There are not many things that can stand the test of time like friendship. Still, life has a way of forcing people in different directions. But the bond that united one local friend group known as the “Barron Lake Boys” is still going strong after 70 years. Last week, the men got together at a family member’s house in Vandalia to celebrate the mile-stone.

The friends all grew up in a neighborhood near the shores of Barron Lake. The group consists of Phillip Adams, of Niles; Kenneth Kelly, of Florida; Ron Wingeart, of Cassopolis; Denny Kime, of Niles; Denny Calvert, of Scottsburg, Indiana and Tom McGuire, of Huntington Woods, Michigan. Now in their 70s, the friends have long held to their promise to try to get together at least once a year.

“We grew up together,” Calvert said. “And it just feels kind of special. It’s not to say we don’t have other friends, but when you get older, you realize old friends are special.”

Throughout their childhood, the group earned their namesake hanging out in and around Barron Lake. In the summer, they swam and fished. During the winter, the boys could be found ice skating or playing hockey on the lake’s surface. When school started, a friendly rivalry whether on the sports field or in the classroom often followed.

“You better learn how to lose in this gang,” Wingeart joked.

As teens growing up in the 1950s, the center of the social universe was a drive in called Thomas’s. After a stop at the local drive-in, evenings were spent cruising the blocks of downtown Niles listening to Chuck Berry and Elvis. 

After the “Barron Lake Boys” graduated from Niles High School in 1960, keeping up their friendship became a little more complicated. College, the army and careers pulled the friends in different directions and different destinations. Determined, the men did not let distance mar their relationship, especially with the effort they put in, vowing to see each other at least once a year. In between the times when they saw each other, the friends said they regularly kept in touch.

On Friday afternoon, as the friends sat around a patio table, it was hard to tell they had been apart at all. Laughter, joking and a fair share of colorful tales ensued.

One such story involved a cardboard guitar, an improvised dance move coined the “soupy shuffle” and an Elvis impersonation performed by Kelly, earning him a fan club through the performance.

The reunion included all but McGuire, who could not attend, but phoned in to check on the outing. McGuire said a component to keeping their friendship was making the effort to see one another, including the reunion, but also rounds of golf or birthday parties.

“We had a strong bond between us from the time we started hanging out together,” McGuire said.

Even when distance is a factor, that bond has remained strong. For Kelly who now lives in Florida, getting a call from one of the Barron Lake Boys can turn a bad day into a good one, he said.

Perhaps the most important key to creating a lasting friendship they said was knowing how to forgive one another. Wingeart credited their parents for always helping them to see the error of their ways growing up and apologize when fit.

While it might not always be easy to forgive and forget, Kime agreed.

“You have a forgiving heart and you live for the good,” Kime said. “Over a long period of time, a friend is likely going to do something or say something which is troubling. Forgive them for their shortcomings and instead of harboring anger, celebrate his good works done.”

Adams added that honesty was also key.

This summer, the friends will be able to add some more stories to their memories to share for years to come.

“Our stories just keep getting bigger and bigger,” Kelly said.