Denver Trip - Day 4 - Graduation!

It's the big day for Jarek! The family went to dinner together just before the graduation ceremony. For non-family members, some family tree information will help you understand who is who in the photos.

Dale is my brother. His wife is Lovena. Dale and Lovena have two daughters, Cindy and Luana. Cindy is married to Derick and they have two children, Jarek and Chaz. Luana is married to Mark and they have one daughter, Lexi. Beverly is Lovena's sister. Last names and exact relationships are not necessary. We are all family.

We ate at the Brighton Depot Restaurant in Brighton, CO. Can you guess the origins of the restaurant building? It was a very nice dinner in a private room at the back of the restaurant.

Those visible in the photo below are Luana, Dale, Cindy, Chaz, Derick, and Beverly (not counting the waitress).

In the photo we have Mark, John, and the others from the previous photo.

The two old men of the family.

Cindy, Derick, and Chaz.

Jarek is at the head of the table.

Lovena is standing next to the "Grad" sign.

Luana, Lexi, and Mark.

Jarek and his friend.

Sisters......Beverly and Lovena.

The man of the hour and Sigrid.

I would definitely go back.

Graduation took place on the high school football field. The weather was great other than being windy. There was an overflow crowd and we weren't able to find seats even though we got there at the supposed gates open time. We were on a chain link fence at the back of the end zone so you will see the back side of lots of people unfortunately.

School leadership enters the field.

And now the graduates to the tunes of a couple of bagpipe players. A nice touch.

Now we have the videos. Please understand that they were taken with a pocket camera without a tripod. Sigrid had to use the top of a fence post to steady the camera and hunch down to see the screen on the back of the camera to make sure it was pointed in the right direction. Sound was a problem because of the wind and where we were standing. You have to focus hard to hear what is going on. All that and we were standing next to about 6 girls who screamed in a high pitched piercing voice at everything and everybody. After one of the graduates got their diploma and the screaming was over, I heard one of the girls who had just finished screaming say, "Who was that?" Oh well, girls just want to have fun.

The first video shows the graduates marching on to the field. Don't be thrown off by the black void. Look for the play button and click on it.

This video shows the bagpipe players leaving the field after all the grads had entered.

The National Anthem being sung.

Diplomas being awarded. Listen carefully and you can hear Jarek Springs name being called. He is the very tall guy near the end of the clip.

The moment everyone was waiting for........moving the tassel from one side to the other and the cap toss.

As soon as the caps were tossed, the lights in the stadium went out and the fireworks began.

It was a fun night that Sigrid and I enjoyed very much.