49th Reunion Info

The FRA Reunion - Jacobus Park

The 48th reunion event is now just a fond memory. It was a nice gathering of 41 classmates in attendance at Hoyt Park on August 19th, 2024. To see photos of the events, click/tap here. Due to the success of this gathering and by the end of that event, we determined another picnic reunion should be done in 2025.

We have a number of reasons for the odd-year reunion:

• This reunion is basically a repeat from the 45th, 46th, 47th, and 48th reunions. But this year we're going to try a different venue - Jacobus Park.
• We can do these picnic reunions without a lot of effort.
• Many of the participants from the 48th asked us to put on another event this year, and a number of others these past several months asked specifically if we could do one this year.
• As was the case previously, we received quite a few regrets from classmates who wished they could have attended, but had prior obligations.
• We are planning on doing a picnic as part of the big 50th reunion next year and our first choice is going to be Hoyt Park. However, getting 2 picnic areas might be difficult and if this reunion at Jacobus Park goes well, we have a viable alternative.
• Finally, we're donoting this gathering as the FRA (Full Retirement Age) Reunion as by the end of the year everyone in our class will have turned 67 and are at FRA.

 

Save The Date: August 9, 2025

We will be holding this event on Saturday, August 9th, at Jacobus Park. All of our previous picnic reunions have been held at Hoyt Park, but availability is often limited so we're trying what we hope is another great venue. Jacobus Park is a gem that most people living even relatively nearby are unaware. But we're hoping most of our class are familiar and have been there.

Another reason for trying Jacobus is the reality that getting a picnic area at Hoyt Park can be challenging. For example, checking on August 9th at Hoyt at the beginning of April, all of the picnic areas were already reserved! For our 50th reunion we are planning on doing a picnic get together as part of the overall event and we will need a large (100+) picnic venue. So in the event we can't secure a reservation at Hoyt, our backup could be Jacobus. Picnic Area 3 has a capacity of 50 and the adjoining Picnic Area 1 has 100.

We have reserved Picnic Area 3 in Jacobus Park for our scheduled get together for 2:00PM thru at least 6:00PM (times still a bit tentative - the reservaton actually goes from 10am to 10pm). A great aspect for this venue is the close proximity of the small pool area where the bathrooms are located.

Our Reservation Document

Details and Miscellaneous

Weather can be an issue. If it looks like it might rain we are asking for anyone who has one to bring a tent. However, staking is not allowed.

Because we have a permit for our picnic area, we are allowed to have beer (cans or bottles) at our picnic site so bring what you'd like. One downside of the venue is that it lacks a place to purchase soft drinks, beer, or snacks.

There are no longer grills in any of the county parks, but you are permitted to bring your own. There is a container available on our picnic site for disposal of hot coals, although they do request that they be dowsed in water beforehand.

It might be a good idea to bring camping chairs and possibly camping tables. 

Amplified music is not permitted.

Here is a link to the Milwaukee County Park picnic policies.

This is free event! That means the only cost to our classmates will be for their own food and drink. The only hard cost is the picnic area reservations and that has been donated.

No RSVP Required! Though we like to hear if you're coming for planning purposes, you can simply show up. We'll have plenty of space.

Location and Parking

Warning: we don't recommend using the official address of Jacobus Park as Google Maps shows the location in the middle of the Menomonee River! Instead, we recommend you use the address of 6027 Menomonee Dr, Wauwatosa. This is the address of a home, but it sits right next to the entrance to Jacobus Park that will take you quickly to Picnic Area 3. Parking for this venue is on Menomonee Drive.

As updates become available and other get togethers decided, we will update this page, but also look for announcements via our email list.

 

What's An Informal Reunion?

To answer that question it is helpful to define a Formal Reunion. That is the typical reunion where there is a lot advanced planning. We rent a hall, provide a meal, hire a bartender, and sometimes hire a band or disc jockey for entertainment. All of this incurs a cost which can be considerable which in turn requires we charge a fee to those attending. For the 20th and 25th reunions they were held at hotels while the 30th and 40th were held in the Mueller Building at Hart Park. A huge issue for a formal reunion becomes the problem of numbers. We need to predict ahead of time the approximate attendance as that will dictate the size of the venue and the amount of food we need to purchase. It also guides us as to what the event will cost our classmates and guests.

An informal reunion is one where we simply provide a gathering place (usually public venues) and decide on date and time. There is no need to know exactly who's coming although it is always great to know. The whole class is invited and whoever can make it, make it. There is no obligation and can literally be a last minute decision. Every formal reunion has at least one other informal activity such as:

• Tosa Fest
• Tosa East tour
• Colonel Hart's (Pep's Place)
• Summerfest
• Hoyt Park

In other words an informal reunion is simply a formal reunion without the formal event.