For the Cos Cob Gang—They Can Come Home Again

The normally staid hallways of Greenwich Town Hall were filled with mirth and memories Friday afternoon.

The Cos Cob Gang—a group of about 30 members of the Greenwich High School Class of 1963—relived their collective teen-hood as they toured Greenwich Town Hall, that until 1970 was Greenwich High School.

Yesterday's tour—hosted by Town Clerk Carmella Budkins—prompted stories of what used to be where in the building that has been Town Hall since 1976.

The Cos Cob Gang is a group of 30 to 40 classmates who used to hang out together in the early 1960s and maintained ties through the years and holds reunions around the country every two to five years, according to Rick Allen.

"None of us live here anymore. We're just a bunch of buddies who've been meeting for years," Allen said, who was wearing a teal blue commemorative shirt the group had made for this year's reunion—Cos Cob Gang 2013 emblazoned across an image of the state of Connecticut.

"We're all 67, 68 ... who last got together two years ago," Allen added, who now lives in Woodbridge, CT. Previous reunions have been held in Portland, ME, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Annapolis, and, of course, Greenwich.

As the group exited Budkins' office, Jean Thomson, of Litchfield, ME, paused near the water fountain just outside the first floor men's restroom. "My locker was here," recalled Thomson who was visiting with her husband and classmate George.

"A lot of people in the group lived in Cos Cob," hence the name Cos Cob Gang, Thomson said.

They all paused for a group photo near the first-floor elevator bank, with one saying "This is where the auditorium used to be," prompting laughter.

The group's four-day stay also included a tour of Tod's Point hosted by Greenwich Point Conservancy President Chris Franco on Friday morning—just down the road from the Harbor House Inn where they are staying. "That is still such a gem for the town," Allen said.

Before visiting the First Selectman's office, the gang stepped into the Town Hall Meeting Room and posed for pictures on the dais where more serious topics are considered by the Board of Selectmen, the Planning and Zoning Commission and the Board of Estimate and Taxation.

"Let's raise taxes," one joked as cameras and iPhones captured the moment.

There's a scavenger hunt planned for this weekend, a clambake hosted by Allen at his Woodbridge home, with Sunday's final event "a brunch at Tod's Point that the guys are going to cook for everyone," Allen said.