this monthly update for the first time. You can read all the previous updates on our private facebook page “Seaholm Class of 1970”. You will be prompted with “ask to join”. This is to keep out advertisers.
THE 2020 REUNION will be held Friday, July 10, 2020 at The Community House in Birmingham. We will have additional events Thursday night through Sunday.
Classmate Search
Karen Roth has expanded our search committee and we are making great progress as you can see in the attached pdf "Missing Info List” update, at the bottom of the email.
Classmates found in December have been removed. All classmates found in January are shown in blue. Please help us by reviewing the names listed in black for people you know or can find, and sending us their active email address.
Very special thanks to Ed Connolly who has made a great number of finds!
Hotels
Karen Roth has been in touch with The Townsend Hotel and made arrangements for a block of 15 luxury king rooms at a discounted rate, only valid if we have at least six room reservations by June 1. If we fall short of six by then, the rooms will be billed at their normal rate.
Rooms can be cancelled until noon of the day before arrival to cancel without penalty.
The rooms are available for the nights of Wednesday July 8 through Saturday July 1, at $290 + tax per night (regularly $439 + tax).
Use the promo code “Seaholm 50th Class Reunion 1970” when making reservations.
Reservations can be made through their website or by phone:
https://www.townsendhotel.com
Tel (248) 642-7900
The special reunion rate is still available at The Holiday Inn Express Birmingham. Remember to use the code SEA when booking.
https://www.ihg.com/holidayinnexpress/hotels/us/en/birmingham/dttbh/hoteldetail?cm_mmc=GoogleMaps-_-EX-_-US-_-DTTBH
Tel (248) 642-6200
I should also mention The Somerset Inn for the convenience factor of being at Somerset Mall if that is important to you or someone traveling with you:
https://www.somersetinn.com
Tel (248) 643-7800
Another option is The Doubletree by Hilton, at the former site of The Kingsley Inn on Woodward at Long Lake:
Https://doubletree3.hilton.com
Tel (248) 644-1400
We have official word that The Daxton, a new luxury hotel under construction in Birmingham, will not be open in time for our reunion.
A VIRTUAL CELEBRATION
I originally intended to hold the reunion on Thursday, June 11, 2020. Why? Because on that day it will be exactly 50 years to the day that we processed into the gym, wearing cap and gown, and received our diplomas from Seaholm High School. What better night to hold our reunion?
Reality creeped in with the inconvenience of a Thursday night event and the fact that June can be overcrowded with graduations and weddings. So we thought it better to hold it later, on July 10, right after the Fourth. That way, if you are traveling here you might extend your trip into a Michigan summer vacation on any of our beautiful lakes.
But I can’t let June 11th go uncelebrated. So I am announcing a virtual 50th anniversary celebration!
Between now and June 1st, please send me a photo of yourself raising a glass and toasting our Class of 1970. You can be alone or with a partner, family, or fellow classmates. You can be on your deck, in the woods, on a boat, in front of a magnificent sunset, or just in front of a wall. Just please be there with a smile on! Please include names (and maiden names) for captions, and city and state if you are willing. That will give me a week to assemble the photos into a movie that I will email to you on June 11th. A perfect excuse to sit back with another beverage, watch... and smile.
Local Places of Interest
I keep trying to think of activities to suggest for you to enjoy while you are back visiting your hometown.
In previous updates I have suggested some activities in Detroit that might be fun. There are organized bus tours and walking tours, but even just an unstructured walk in Downtown or a stroll along the Riverwalk would be a delightful experience. Check out these websites:
visitdetroit.com detroitriverfront.org
The Detroit Institute of Arts will be having an exhibition: Van Gogh in America. You can get more information at their website: dia.org
The Detroit Zoo is always fun. The Polk Penguin Conservation Center is very popular and will be recently reopened after repairs. Website: detroitzoo.org
But I would surely be remiss if I neglect to mention a wonderful cultural site, right at our doorstep, and it’s free. Cranbrook.
The beautiful collection of Arts and Crafts and Art Deco architecture and sculpture prompted Paul Goldberger, architecture critic for The New York Times, to say Cranbrook was “one of the greatest campuses ever created anywhere.”
Cranbrook was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1973, and named a National Historic Landmark in 1989.
We used to just wander the grounds, and you still can, but now there’s an app for that: "Discover Cranbrook" at the App Store. It contains gps guided tours and information on buildings, sculptures, gardens and more.
For more information check out these sites:
Cranbrook Art Museum: cranbrookartmuseum.org
Cranbrook Institute of Science: science.cranbrook.edu
Cranbrook House and Gardens: houseandgardens.cranbrook.edu
Last fall, in the midst of Halloween party preparations, it occurred to me to suggest Cranbrook as a place you would enjoy to visit during the reunion. I dropped everything and ran over to take some pictures for this update, because you know, we can’t trust the weather to do anything but change in Michigan. I’ve put them into a movie, the link is below.
I hope you enjoy.
Wood