Reunion golf tourney fills up

The FFHS Millennium Reunion organizing committee has received word the golf tournament, slated to take place on the first day of the reunion, is virtually full.
Organizer Freddie Beck reported that as of a week ago, 96 of the 100 openings available were filled. And it’s expected the remaining four would be filled soon.
A similar response is expected for the other events planned to take place over the July 7-9 reunion dates.
Meanwhile, a variety of bands that played at Fort High during their teen years have been busy brushing the dust off songs which were played many years ago. Brass instruments, guitars, and a variety of other musical equipment have been pulled out of closets across Canada for one final performance before a sellout crowd of 2,000 reunion participants.
Bands such as Orpheus, The Rockers, Mudshark, and Flight VI have been writing, phoning, and e-mailing fellow band members in order to decide upon songs and dates for practice sessions before they meet once again in Fort Frances.
In fact, members of Orpheus and The Rockers have been travelling to southern Ontario to renew acquaintances and to practice for their encore performances at the reunion dinner/dance.
The excitement of the returning bands–and that of the 2,000 former Fort High students–is building rapidly. And the reunion committee is expecting to reach their goal of 2,000 registrants well before July.
The reunion check-in for registered alumni and their guests will take part July 6-7. Anyone expecting to register and pay for the reunion at that time will be disappointed to find out late registrations won’t be accepted.
The committee has been working hard to encourage interested individuals to sign up early for the reunion. Because of broken ties with many former classmates, the committee has relied almost totally on relatives and friends still living in the area to inform former students and staff of the upcoming reunion.
While this reliance on the grapevine is not a perfect way to pass on information about the reunion, it’s proven to be extremely effective. That effectiveness continues to grow but more can be done.
Besides the media and personal contacts, the committee is hoping to get its message out in another special way. The “Millennium Bug,” which was on people’s lips around the world for months leading up the new year, will be unveiled in front of Fort Frances High School on Thursday at 4:30 p.m.
The reunion committee is inviting all former Fort High students and staff to come out to the unveiling, and to wear their Millennium Reunion sweatshirts and T-shirts. Shirts will be on sale for those who do not yet have them.
The committee also is planning to take a group photo with the “Millennium Bug” so it can be sent to CBC for use on its morning television broadcast across Canada.
Representatives from Ontario Students Against Impaired Driving, the FFHS Endowment Fund, Pepsi-Cola Canada, and other groups also will be on hand for the unveiling.
Registration forms for the reunion will be available on Thursday and will be accepted at that time. Forms continue to be available at Fort Frances General Supply, and from FFHS Millennium Reunion, 1208 Elizabeth St. E., Fort Frances, Ont., P9A 3R9.
Registrations will continue to be accepted on a first-come, first-served basis up until the cut-off number of 2,000 has been reached.