2007 Las Vegas Grand Reunion (Fellowship Night)
It was on Wednesday, 30 May, that the McKBrats Fellowship Night and Dinner Buffet was held at The Orleans Hotel which is located at 4500 West Tropicana Avenue, Las Vegas. A function room at the hotel was reserved for this particular activity and which was used by our group from 6:00 pm until just past midnight. It was a well attended affair with the majority of the McKBrats coming in different costumes and attires typical of the 1960s.
Right after dinner the program followed which was participated in by a number of very talented members of our group who rendered songs typical of the 1960s. Paeng Maravilla of Spring Valley (California), Joseph Dimal of Phoenix (Arizona), Boy Villalba (husband of Brenda Bulfa) of Monrovia (California), and Claudette Queza who came all the way from San Antonio (Texas) were among those who sang some songs to entertain us. They even had some pretty and sexy ladies who served as their back-up and background singers which included Brenda Bulfa-Villalba, Louella Cruz-Hall, Bing Resus-Chua and a few other ladies. The attendees were also given a chance to introduce each other.
Different door prizes were likewise given out which included a prize for the youngest and oldest McKBrat. Juny La Putt, at 68, turned out to be the oldest McKBrat present that evening with his former Fort McKinley neighbor, Ligaya Jocson-Quijano, coming in at second place. Portia Jocson and Rommel Bulfa were the youngest attendees. Bing and Bebot Fragante, who came all the way from the Philippines, won the prize as the McKBrats who came from the farthest place. Lina Dimayuga of Richmond, British Columbia, Canada, and Juny La Putt of Honolulu, Hawaii, were also recognized as among those who came from other distant places.
The prize for the best attired female was given out to Pangging Lino Hawck-Copon who now resides in Vallejo, California. She came as a chick looking "go-go" girl and wore a black and white mini-skirt dress with white fish-net stockings, knee-high boots, plus a matching wet-look hat. Roy Fernandez easily won as the best attired male and all eyes were focused on him when he arrived since he came dressed up as an Elvis Priestly look-alike, complete with the signature Elvis white jump suit, hairdo, sideburns, and a red scarf. There should have been a prize for the most romantic couple who came for the reunion, unluckily this was missed out ... and it should have been given to Art and Mita Mendoza who are the newest couple among the McKBrats. Mita used to live and work in Chicago and just recently moved to Las Vegas to join Art. She originally hails from the province of Bulacan.
Louella Cruz-Hall and Lilette Cruz were responsible for planning the program which turned out to be a really enjoyable and fun-filled evening for all those who came. Both ladies contributed a lot of their talent and expertise and so much is owed to them for the successful turnout of our Fellowship Night. Sluggo Rigor also proved to be a versatile entertainer and "party live wire" who dished out his laughable anecdotes and jokes which left everyone laughing and giggling that evening. In addition, Sluggo also sings thus making him a total entertainer.
And towards midnight, everyone held hands to pray and also sing "Auld Lang Syne" which turned out to be a very touching moment for most of us who have not seen each other for decades. There were also hugs and kisses that were given with hopes and promises to meet again for our next reunion. The majority of those who came brought along their digital cameras and and some even had their video cameras. Amateur photographers were all around taking pictures of about every move we were making inside the function room. The 48 digital photographs shown below should give you an idea as to how the Fellowship Night turned out where you can see the smile in the faces of everyone who came.
In a recent posting to the Fort Bonifacio Mailing List just a few days after the reunion in Las Vegas, Brother Raul Bulfa of Azusa, California, wrote: "We had such a wonderful reunion. We enjoyed so much the interaction and camaraderie, the experience was wholesome and family-oriented and we really look forward to our next reunion." He further added, "We pray that God will always release a blessing every time we do this and we want to thank everyone not just for the material help but to everyone who have contributed their God-given talents to the success of the reunion."
With the memorable and enjoyable experience we had for this gathering in Las Vegas, we are now all looking forward to our future reunions most especially the one being planned in the Philippines which we hope will be sometime in October of 2008. This reunion will probably turn out to be the biggest one we will ever have as a group since it will bring together McKBrats who live abroad and those who currently reside in the Philippines.
junylaputt@yahoo.com
