“Most people don’t remember grad week,” said one Powegian, referring to the events of June 1st through 8th, 1984, that saw the total destruction of six homes, two restaurants and an estimated 300 hymens. “It’s been 40 years now,” said Walter Hobbs of Poway’s Green Valley Estates, “and we’ve rebuilt and recovered. But anyone who wasn’t here then can’t properly appreciate just how horrific those people can be when they get together. I know they’re old now, but I’m telling you – decadence and depravity know no age limit.”

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One member of the class of ’84, speaking on condition of anonymity, told reporters, “No one wants to see a repeat of the 2014 riots.” That year, an unruly mob of hundreds of middle-aged graduates laid waste to San Diego’s Gaslamp District and left a swath of destruction as it stumbled north on Interstate 15 before knocking down a section of Mira Mesa and passing out en masse near the neighborhood of 4S Ranch. Said the source, “We don’t want it to happen, but I’m telling you, it might. In this case, failing to prepare is preparing to fail. We’ve lost some people over the past decade, but we’re a many-headed hydra. You chop off one head and another one grows back in its place. Folks might think they’re ready for us, but they have no idea.”

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The weekend’s main event is scheduled for Saturday evening at Poway’s Main Street Bar & Grill, an establishment that did not exist the last time the Class of ’84 assembled in Poway. A representative of the restaurant said at a press conference, “We have taken all reasonable steps to ensure the safety of our patrons and to protect the neighborhood from any foreseeable fallout. Main Street Bar & Grill takes its responsibility to deliver quality alcohol and passable food in a secure environment seriously.”

 

Nevertheless, sales of tasers, mace, duct tape, air and water filtration systems, battery-powered radios, bottled water, and Febreze have all surged in the past week, leaving store shelves empty and many homes and businesses vulnerable. Moreover, concerns persist about the exposure of public spaces to the sheer might of the class that “parties more.” Rumors course through town that Lake Poway, a reservoir that provides water to the city, is a possible target for debauchery, but as of this time, neither protective barriers nor any increase in security personnel have been noted.

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Reached for comment, Poway Mayor Steve Vaus, a recording artist who performs under the name Buck Howdy, was undaunted, saying, “We’ve seen shit come and we’ve seen shit go. Anyone who thinks they’re going to come into our town and stir up trouble better think twice. We don’t take kindly to troublemakers in Poway, I don’t care it they do think they’re the greatest Titans of all time.”

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Hobbs, however, doubts the mayor’s resolve. “I know he has recorded shit-kicking, tough-sounding tracks for an aging audience of pot-bellied Republicans,” he said, “but Buck Howdy and all his minions are no match for ’84 when they get boozed up. I wish him the best, but as for me and mine, we’ll be staying home this weekend.”

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CNN’s Anderson Cooper and Jake Tapper contributed to this article.