23rd Holiday Gathering 2017 Details
5-7pm
Ames History Museum, 416 Douglas Ave
7pm - closing
Sweet Caroline's Kitchen & Cocktails
316 Main Street, Ames, Iowa
Reserved for 40 guests upstairs in the loft at Sweet Caroline's
If more than 40 overflow into the main floor bar area
AHS Holiday Get Together
was held Friday December 29, 2017 7pm to closing
Location: Olde Main, 316 Main St., Ames Iowa
plus a bonus Alumni event:
Ames High
Through the Years Reception
was held Friday December 29, 2017 5pm to 7pm
Location: Ames History Center (Ames Historical Society), 416 Douglas Ave., Ames Iowa
All AHS Alumni Holiday Reunion post created Feb 8, 2017, updated Dec 11, 2017 Jan 2, 2018 and Feb 12, 2018 top
Photos from 2017 + previous All Class AHS Holiday Gatherings, also
Facebook Holiday events from:
The ALL CLASS Get-Together was originally started by late 1970s and early 1980s AHS Alumni, but All AHS class years are encouraged and welcome. We would love to see representatives from every class.
This year, Two (2) AHS Alumni events in one (1) fun filled evening!
- what: Reception at "Ames High Through the Years" Exhibit. Serving chili, soups, and beverages
- when: 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. Friday, December 29, 2017
- where: Ames History Center 416 Douglas Ave., Ames, IA
- who: All AHS Alumni, significant others, friends, whoever. All AHS Alumni are invited to attend
- how: Free event
- what: 23rd annual AHS All Alumni HOLIDAY GET TOGETHER
- when: 7 p.m. to close, Friday, December 29, 2017
- AHS"> who: All AHS Alumni, significant others, friends, elves, whoever.
- EVERY year is invited to attend, there is always a strong mid 70s to early 80s classes showing, but the younger 2007 and 2008 AHS classes have discovered us too! We need the 50s and 60s and early 70s plus more 90s and 2000s AHS Alumni to discover this great get-together.
- where: Olde Main Brewing Co. 316 Main St., Ames, IA
- how: Cash (yours)
AHS Ames High School gathering was held Friday Eve Dec 29, 2017 at Olde Main on Main Street in Ames, IA"/>
A message from Perry Beeman:
All Classes Holiday Get Together marks 23rd Anniversary Fri December 29, 2017, 7pm to ? Friday after Christmas
What started as the Ames High School Class of '77's desire to hold informal gatherings in addition to formal reunions led to an all-classes reunion in Ames every holiday season. Perry Beeman and Julie (Anderson) Larson of the Class of '77 set up the original evening gathering in 1994. They quickly decided to invite all Ames High School grads. Many Ames High grads don't want to wait until a formal reunion rolls around to chat, and this was a way to cater to those back for the holidays. The idea was to keep it simple: show up, buy your own refreshments, no tickets, no fees, no fuss. Along the way, fellow Ames High grads Bill Nutty and Heidi Conis helped build the turnout, which now often is bigger than some formal reunions. "We began with 30 or so, mostly from '77, but it continued to build," Beeman said. "Let's just say I gained a lot of Facebook friends when word got around I was one of the organizers."In 2013, a strong crowd of 150 classmates represented AHS classes from 1972 to 2008. In 2014 There was again another strong crowd of happy holiday classmates for the 20th anniversary of this great event. Typically, the event occurs the Friday between the holidays, or whichever Friday seems to make the most sense. For convenience and tradition, the gathering has remained at Olde Main Brewing Co., 316 Main St., which is big enough to handle a large crowd and has a full menu. Details are always at www.ameshigh.org a year in advance. Still confused? Email Beeman at p e r r y b e e m a n @ g m a i l . c o m.
The 2017 gathering was Fri Dec 29, 2017. We'll look forward to seeing you. Please invite your classmates.
See you at the next GREAT AHS Holiday Gathering!
The All Class AHS Holiday Gathering is normally held the Friday between Christmas and New Year's. If the holidays hit that day like it did last year (and like it did in 2009 and again in 2010 and 2011) we pick a different date, but this year date falls on a Friday.The 2017 Ames High School Alumni Holiday Gathering / Reunion night was held Friday eve, December 29, 2017 at Olde Main Brewing Co. in downtown Ames. We normally take over the place. It's simple, we set the date, you show up, buy your own food or drinks, and, if you're a big spender, for your friends. Then drink up (in moderation of course and we encourage soda pop or water), chat, and get caught up. This has been a meaningful, wonderful reconnection for many people, and we've had classmates from New York, California, Florida, Minnesota, Nebraska, Illinois and elsewhere attend. The holiday gathering got off the ground 18 years ago, in a small way and mostly involving the AHS Class of '77, but has become much more. "We started out with about 30 people a year, but in the last couple of years, this has really taken off," Beeman said. "I rely heavily on the this alumni site for email addresses - and beg people to update theirs -- and that helps. What really got this going, though, is the simple act of friends letting their friends know about it through personal email address books and phone calls. The alumni newsletter and the website also carry notices.
Why?
The idea for an informal All Classes AHS reunion came out of years of discussions among Perry Beeman, Julie (Anderson) Larson, Bill Nutty (all 3 from the AHS Class of '77) and others. The thought was to catch people while they were back in town for the holidays, and to have an informal, relaxing, annual fun gathering (i.e. reunion) for those of us who hate to wait five years for our own class gatherings to roll around. Finally, the trio of big talkers backed it up by actually planning an event.Please help get the word out. Every year, we have hurt feelings because someone didn't didn't know about it. The more emails and phone calls, the better.
Bonus event: Ames High Through the Years Reception was held Fri December 29, 2017, 5pm to 7pm, 416 Douglas Ave, Ames IA
AHS grads of all classes gathered on Friday evening, December 29th from 5 p.m.-7 p.m., at the Ames History Center, 416 Douglas Ave., for refreshments and the exhibit, "Ames Hi Aiming High Through the Years," Take a walk down memory lane before catching up on the present! Then walk two (2) blocks to Olde Main Brewery for the All-Classes Annual Holiday Party.The Ames History Center invites you to enjoy chili, soups, and beverages from 5 p.m. until 7 p.m. on Dec 29, 2017, connecting with other AHS grads and seeing the fascinating history of our high school and its five buildings since the first was built in 1881. (Who knew?)
Make it an evening! See you at the History Center - 416 Douglas Avenue - on Friday, December 29th, 5pm-7pm!
Photos
Photos from 2007 2013 2014 2015 2016 and 2017 All Class AHS Holiday Gatherings.
All Class AHS Holiday Gathering Photos, click left/right arrows on the photo below.
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Facebook - Holiday Gathering Events
2017 Current Facebook event2016 Facebook event
2015 Facebook event
2014 Facebook event
Stats:
Details: Just like last year! Lots and lots of fun and reminiscing and catching up and meeting new AHS Alum. Plus, you see your friends from other classes who you normally don't see at your own AHS class reunion because this is an ALL Class AHS gathering. About 100 AHS Alumni turned out for the 2006 AHS Holiday event, and a record 110 turned out in 2007 from the AHS classes of 1967 to 2003. Some scholars think it might have even been more. The foggy weather caused attendance to drop to 50 in 2008, there was a good turnout in 2009, 2010 wasn't the largest turnout we have ever had, but there was a respectible showing of about 60 AHS Alumni in 2010. Perry says a lot of younger classes are showing up now too and it is harder for him to know who the AHS grads are, so maybe there were more than 60 classmates at the gatherings in 2010, 2011 and 2012. The 2013 All Holiday Gather had the largest attendence ever at 150+ alum, the AHS classes of 2008 and 1998 had big reunions the previous summer, so they both opted to also have Holiday mini-reunions over the holidays and piggy-backed onto our event, this was great! There were approximately 20 from 2008 and 20 from 1998, which bumped up our attendence by 40. Last year, 2014, had a tie for the 2nd largest turnout at 110+Disclaimer:
This is the age of disclaimers, and of course we have one too. This Get-Together is not sponsored by the AHSAA, or anyone else affilated with AHS. We just want to see all our great friends from AHS again.Is your email current?
Your AHS Holiday reunion committee wants to contact you via email, to keep you informed about your reunion + save postage.
Update your email here: view add update search. If that didn't work click
Is your postal mailing address current?
Moved? email the AHSAA your new mailing address, keep the AHSAA updated so we don't loose you, click here , tell us your name, current mailing address, year of graduation + anything else you care to add.