The eleventh reunion of the Flying Circus was held in September in Branson, Missouri. Bill Medsker was our man on the scene for this one. Our headquarters for the gathering was the Grand Plaza, and Bill had everything organised for people to arrive and get into the spirit of the reunion as friendships were renewed and conversations seemed to simply pick up where they left off two years earlier. It is always interesting to see how this small band of misfits from such diverse backgrounds can come together over the years and have such a deep bond of friendship. The Flying Circus is truly an amazing group.
Branson could be compared to a mini Las Vegas in some ways. While there were plenty of shows to keep people entertained, it was done so without the blinding lights or crowds of the bigger version. On the other hand, some sort of transport was needed to get around in Branson rather than just walking down the streets - with maybe a margarita in one's hands. This was definitely not a problem though. A fair sized group went on the showboat cruise one afternoon. It was a relaxing cruise on the lake, and the show was a lot of fun.
Something that was quite noticeable in Branson was the attitude of the locals toward veterans. It was very touching and sometimes humbling to have someone, even young children, come up and want to shake our hands and thank us for our service. A young girl, maybe 10 years old, came over to me while I was waiting for some friends and shook my hand. It really brought a lump to my throat, and I hardly knew what to say. With the next generation coming along with that sort of open feeling toward the people who defended their freedoms, the country's future might be in good hands after all.
by F. Vanatta
The following members attended the reunion :
| Anderson, Pete | "Snake" |
| Brattain, Bruce | "Batman" |
| Brooks,
Rob & Jenie |
"Snidley Whiplash" |
| Childress, Stan & Gloria | "Playboy" |
| Conway, Bill & Lydia | "Swamp Fox" |
| Diekmann,
David & Jan |
|
| Estes,
Sam |
|
| Gaida,
Gerry & Michelle |
| Gray,
Dave & Pam
|
"Fox" |
| Grossmann, Ron |
|
| Hirlston, Carl & Patsy |
"Big H" |
| Holmes, Ed |
"Chartreuse Ox" |
| Kuypers, Tom |
"Cheyenne" |
| McAllister,
Charlie |
"Taters" |
| Medsker,
Bill |
"Muscles" |
| Molinar,
Ray |
"Tumbleweed" |
| Oberg, Harry |
"Cowboy" |
| Riley,
Pat |
|
| Siems,
Harold & Debe |
"Weird Harold" |
| Vanatta, Frank & Janice |
"Phantom" |
| Zuhlke,
Keith & Deb |
"Zonk" |
| Teasley, Bob & Joy |
Long time friends of F & J Vanatta |
|
The guys .... L to R back row: B. Brattain, R. Grossmann, D. Diekmann, C. Hirlston, B. Conway, F. Vanatta, P. Anderson, H. Oberg, H. Siems, E. Holmes, C. McAllister front row: B. Medsker, D. Gray, T. Kuypers, P. Riley, R. Molinar, S. Childress, S. Estes, K. Zuhlke, G. Gaida, R. Brooks |
|
.... and the gals L to R back row: J. Diekmann, P. Hirlston, L. Conway, J. Vanatta front row: P. Gray, G. Childress, D. Zuhlke, M. Gaida, J. Brooks |