Ron Hashiro

The Class of 1975 held a 50th birthday bash in Las Vegas. The dates were Thu Sept 13 through Sun Sept 16 2007, at the California Hotel in downtown Las Vegas. It was a huge, outstanding success! It exceeded all expectations!

The high schools represented were:

• Kaimuki
• Kalani
• Leilehua
• McKinley
• Pearl City
• Punahou
• Waipahu

The schedule of events were:

• Thu, Sept 13: 5:00 pm Registration and dinner, Ohana Room
• Fri, Sept 14: 9:00 am Slot Tournament, Main Street
• Fri, Sept 14: 12:30 pm Bowling Tournament, Sam's Town
• Fri, Sept 14: 8:00 pm Cecilio & Kapono Concert, Sam's Town
• Sat, Sept 15: 9:00 am "The Great Race" scavenger hunt in downtown Las Vegas.
• Sat, Sept 15: 6:00 pm UH-UNLV Football Game
• Sun, Sept 16: 10:am Closing Brunch, Ohana Room

More on the event in the coming days, as I get more sleep and have a chance to post photos and write-ups.

Attendees from Kaimuki were:

• Dora Ching
• Deborah Chun
• Susanne English
• Garret Fujita
• Ron Hashiro
• Leta Liggett
• Dexter Mitte
• David Nash
• Kathy Saylor
• Gene Smith
• Dayle Rosa-Tom
• Coryn Tanaka
• Patsy Yamamoto

Nadine Kaneshiro also happened to be in town. We caught up with her in the lobby of the California Hotel, just before the Great Race scavenger hunt. I heard Monica Gomes stopped by on Sunday morning, but didn't get a chance to talk with her.

Information on the Island Summer 60's and 70's CD's featured as prizes for the event can be found at this link. Those who grew up in Hawaii in the early 1970's recognize these classic, hard-to-find songs that was so heard often on the radio dial. You can get a copy at Don Quiote, the former Holiday Mart/Daiei store.

The C&K Concert at Sam's Town was fabulous. Its their second-to-the-last stop on their 2007 tour. Cecilio's website and Kapono's website. Cecilio's website has a concert calendar. Check it out.

• Night Music
• Life's Different Now
• Feeling Just the Way I Do
• Here With You
• Sunflower
• Highway In The Sun
• Sailin'
• We're All Alone
• Danny's Song
• Suite: Judy Blue Eyes
• Friends
• About You

The sound of the guitars sounded accurate like their earlier albums. Hearing C&K play and sing Suite: Judy Blue Eyes with just them and their two guitars was absolutely electrifying. Its incredible that so much sound can come out from just those four on stage. Absolutely stunning. You gotta see and hear it!

The UH-UNLV game was UNLV's fourth largest UNLV football attendance of 38,125 people with an estimated 20,000 UH fans present. Including other events such as concerts and conference play, it was the eleventh largest attendance in the Sam Boyd Stadium.

The temperature in the last row of the bleachers cooled from 94 to 89 degrees with steady breeze of 6 to 10 mph, but it was 101 degrees on the field. There was more action in the stands than on the field, with fights going on at both ends of the stadium.

UH beat UNLV 49-14. They made the point spread of 17.5 points.

Sunday brunch was a chance to wind down, and take time more casually. In all four reunions, it was the most time I had to sit and chat with fellow classmates, and it was truly rewarding to do so after all these 32 years. It was surprising to find that half of those in attendance had yet to hit their 50th birthday.

Here's the bunch from Waipahu, taking their photos under our combined class banner. Les from Pearl City got C&K to personally see and autograph the banner!!!

Thanks for the cookies, Dayle. They were so fresh and ono!

Many thanks go to the representatives from the other schools that combined helped to make this a fun, enjoyable and memorable occasion.

I don't know when or where the next event will be, but I hope you have a chance to make it.