IMLAY - The Imlay reunion is an annual event that brings former Imlay residents together with current residents for an afternoon of reminiscing about days gone past. The get together is held during Labor Day weekend each year.
This year's event took place on Sept. 1 with a potluck lunch in the backyard of Dolores Montes' house. Around 50 people, including present and past residents, attended the gala.
School-aged children listened to stories about when the school was in a different location and the antics of those who attended it - hopefully, not to be reenacted by those listening to the stories.
Stories floated around of tormenting the school bus driver with an orange, breaking into the ice house on a hot day and having dirt clod fights.
"It was a good place to grow up," Floyd Meyers said. "We learned to hunt and fish. Everyone knew everyone; us kids couldn't get away with anything."
Meyers' father worked for the railroad. He was born in the Winnemucca hospital and lived in Imlay from 1947 to 1960. He now lives in Lake Davis, Calif.
Jimmy Mineala now lives in Lovelock. His father also worked for the railroad. He grew up in Imlay from 1950 to 1965.
He recalled hiking to the river and the mountains and sledding on an old car hood during the winter.
"It was a great childhood," Mineala said.
He told the story of a baseball game that knocked out Meyers.
"We had an old hard ball and were playing in the front yard of someone's house. The porch was first base, the back fence was second and the side fence was third. I came up to bat and hit that ball as hard as I could. Floyd thought he was going to catch it, but it hit him right between the eyes," Mineala recalled.
Meyers was knocked unconscious. Mineala said he thought he had killed Meyers and started to cry.
"I came to and was wondering what had happened and Jimmy's crying, 'I didn't mean to kill you,'" Meyers said.
The two childhood friends laugh about the incident now.
"All the other stuff we can't talk about," they said, and laughed again, "Can't say how many outhouses we knocked over."
Stan Kauffman was a brakeman for the Southern Pacific Railroad back in the 1950s. Although he did not live in Imlay, he made some very good friends on his layover days that did live there. He recalled chukar hunting and hiking the Immigrant Trail.
"I had a lot of good buddies who lived here. There are fewer and fewer of us as the time goes on. I have a lot of good memories here. Imlay was a very memorable town," Kauffman said.
As is the custom with the Imlay reunion, the morning after the afternoon potluck a pancake breakfast is served in the backyard of Stan and Janiece Monroe.
Janiece Monroe said that the attendance of the out-of-towners was down this year.
"I'd like to see more people come but so many of us are getting too old to drive. I'd like to see some of the younger people come next year," she said.
What started 22 years ago as a railroad workers reunion is slowly fading away with the passing of time.
Monroe said that the next generation needs to step up and bring their friends back for the reunion.
"It's not just for the railroad people any more. It's for anyone who used to live in Imlay. Bring your old pictures and come out and visit with your old friends," she said.
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