Local friends celebrating 50th at community event

Charlene Juras and her friends are issuing an invitation to a birthday bash they’re hosting.

It’s a celebration for locals who are turning 50 this year, she says, but all are welcome — the more the merrier.

She knows she has about 20 people attending, but she’s sure there are others out there who would like to attend.

Although Juras has a core group of girlfriends who celebrate their birthdays together every year, they go all out for milestones.

When they turned 40, they held their party at the community centre, and made it a fundraiser for the new building.

This time, they’ve organized the food and the bar, but it’s not a fundraiser — just an opportunity to get together and have fun.

Most of them are graduates of Niagara District Secondary School, some from Denis Morris High School, and their birthdays are scattered throughout the year.

Several of them are from Virgil, some played sports together, and “we see each other all the time. Some of us started playing ball together when we were eight years old,” she says. “We’re a pretty close-knit group.”

The party is open to everyone, she adds. “If you were born in 1970, this party is really for you. But everyone is welcome. It’s a community event.”

There is an open bar, pizza is being delivered from The Sandtrap, and there will be lots of food available.

The party is Saturday, Jan. 18, beginning at 8 p.m. The local band, Jonesy, will start at 9:15 p.m. There is no admission charge, and drinks are $5.