OTISFIELD — A group of former Otisfield Elementary School students who rode the school bus together from 1960 to 1980 are planning a reunion.
It will be held from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 10, at the Otisfield Community Hall in East Otisfield, according to the Rev. Genise Stern of East Otisfield Free Baptist Church. She attended Otisfield Elementary School from 1965 to 1970.
Stern said she and others who grew up together in Otisfield “thought it would be cool to get all of our playmates together again.”
Students connected on Facebook, she said, “and thought it would be really fun to see more of our old friends that we used to take the bus with to elementary school.”
Stern said they wanted to cover a long time span so families could be included.
“We tried to get a wide range of older and younger students,” she said. “We decided to open the event up to anybody who took the school bus in Otisfield from 1960 to 1980. When I went to elementary school, there were six core families who formed a social network of sorts. We were really close, but we wanted to make sure we had a large group of students.”
It’s the first time that former Otisfield students have organized a reunion, Stern said.
“Not many of the people who took the bus throughout those 20 years live in Otisfield anymore, so it’ll be great for all of us to see each other again,” Stern said. “We’re hoping that this first one will be successful so we can make it something we do every five years or so. We definitely want it to be something that continues in the future.”
All former students are welcome to bring their spouses or partners, Stern said.
She said there will be a $10 fee per person to cover the costs of hosting the event. Attendees should bring a hot or cold dish to share. Food will be served at 1 p.m.
Stern said she hopes the reunion will give old friends a chance to tell stories and catch up on what they’ve missed in each other’s lives.
“We’ve been able to connect through Facebook a little bit, but it’s just not the same as meeting face to face,” she said.
For more information, or to RSVP to the event, e-mail Genise Stern at Genisek2004@yahoo.com.
Send questions/comments to the editors.
Comments are no longer available on this story