Joyce and Calvin Rock planned their vacation around seeing Niagara Falls and visiting their son Jimmy in Washington, D.C.

But when they found out they could rearrange their schedule a little and take in a Democratic National Convention fundraiser keynoted by Vice President Joe Biden, they added that stop to their trip.

Calvin Rock said it was the best $1,000 he ever spent, buying tickets to that event.

Calvin Rock recently was elected chairman of the Muskogee County Democratic Party, and Joyce Rock was a delegate to the party’s national convention last summer.

Joyce Rock said she found Biden quite personable.

“He was so down to earth and so down home,” she said. “He kissed me on the cheek. And then, when I came back by later, he goes, come on Joyce, you’re my friend, come on over here.”

The event was held at the luxurious Mandarin Hotel, and the dinner included Maryland crab cakes and raspberries, Joyce Rock said. The audience was given an update on the DNC and what to expect in the next few months.

The best part, however, was meeting the vice president, Joyce Rock said.

“It just fills me with awe ... who would ever have thought that I would get to meet the vice president of the United States,” she said. “We grew up in Podunck, Oklahoma.”

Joyce Rock is director of curriculum at Gore Public Schools. Calvin Rock is semi-retired from Georgia-Pacific.

Reach Liz McMahan at 684-2926 or lmcmahan@muskogeephoenix.com.