Mission Park - The First 20 Years

If you're lucky - really lucky - in life, you can stop and take a look back at the past couple of decades and realize that for all the ups and downs, all the good times and bad, a lot of the same people have been with you through all of it. I'm one of the lucky ones.

And I'm doubly lucky in that I've actually got a couple of groups of friends like that in my life - with some intermixing between the two. One of those groups has come to be known as the Mission Park gang. When we all first started meeting up in the summer of '86, we were all under-aged - some of us just weeks out of high school, some of us still in it. As such, our options for places to go and things to do were somewhat limited. And on our weekend nights (and many week nights over the summer), we'd end up at a park located near a few of the guys' homes. Its full name was Mission North Park, but we just referred to it as Mission Park. It was the center of our universe (along with the local Lyon's restaurant, where we'd often end up before sunrise, as it was a 24-hour joint). It's where we went to drink (Ken worked at 7-11 so could get us beer, if we weren't using one of our other options), to goof around, to laugh, to (sometimes) fight, to occasionally"hook up" (there were a string of girls that moved in and out of circle, as much of the gang were dance club enthusiasts, providing us a rotating cast of guest-stars), to talk about our big plans and goals, or to just talk about movies or music. It became the place that defined our group, and our lives at the time.

The bond we had was a powerful one. We spent all of our time together, either out on the town or at each other's homes. Some of us went to college and took classes together (at American River College, the junior college where, at the time, it cost you a whole fifty bucks a semester to attend). We were all young and crazy and trying to soak up every new experience life could throw our way. Few of us had any kind of direction in life, but at least we were wandering aimlessly together. We each had our own challenges and dramas, and each were going through our own changes, but we were the constant in each other's lives. We had each other's backs. I had had groups of friends throughout school, ones that came and went with time. But even during our first months as the Mission Park crew, I knew this was different. I know I'd become part of something special. Something that would probably be a part of my life for the rest of my life.

So far, so good.

It's been over twenty years since that summer. We've all gone a lot of different directions, and sometimes to different parts of the country, or the world. But the bond is still there. As with any long-time group of friends, there has been drama, and some of it pretty serious. But time has smoothed over most of that, and the group is still intact. We've been in each other's weddings. Been godfather to each other's kids. Many of us have been roommates together at different times. Some of us have worked at the same companies. We've grown up and changed as people, often several times, and we've all had our scars and miracles. And we're certainly not all hanging out at each other's houses every night anymore. But the gang is still together. The bond hasn't gone away. We've still got each other's backs, and have no reason to think that's ever going to change. If you're lucky - really lucky - you know what that feels like. I'm that lucky. And I'm old enough to know how much that means, and to always be grateful for it.

I put together a little tribute to the Mission Park gang, which you can see here:

The Mission Park Journey

Give it minute to load up. If you're on dial-up, maybe more than just a minute. And make sure your sound is turned up, because there is music that goes with it. I hope you enjoy the journey through twenty years of a group of good friends and the times they've shared together. I know I have.

See you at the Park, guys. Somebody remember to bring a bottle opener this time.