Deadline Near For Tickets To Enfield/Fermi Class Of 1983 Reunion

ENFIELD, CT —Throughout the 1970s and early 1980s, Enfield and Fermi high schools were highly competitive rivals, competing for town bragging rights both academically and athletically. A key component in the rivalry was the fact that the town supported two junior high schools at the time, with the majority of Kosciuszko students going to Fermi and most of the Kennedy students attending Enfield. Even organizations like Little League baseball had separate teams in Thompsonville and Hazardville, meaning the majority of kids rarely had teammates from "the other school."

The formation of the Enfield Hockey Association, the Enfield Soccer Association and others helped begin to melt that divide, as did the closure of "The Big K" and consolidation of all seventh- and eighth-grade students into JFK in 1982. Despite still being fierce rivals, the Enfield and Fermi ice hockey teams truly brought the town together on March 12, 1983, making history by winning the Div. I and II tournaments back-to-back at the New Haven Coliseum. It remains the only time in state tournament play that two public schools from the same town captured both crowns.

The rivalry continued to dissipate in the early 1990s, when Enfield left the Central Connecticut Conference to compete in the North Central Connecticut Conference. More changes took place throughout the new century, including the discontinuation of the traditional Thanksgiving morning football game in 2009, the formation of co-op teams in hockey and swimming, consolidation of youth baseball into Enfield Little League, and the eventual merging of the two schools into the Enfield Street campus in 2016.

That cooperative formula and spirit of togetherness now extends into the realm of class reunions. Five years ago, the classes of 1983 from both schools combined for a celebration of successes and great memories. On Nov. 4, those groups will gather once more to commemorate the 40th anniversary of their graduations.

Old Country Banquet Hall at 4 Alden Ave. in Enfield will be the site, beginning at 6 p.m. A lavish buffet dinner will include sirloin roast au jus, chicken Francaise, eggplant parmigiana, pierogies, appetizers, pasta and more. There will be an official welcome from event organizers from both schools, music for dancing and countless stories reminiscing about long-lost Enfield lore (including Neelans, "Stop Leo" and other sordid tales). The celebration ends at midnight, except for those of us who have to leave early to take a nap.

Tickets are $45, and must be ordered by Wednesday, Oct. 18. They may be reserved here; a listing of all class members, including those who have unfortunately passed on, may be found here.

A website with complete details of all aspects of the reunion was created by Fermi alumnus Chip Dyer. It may be accessed here.

Committee member and Enfield alum Wendy (Zocco) Doyle said, "Chip is amazing and organized, thank God!"