INAGODADAVIDA: A 60s-themed CHS Reunion

After months of planning, Olivia Fredericks held a private reunion at her residence for the women of Colton High School’s Class of 1968. Fredericks recalled that there were a handful of women that were unable to complete their four years of high school. She wanted to reunite these women as many of them have not seen each other since graduation (over 45 years ago). Out of the 45 women that were invited, 34 of them were in attendance to the 60s-themed reunion; Fredericks even did a roll call to verify the presence of the attendees. As hostess, Olivia Fredericks dressed the part with hot pink go-go boots and a matching dress and hat. The Fredericks residence was decked out in authentic 60s memorabilia including a vintage typewriter. Also present was an authentic phonograph along with an original 60s cassette player on display. Many of the women had a chance for a photo op with a Groovy Girl Cutout. Fredericks also displayed old albums she had collected from the 25th and 30th reunion. She even tabbed the photos so attendees just needed to flip to their name to find former photos of themselves. The event was complimented with Fredericks’ classic Love Bug sporting a personalized license plate stating, “Class of ’68 Ladies Reunion,” equipped with a honking horn. As an icebreaker, the ladies played “Who Among Us” which included a series of 20 questions about lives and accomplishments of the women in attendance. The game allowed the women to get to know one another a little more by going around and finding out who did what. Fredericks’ home flooded with tunes from the 60s, specifically 1968, including music by Jim Morrison and the Doors and the Association. Guests were encouraged to hit the dance floor to do “The Hully Gully”, “The Mashed Potato”, “The Locomotion” and “The Jerk”. Sometime during the reunion, the group had a moment of silence to honor the classmates that passed before them. This was a highlight of the night as the Class of '68 had grown through a tight bond that the high school provided. Though some of the ladies left, Fredericks gave out three awards for the night. Andi Ordaz, who has been happily married for the past 45 years, won “Who’s Been Married the Longest”. Delores Diaz won the category of “Who has the Most Grandchildren”. Elenore Diaz of Perris was presented a blue ribbon for “Who Drove the Farthest”. The 60s candies turned out to be a big hit with women fighting over Abba-Zabas and boxes of Good & Plenty. Even with all the awards and photo opportunities, the best part of the day was the reminiscing and the overall fun-loving spirit. “[There’s] so much good love and comraderie among these women,” Fredericks commented. To describe the event, Fredericks referred to an old 60s song, “We’re gonna have fun, fun, fun ‘til daddy takes the T-Bird away.” The women had so much fun; the last guest didn’t leave until 11 at night. Fredericks received cards in the mail saying how much they loved it. One attendee even mentioned how she didn’t remember some of the girls but had a great time getting reacquainted.