Since the Powell High School Alumni Association’s weekend affords a golden opportunity for old friends to wax nostalgic, why not join a few now for a walk down memory lane?

The rivalry between Powell and Cody schools occasionally culminated in mischief.

Nancy Hall, Class of 1960, recalls a prank when she was probably a junior: “A bunch of us snuck up to Cody and changed the C to a P.”

That was the capital C of white-washed stones Cody High School students so carefully maintained on a prominent hill outside of town for all to see. 

Cody High School’s retaliation?

“I’m sure they came down and did something to us,” Hall said.

Back in Terry Faxon’s day — Class of 1969 — the kids might have felt a little boxed in at times.

For homecoming bonfires, each class — freshmen, sophomores, juniors and seniors — would amass as many cardboard boxes as possible. The other classes would make every effort to steal the other classes’ boxes. For example, seniors would swipe boxes from freshmen or vice-versa. “You would have to hide them,” Faxon said.

But, come homecoming, all the boxes were combined in one ginormous heap. “We had huge bonfires,” Faxon said.

Faxon is in charge of the “Blast From The Past Jam Session,” an Alumni hoedown starting at 4 p.m. Saturday at the Park County Fairgrounds. It entails reuniting former PHS bands to rock their friends.

When Faxon was a Powell Panther, combos performed every weekend for PHS students where the Homesteader Museum is located now. “So that’s why we had so many bands back then,” Faxon said.

Jim Milburn, from the Class of 1956, and his buddies would load up in the car to go to the drive-in movies. Occasionally girls would join them, he said.

Around 1954, Richard Ries’ father, Joe Ries, installed a 100-foot TV antenna. Milburn remembers watching comedian George Gobel. It took a few minutes to warm up before the television had a picture. “They had one of the first TVs,” Milburn said.

In ‘69, there was no skirting the PHS dress code.

“It was so much stricter back then,” Faxon said.

Though miniskirts were all the rage, PHS girls were required to wear dresses in Faxon’s day. And, those dresses had to reach the knee or lower. At assembly, all the girls marched across the stage while the principal verified the frocks were of acceptable length. Schoolgirls with skirts too short were sent home to change. The gals rolled up their dresses when adults weren’t in attendance, Faxon said.

On senior “sneak” day, Hall did not get parental permission to skip school, but she ditched with her friends just the same. Hall’s parents grounded her for playing hooky. “We did good, clean fun in those days,” she said. 

Milburn was a model student because his father, James Milburn, Sr., was a PHS teacher. When the telephone rang at the Milburn home, the caller would ask for Big Jim or Little Jim to connect with the appropriate party, Milburn said.

Driving adolescent sustenance

“I remember going down to the bakery (Powell Bakery) to get a long john for lunch,” Milburn, said.

An effervescent soda or malt at the soda fountain at Moyer Drug was another culinary memory for Milburn.

“I remember dragging main,” Milburn said, “going to the A&W drive-in.”

The A&W on West Coulter Avenue was an opportune place to turn around for Milburn riding in a 1952 two-door Ford Mercury owned by his buddy, Bob Royer. It was a cool car, Milburn said.

Are kids still bugging main street?

“I think the price of gas has slowed them down a bit,” Milburn answered.   

Mandatory attendance

Ben Keller (Class of 1950) has been an alumni association member right around a half century. “It’s been enjoyable all these years,” he said.

In the past, every graduating class participated during alumni weekend. “Everybody would come,” Keller said.

In fact, graduating classes served PHS’ alumni meals during alumni weekends. “That went on for a long time,” Keller said.

He gets together with his PHS pals regularly. “We’re all friends that are here,” Keller said.

“Problem we have today is the younger people don’t participate,” Keller said.

The association could use some new members and would be willing to teach them the organizational ropes. “We’d sure like young people to step up to the plate,” Hall said.

“I’ve been on the (Alumni) committee for probably a total of 30 years,” said Pat Graham, Class of 1962.

Graham recalls spending three days with his buddies at the 1962 World’s Fair in Seattle. He also recalls en route back to Powell when Heart Mountain rose into view; a geographic icon so many associate with Powell and/or the Big Horn Basin. Graham returned in time for the alumni weekend and an alumni dinner at the VFW.

“We had fun out there, but it was still nice to be back,” Graham said.