Perhaps not the best way to plan a surprise party. Unexpected update #14

[nutraxfornerves]

From the local notices section of today's paper:

Don't tell Jane.
Friends and colleagues are planning a surprise party to honor the 50-year Smalltown teaching career of Jane Doe. The party is planned for 6-9 PM on May the somethingth, at the Local Service Club Hall, 123 Main Street. Past students, families and co-workers are invited. Light refreshments. As this is a surprise party, you are asked not to share the secret with the guest of honor.

[Jones]

Heh. Hahaha. Does she not have a paper subscription?

[jpcher]

Heh. Hahaha. Does she not have a paper subscription?

LOL! I'm picturing the hosts having invited guests using a sign-up sheet so that they can go and take the paper from GOH's driveway. All the whilst hiding the paper and visiting with GOH when she has her morning coffee so that GOH doesn't actually have time to read the paper.


This is too funny!

[Ceallach]

Given she's a teacher, I assume she has all of her senses (sight etc) and is also literate. 

So the only conclusion I can reach is that this is meant to be some kind of joke!  (The party is real, but the "surprise" aspect is tongue-in-cheek).   How odd.   I'm reminded of the Friends episode where they try to buy up and hide the newspapers to protect their friend from reading a bad review!

[TootsNYC]

I know a family that did this, and the kids made sure to get the paper before their parent and remove that part of it (which he didn't normally read anyway).

It was a small-town weekly and they had it delivered, so it was quite possible. It worked out well, and "Jane" was very surprised.

[happy_baker]

Oh, my! That reminds me of the days before Facebook, when my far flung family members all kept with each other via blogging. My mom commented on one of my posts that "she couldn't wait to see (my sister's) face when Dad and I surprise her at school alter this week!" I commented back that hey, it's a good thing Sister doesn't read my blog...OH, WAIT.  m=My mom *totally* panicked, and couldn't figure out how to delete the comment. I already had, though, and then I deleted mine as well. (I knew Sister was in class, plus I keep a close eye on my stats, so I knew she hadn't seen the post yet!)   

[Sharnita]

maybe she lives in another community and subscribes to their paper instead?

[WillyNilly]

Eh.  I see the humor in it.  But honestly?  I haven't read a newspaper in years.  Maybe the odd article here and there online or once in a  rare while my dad or DF will clip a story or pull out a page with an article they think I'd be interested in, but actually hold a newspaper and flip through the pages?  Nope, probably not in a decade.  And my DF has the paper delivered to our door daily!  I just don't read the paper, and I doubt I'm the only one.

[Giggity]

It would work in my circle, on grounds that I don't read the paper ... but it would not work, on grounds that neither does anyone else I know.

[Thipu1]

Years ago, my Mother was planning a surprise Birthday party for my Father's 50th.   

Dad was a little on the oblivious side.  He didn't notice unusual food and beverages being brought into the house.  He didn't notice us doing furious cleaning and new curtains on the ground floor. 

My Mother and I were already dressed for the party and in the kitchen putting together last-minute things when Dad wandered in for a can of beer.  Mom turned around from the sink and calmly said, 'Jim, go put on a nice shirt.  We have guests coming in 15 minutes'. 

My family is always a little odd on reveals.

[TootsNYC]

In some small towns, enough people would read the newspaper, and they'd all mention it to other people, so the word would spread that way.

And the truly important people were probably notified some other way. Phone or email for family; phone chain or deliberate verbal invitations at church; emails at work; written notes or invites for some other people.

The newspaper would not be the *only* way; just the way to get the news to people who might be interested bu whose paths don't cross the family's path very often.

[nutraxfornerves]

Update: There was a story about the party in today's large daily paper. Either the guest of honor truly was surprised or she's a marvelous actress.

[Jaelle]

Eh.  I see the humor in it.  But honestly?  I haven't read a newspaper in years.  Maybe the odd article here and there online or once in a  rare while my dad or DF will clip a story or pull out a page with an article they think I'd be interested in, but actually hold a newspaper and flip through the pages?  Nope, probably not in a decade.  And my DF has the paper delivered to our door daily!  I just don't read the paper, and I doubt I'm the only one.

 

Sorry. I can see my journalism degree slowly decreasing in value as the years go by ...

[jaxsue]

Eh.  I see the humor in it.  But honestly?  I haven't read a newspaper in years.  Maybe the odd article here and there online or once in a  rare while my dad or DF will clip a story or pull out a page with an article they think I'd be interested in, but actually hold a newspaper and flip through the pages?  Nope, probably not in a decade.  And my DF has the paper delivered to our door daily!  I just don't read the paper, and I doubt I'm the only one.

 

Sorry. I can see my journalism degree slowly decreasing in value as the years go by ...

I feel your pain. I'm an out-of-work editor and the book/mag business is just as bad. And I read my local paper daily. 

[nutraxfornerves]

I am resurrecting this thread because there was an unexpected ending.

Jane, the news article reported, teaches in Smalltown, but lives in Big City, so the organizers must have known that Jane does not read the Smalltown Weekly.

Mr. Nutrax also does not read it, or if he does, he ignores the notices. I didn't think the party notice was anything he'd be interested in, so never mentioned it to him.

When the news report came out, I noticed that Jane had taught at the same school as Mr. Nutrax's mother. So I asked him "do you know Jane?" He sure did. Mama had mentored Jane when Jane first began teaching and they became good friends, despite a 25-year age difference. Jane had spent many an hour sitting in the family kitchen, talking to Mama. After Mama died, and Jane moved to Big Town, she lost touch with the family.

I sent the news article to Mr. Nutrax's sister. She was very excited to read the news and wanted to get in touch with Jane. Unfortunately, Jane's real name is very common, so the Big City phone directory and Google were of no use. Sister noticed that the article mentioned that Jane would be volunteering at a charity this summer. Sister contacted the charity and asked if they could pass on a message to Jane.

They did. Today, Sister forwarded me an email. Jane was delighted to reconnect with the family and can't wait to hear all the news. Family is delighted to hear from Jane.

I guess the moral is, always read the Smalltown Weekly and never make assumptions about what your husband might be interested in