80ish Birthday Roundup in Destin Florida UPDATE (7-30-2026)

It is hard to imagine, but October is almost here! That means our 80ish Birthday Roundup is just around the corner and we would like to update you on current plans. We would like to request that if anyone is still interested in joining us, please do not wait much longer to book your room At the Hampton Inn – Destin, FL. Even if you have never attended a Roundup in previous years, please consider coming to Destin – it will be fun and if you want to feel young again, consider that we are celebrating the 2nd anniversary of our 40th birthday – LOL! We are always interested in meeting former classmates whom we never knew while HHS. So please let us know your interest in participating for planning & reservation purposes.

1) Our classmate Pat Pierce, who is a long-time resident of Destin, has been very kind and diligent enough to obtain the following available option from SunQuest Dinner Cruises for our group:

Destin's Sunset Dinner Cruise (on SunQuest): 2nd Deck Buyout, Available Option for Thursday, Oct. 8:

This option requires us to book as a group with a 50% retainer. The remaining balance is due 21 days prior to your event date. This option allows for a more flexible floorplan as we will have more space as we will have rented out a deck. There is live music / dancing on the (public) 1st Deck, and an open air 3rd Deck (getting to the public, open air 3rd Deck requires going up 14 steps — there is a hand railing)

$5,000, up to 30 Guests: this works out to about $160 per person /$320 per couple

Includes:

· 3-Hour Public Dinner Cruise

· Reserved 2nd Deck – Only your guests will be seated on this deck for dinner service.

· Unlimited Beer & House Wine (cocktails available for purchase)

· 3-Course Dinner: Salad/Entrée/Dessert

To reserve this, we would need 30 people willing to commit within the next 10 days, and pay a 50% deposit (approx. $80/person) now, with the balance due 21 days before the Oct. 8 cruise date.

For more information, here is the Link to Destin's SunQuest Sunset Dinner Cruise:

Destin Dinner Cruises & All-Inclusive Weddings | SunQuest Cruises

Here is the Menu: 3 course dinner:

BRONZED ATLANTIC SALMON Lightly blackened, beurre blanc, herb rice, seasonal vegetable. (GF) BRAISED BONELESS SHORT RIB Smoked tomato cream sauce, garlic roasted mashed potatoes, seasonal vegetable. (GF) GULF SHRIMP & GRITS Stoneground yellow cheese grits, andouille sausage, zesty creole sauce, Gulf shrimp (GF) SOLARIS CREOLE CHICKEN Cast iron seared, creamy andouille sauce, roasted garlic mashed potatoes, seasonal vegetable (GF)

BAKED LUMP CRAB CAKES 100% super lump crab cakes (no breading), white wine and lemon butter sauce, herb rice, seasonal vegetable (GF) QUINOA BOWL (V) Fresh herbs, sauteed vegetables (GF)

We need to know within 10 days if our group would like to do this, and if we have 30 people willing to commit and pay the deposit, so please get back to us as soon as possible to avoid missing this deadline. And we agree with Pat who reminded us that this would be a wonderful conclusion to another of our HHS Class of ’64 Roundup get togethers.

Also, we have obtained a separate Hospitality Room for our class at the Hampton Inn – Destin so we can gather during our stay and to meet during our arrival day, Tuesday October 6th. We will also have their newly decorated Lobby area and outside Patio and Pool areas to gather anytime.

Classmates and guests attending 80ish Birthday Roundup in Destin Florida

                              Updated July 30, 2026:

Nancy (Lundblom) Blizzard (64) & Tim Blizzard (65)

Arlene Byrne (64)

Bill Coffeen (64)

Marti (Medina) Cohen (64)

Lynn (Anderson) Dewhurst (64) & Jack Dewhurst (65)

Lynette (Strickland) Goslin (64) & Tom Goslin (64)

Mike Heffner (64) and Barbara Heffner

Gary Licko (64)& Carol Licko

Larry Pederson (64) & Jill Pedersen    

Pat Pierce (64)

Nancy (Berthiaume) Rusinak (64) & Vince Rusinak (64)

Sergio Siller (64) & Anne Siller

Joe Spence (64) & Diane Spence

Paul Stokes (64) & Carol Stokes

Jo Ann (McAlhany) Walker (64) & Jonnie Walker

HHS Class of ‘64 80ish Roundup – Destin, FL

Good news! There is another Roundup for our class being planned for October 6-8, 2026, in Destin, FL to celebrate our milestone 80th birthday. Yes, hard to believe, 80!

Our fellow classmates involved in the planning for this “80ish” RU are Bill Coffeen, Sergio Siller (Anne), Pat Pierce, Joe Spence (Diane), and Gary Licko (Carol). They will be providing additional details over the coming months. For our planning purposes, please let Sergio (Anne) Siller (256-881-3795 / sjsiller@comcast.net) or Gary (Carol) Licko (786-351-7468 / c.licko@outlook.com know if you plan to attend, how many you expect will be in your party and if you are interested in helping in some way or have any questions. Also, if you have any questions about the Destin area, Pat Pierce, who is our resident expert, may be reached at ptvettes@gmail.com

We have obtained an agreement with the Hampton Inn & Suites by Hilton located at 1625 Scenic Highway 98 East, Destin, FL 32541 for a block of 14 rooms with discounted rates as follows:

1 King Studio Suite: $179.00 +13% in taxes 5 rooms

2 Queen Beds: $169.00 +13% in taxes 5 rooms

2 Queen Partial Gulfview Studio Suite: $199.00 +13% in taxes 4 rooms

We can request additional rooms, if they are available, so book early and please let us know. You can use the link below to book within our group block, “80ish Reunion”: https://bit.ly/HHSClassof64 or you may call the hotel directly at (850) 654-2677 and tell them you’re with the HHS Class of ‘64 80ish Reunion. The hotel has just been recently renovated plus parking and breakfast are included in the rates.

The cutoff date to make reservations is September 6, 2026. A credit card will be required at the time of booking; however, it will not be charged until the day of arrival. Please note you may cancel up to 48 hours prior to arrival without penalty, if needed, so book early if you have any plan to attend.

Please mark your Calendar and plan to join us for the great weather in Florida during that time of year. We look forward to seeing you then!

There are many other hotels in the area as well. For your convenience, here are just a few :

· Holiday Inn Express Destin E - Commons Mall Area 108 Hutchinson Street, Destin, FL 32541

· Courtyard by Marriott Sandestin at Grand Boulevard 100 Grand Boulevard, Destin, FL 32550

· Spark by Hilton Destin 4415 Commons Drive East, Destin, FL 32541, United States

· Comfort Inn & Suites Destin near Henderson Beach 4401 Commons Drive East, Destin, 32541

Interesting Facts about Destin, FL

For those who may have yet the opportunity to visit Destin, you may be interested in knowing the following:

Historically many visitors arrived in Destin from the metro Atlanta area for their fun family vacation. In recent years the rest of the nation and indeed the world are discovering the pristine, sugar-white quartz crystal beach and emerald toned waters of the glorious Gulf of Mexico. It hasn't always been this way because this part of Florida was always considered remote or forgotten compared to the "civilized" developments along the Atlantic shores.

Actually, the hisry of Destin extends back thousands of years when Native Americans discovered the natural abundance of seafood that could be gathered from the gulf and bay. Arrowheads and artifacts found here from this early time can be seen in the Destin Fishing Museum and at the Indian Mound in Ft. Walton Beach. Although the early natives caught much of their harvest in the bay, the gulf location attracted commercial fishermen and later tourists. The near proximity of the 100 fathom curve off shore allowed anglers to have the fastest access to deep sea fishing on the entire Gulf of Mexico.

Anglers still catch Amberjack, Cobia, Grouper, King Mackerel, Mahi Mahi, Pompano, Red Fish, Sea Trout, Snapper, Spanish Mackerel, Scamp, Shark, Tarpon, and Trigger Fish. Trophy fish include classic Swordfish, Blue fan-finned Sailfish, giant Mako Sharks, and cobalt colored Blue Marlin.

In addition to the gulf, the Choctawhatchee Bay to the north extends three to five miles across from the mainland. The bay has a huge natural abundance of fish including Bass, Bluefish, Croaker, Flounder, Sheepshead, Speckled Trout, White Trout, and more. Choctawhatchee Bay also offers a great harvest of delicious Blue Point Crab and creamy tasting Bay Shrimp.

Now Destin has become a major vacation destination for tourists and plays host to literally millions of visitors each year. It has become the "Crown Jewel" of what is known as "The Emerald Coast." Destin was recently named among The Most Beautiful Places in America as part of a nationwide survey that was conducted by and televised on Good Morning America. Southern Living Magazine has consistently named Destin as the Best Family Beach Destination and Frommer's Tourist Guide has often named The Emerald Coast on a list among The Most Beautiful Beaches in the World. Here is a link to the City of Destin website. Check it out: History of Destin | Destin, FL - Official Website