The Notre Dame classes of the 1970s will host a reunion Friday and Saturday in Cape Girardeau. Beth Meyer-McFerron, committee chairwoman for the reunion, said disco balls and tissue paper flowers will help set the stage for the era when many of those in attendance danced the night away more than 30 years ago at the the dance club Ban'ls, now the Plaza Conference Center.

Individual class gatherings begin Friday night at alumni homes, area restaurants and other meeting places. Alumni meeting places in downtown Cape Girardeau will make it possible for graduating classes to mingle with one another at multiple gathering spots.

"Decade reunions seem to be happening more and more. My class, 1972, has always had great turnouts and so has 1973, but it seems as we get older the turnouts are less and less for whatever reason. People get busy with their lives, live out of town, their parents have passed on so there's no reason to come back to Cape," Meyer-McFerron said.

A '70s get-together begins at 6 p.m. Saturday with liturgy celebrated with the Rev. Mike McDevitt at the Plaza Conference Center. The returning faculty and three principals who served over the decade will be honored, including Sister M. Clarence Lanahan, Sister Mary Raynald Bloomer and Sister Carol Weber.

More than 300 plan on attending, but admission will be accepted at the door Saturday night.

Following the Mass there will be a social hour with hors d'oeuvres catered by the Knights of Columbus and music by Mid-Life Crisis.

Videos of some of the classes will be shown and students, teachers and sisters who are now deceased will be honored.

Cheekwood Studios will be available for individual and group photos.

For more information, call Meyer-McFerron at 270-9575 or visit www.notredamehighschool.org.

cpagano@semissourian.com

335-6611, extension 133