Reservations requested by June 1 for high school's 50th birthday party

Date: 5/17/2010

May 17, 2010

By Courtney Llewellyn

Reminder Assistant Editor



EAST LONGMEADOW - The deadline to reserve tickets for the East Longmeadow High School (ELHS) 50th anniversary celebration is fast approaching.

Rosemarie Molinari Myers, coordinator of the ELHS 50th Birthday Party in 2011, is in the process of booking a venue for the gala and needs to know as soon as possible how many alumni want to attend.

"To guarantee a ticket for the celebration, your $25 deposit has to be in by June 1," she said. "We have hundreds of reservations now but I think people have been hesitant to book something so far in advance."

Reservations are being requested so Myers can book either a 1,200 person venue or a 3,000 person venue.

She added that a good portion of the responses she's received already have come from outside the area - including one from France.

Before the celebration in 2011, however, other fundraisers are taking place.

The Bowl-A-Thon fundraiser will be hosted by AMF Airway Lanes in the Springfield Plaza off Liberty Street on July 25 from 6 to 8 p.m. Tickets are $15 for adults and $10 for children under 18. The cost includes two hours of ten-pin or candle-pin bowling and shoe rental. Those who register by July 23 will receive a free 50/50 raffle ticket.

"Bowling was a no-brainer," Myers said. "We wanted to do an event that wasn't just for current and former high school students; we wanted at least one fundraiser where whole families could participate."

The ELHS 50th anniversary golf tournament is scheduled for Aug. 30 at Elmcrest Country Club. For $100, golfers cover their greens fees, carts, lunches, dinners, prizes and gift certificates. Various sponsorships levels are available as well, ranging from $100 to $500.

"You don't have to be a great golfer to participate," Myers said. "It's about having fun, and all proceeds will benefit the high school."

In addition, tickets to a raffle that includes a 46-inch Toshiba LCD HD television, an Acer black netbook and a Sony Cyber-shot digital camera are being sold now as another fundraiser. Those interested in purchasing tickets should call Myers at 374-9919.

"The ultimate goal of all this fundraising is to give a substantial gift to East Longmeadow High School," Myers explained.

The ELHS 50th Birthday Party will be a four-day event taking place July 1 through 4, 2011. More information on the aforementioned fundraisers and the celebration itself is available at www.elhs50thbirthdayparty.info.

"Any past or present student of East Longmeadow High School, their spouses, parents, siblings (high school age and older), past or present staff members, past or present teachers and anyone living in East Longmeadow (high school age and older) is invited to this once-in-a-lifetime event," Myers said. "We are hoping to make this the biggest celebration the school has ever had - it will truly be a historic event."

The next meeting of the celebration planning committee will be on June 1 in the ELHS cafeteria at 6:30 p.m.