Did you Y2K?

By Paulette Tobin (7/13/00)

Here are the top 10 reasons for coming to Eureka, according to our classmate, Charlie Schock, of Mesa, Ariz., who was the MC during the EHS All-School reunion program in Eureka recently.

Top 10 reasons for coming to Eureka, with apologies to Dave Letterman:

10. You don't have to put up with that annoying "dry heat."

9. If you have problems with your chemistry or physics homework, you can always call the mayor.

8. You don't have to panic if you forget where you put your car -- you can walk anywhere you want in 20 minutes or less.

7. You never have to worry about being ticketed for running a red light.

6. You don't have to ask what kuchen is.

5. You golfers never have to worry about tee times.

4. You don't have to worry about forgetting your address book as long as you can find the green house across the street from the big cottonwood tree around the corner from the bowling alley.

3. You know it's time to eat when the whistle blows.

2. Schvadamauga, schvadamauga, schvadamauga.

And the No. 1 reason for coming to Eureka is ...

1. Family and friends. The people of Eureka make our hometown the greatest hometown on the planet.

For those of us who made it back to Eureka last week, the All-School Reunion was only part of the fun. The Y2K Celebration also included a golf tournament, several dances, a water show, a parade and more. But the real draw, of course, was the chance to reconnect with family members and old friends. I lost track of how many people I talked to during my six days in Eureka (which also included a Wolff family reunion). I just know that by Tuesday, when we had to leave Eureka and head home, I was way too tired to have any more fun. It took me until Sunday to catch up on my sleep, and I am still trying to get caught up on everything else around here.

I heard that more than 800 EHS alumni attended the All-School reunion. I have contacted some of the reunion committee members, and they were still going over their numbers. I hope that in upcoming weeks they will let me know how many people registered, and from what classes, and other information about who was there at the ballpark. It was a beautiful day. Registration was well organized and handled beautifully. There were vendors in the park to feed us and sell us soft drinks, and the volunteer firemen to sell us beer. The committee members were very pleased with how well everything had gone, and they should certainly be congratulated for their hard work. It was a wonderful reunion.

The reunion program was great. In addition to Charlie's "Top 10" list, there was a style show (proof that, short of burning, polyester never wears out). There was a welcome from our mayor and former EHS chemistry and physics teacher Ron Cooper. A really impressive alumni band directed by former EHS bandleader Dave Kulm played our school song and several patriotic tunes. If anyone out there has a list of the alumni band members, please send it to me. I would like to recognize these people.

A musical trio from Eureka also sang. Nina (Schumacher) Kunz, Margaret (Schaefer) Raile and Rhona Glaesman have been performing together as From the Heart for several years now, and I could listen to them all day. Then, when the sun went down, there was the DJ show and dance. Although the DJ refused my request to play "Born to be Wild" - judging from his appearance, he was probably born a decade or so after Steppenwolf broke up - his music was sufficiently loud to inspire dancing and other raucous behavior.

I loved the part of the dance where several dozen 20-something women were gleefully gyrating along to that Dixie Chicks song, "Good-bye Earl," about some girlfriends who got together to poison an abusive husband named Earl, then buried his body and went on to live happily ever after. "Goodbye Earl" is certainly different from some of the "girl songs" I remember from my youth - for instance, "It's My Party and I'll Cry If I Want To," where Lesley Gore's boyfriend not only dumped her at her own birthday party, but then proceeded to flaunt his new girlfriend right in Lesley's face. Heaven knows what the Dixie Chicks would have done to this guy, but I think the only crying involved would have been his.

These are the people that I saw from our Class of '73: Betty Bauer Walker, Vickie Beck Bailey, Gerard Beutler, Debbie Delzer Mellert, Duane Dohn, Bernie Fischer, James Fischer, Wayne Frey, Jim Gebhardt, Don Gill, Dave Harr, Chris Heupel McGrann, Nancy Heupel Mattson, Greg Hoff, Debbie Isaak Stickel, Tamara Job, Larry Kauk, Gary Krein, Keith Kusler, Joni Lapp, Mary Mehlhaff Schwab, Fred Mittelstedt, Theresa Moser Grenz, Nancy Neuharth Hemmingson, Al Nies, Micky Odenbach, Tim Opp, Gary Scherbenski, Myron Schnabel, Charlie Schock, Kevin Schulkoski, Vicki Sieler Lapka and Neal Woehlhaff. (Not all these sightings were at the reunion, and there may have been classmates there who I missed.) I also ran into several of our old teachers: Gerald Beutler, Harvey Diedtrich, Ann Bauer, Eleanor Wanner, Arley Trautman, Pearl Raugutt Timmerman and more.

Oh, the stories I heard. And you're crazy if you think I'm going to repeat any of them here. Let me just say, there are several kinds of information exchanged at a reunion. First, there's the "where are you working, are you still married and how are the kids?" and "whatever happened to so-and-so" type of stuff. Then there's the, "remember when this happened in high school?" sharing of stories, half-truths and true confessions. And there's also much to be learned from seeing old friends and fellow alums again. True, some of us are fatter, or more wrinkled, or have less hair than we once did. Others haven't changed much at all since high school, in looks or demeanor. (For a few people, unchanged demeanor was nothing to brag about.) Trust me when I say, you all looked darn good to me. Thank you for your hugs, your laughter, your smiles and affection, the jokes you told and the stories you shared!

I heard from lots of people who are reading this Web site, and from at least two people who were mad at me because they e-mailed me and I had posted what they'd written. To them I apologize. But, just for future reference, if you e-mail me and you don't want me to share what you've written, please let me know. (Some e-mail that I receive is obviously very personal, and I never post this stuff.)

Personally, I like it when you e-mail me to comment about what you've read here and to share your memories, and so do the other people who read this site. This Web site is a way for all of us to share our history and heritage, to foster friendships and keep alive that Eureka connection that is still so important to so many of us. So, please keep e-mailing, and, unless you object, I'll keep sharing it with everyone else.

Here are some other post-reunion and Y2K thoughts and observations:

--Congratulations to all who took part in the planning of the events for this wonderful celebration. Thank you for all your hard work. There were so many things to do and enjoy.

--We had our Wolff family reunion at the Eureka Municipal Golf Course and Club House Friday before Y2K, and we had a great time. The club house looks better than I've seen it in years. The course was in good shape, and it was busy the whole time we were there. I really enjoyed the new patio on the west side of the club house. As our reunion was winding down, some of us sat out there to watch the sun set. In all the world over, I don't believe there is anything more beautiful than a South Dakota prairie sunset.

--My favorite part of the parade was when Rod "Butter" Joachim stopped the big semi truck he was driving in front of the bank, hopped out and ran to the back of the huge trailer. He pulled a lever, and the top of the trailer slowly opened, releasing a cloud of red, white and blue balloons that floated off into the beautiful blue sky. The crowd loved it. On the side of his cab, there was a sign that said, "Butter's Bin Bootzin." Rod is a family friend since our days on the farm and in country school in Detmold Township, and for years, he's been to us, not Rod, but "Buttermilk."

--I also enjoyed the parade entry that announced that Venturia, N.D., is having a centennial celebration next summer! I'll pass on the date as soon as I remember it.

I left Eureka, as I often do, feeling torn between the past and the present, and wondering about what the future will bring for our hometown. It's no secret that many small towns throughout the Dakotas are dying. How will Eureka survive? And will any of us who have moved away play a part in its future? There were three auction sales while I was in town, including one in which a house was sold. Our classmate, Tim Opp, bought it. I know of at least one other classmate who lives elsewhere who owns a home in Eureka. When my mother sold her home last year to move to an apartment, it was purchased by a woman with whom we went to high school and her husband, who plan to live there when they are both retired. Will Eureka become a retirement community for aging baby boomers? I'm sure our former classmate, Gary Krein, who is in the insurance and real estate business in Eureka, would be happy to find all of us homes in our old hometown!

Life has a way of moving in circles, doesn't it? On the way home from Y2K, I heard a song on the radio called "What about Now?" by Lonestar. "That road rolls out like a welcome mat. I don't know where it goes, but it beats where we're at. We always said someday, some how, we were gonna get away, gonna blow this town." I remember feeling like that, sometimes, when I was growing up in Eureka. Now, sometimes I wonder about going back. So far it's been idle, far-fetched wondering, but who knows. I'm keeping Gary's phone number handy.

(Paulette Haupt Tobin grew up on a farm near Eureka and graduated from EHS in 1973. Today she is a newspaper reporter in Grand Forks, N.D. You can e-mail her at [email protected])