AUGUSTA REUNION SPRING UPDATE
(Updated March 20, 2008)
Check out the list of those who have made hotel reservations. Attendees 2008
As the host of the 2008 reunion I would like to provide our attendees with an update on the events you will enjoy in Augusta between 24 and 28 September 2008.
Overview. The basic events of the reunion…..the welcome buffett, the memorial breakfast and the banquet have been contracted for, menus selected, color guards and U.S. Army Signal Center Band coordinated with and entertainment and music for the banquet selected and booked. More on each of these events follow below. The hospitality room and transportation to Fort Gordon, Savannah River Site and the Augusta Canal for the Petersburg boat trips and Aiken for the tour of homes and shopping have also been finalized. So in short, things are coming together very nicely and I am happy to report that you can expect a splendid experience in Augusta.
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THE REUNION REGISTRATION FORM
Specifics of note.
1. The first day Wednesday 24 September will of course be registration followed by a lovely buffett. The spacious hospitality room will be open at 1200 hours and ready to meet and greet old friends with the beverage of your choice.
2. Thursday 25 September will be a busy but pleasant day for the attendees. Starting this date, the hospitality room will daily offer a continental breakfast before tour/event departures. Starting early will be the tour to the Dept. of Energy’s Savannah River Site courtesy of our corporate sponsor Wackenhut. If you opt for the SRS Tour, you will need to complete and fax back the Savannah River Site Tour form found near the bottom of the page. Non U.S. Citizens will need the Foreign Visitor Form. In the early afternoon ( 1400 hours) our Fort Gordon tour will depart for our visit down memory lane and to see the many new facilities now offered by a modern-day Army Post. This stellar tour will conclude with our attendance at the Fort Gordon Dinner Theater with a fine buffet provided by the Fort Gordon Club which many of us remember as the fort’s NCO club. As information, the Fort Gordon Provost Marshal is our project coordinator for this fine experience and will provide MP tour guides on each bus. The Fort’s Dinner Theater is well known for its professional performances in the Augusta area for over 25 years and offer 7 separate plays annually. Most recently the Fort’s presentation for Cabaret was sold-out for weeks. So expect something special! The play for the night of our visit will be The Musical Comedy Murders of 1940. Click here to see a synopsis of the play. Please note due to transportation limitations this Tour to Fort Gordon is limited to the first 135 registrations…..on a first come basis.
3. Friday morning after an early Continental breakfast our stalwart golfers will depart for a great golf outing at the exclusive River Course across the Savannah river from the Marriott hotel. The golfers will be exposed to a fine and manicured course and will conclude their outing with a lunch at the River Course Grill. Trophies will be presented to the winning team, for the longest drive, closest to the pins, and finally to the most athletically challenged team.
4. While our golfers are enjoying the morning at the River Course our first group of boaters will depart at 10:00 for the scenic nature viewing trip on the Augusta Canal which will include beverages and a fine catered box lunch. This is a three (3) hour terrific experience riding in replicated Petersburg Boats that in pre-civil war days carried cotton to the market in Augusta. These are electric-powered boats that hold 40 passengers each. The second/afternoon voyage departs at 1400 and will also include beverages and a fine catered box supper meal. As you can see seating is limited for this experience…..so reservations will be on a first come basis. To assist in making this unique experience available to as many attendees as possible……attendees will automatically be slotted against available seats. Every effort will be made to accommodate preferences for morning or afternoon voyages but we will also try our utmost to seat interested attendees if one or the other of the trips if their initial choice is already full when registrations are closed. So please register early by NLT 1 JULY. Again note each iteration is limited to 40 attendees on a first come basis …..as that is what each boat will accommodate.
5. Those who chose the Aiken Tour will have a 6-hour experience leaving the hotel at 9 am. At Aiken there will be a 2 hour motorized guided trolley tour of picturesque Aiken’s "Winter Colony" homes chosen for their architectural significance, a short, easy walking tour of Hopeland Gardens, a drive through of race and polo horse training facilities and farms, a visit to the Horse Racing Museum, a box luncheon and a specially guided tour by the Executive Director of, the Banksia Estate, a 32 room antique filled home of the Aiken County Historical Museum which presents a picture of Aiken County over the last hundred or so years, the beginning of pottery in the South, wartime artifacts from the Revolutionary War to Iraq and much, much more. There will also be time for 2 free hours to explore the four square block downtown area of antique, art, gourmet and specialty shops, try the varieties of beer and coffees at the local cafes and microbrewery or just sit and "people-watch". This tour is limited to 48 attendees on a first come basis.
6. Presently the Augusta Visitors Bureau is planning a gala event at the city’s Bell auditorium for Friday evening 26 September. Early reports indicate that this evening will be devoted to a combination symphony and ballet presentations. As more information is available it will be posted on the RMPO Webpage. I strongly urge all members to visit our RMPO Web page for periodic reunion updates. The entertainment picture in Augusta is diverse and as other special events are available…..they will be posted on our web page for the consideration of our reunion attendees. Please know that we are doing everything possible to provide a wonderful time in Augusta for our folks.
7. Please note that the Memorial Breakfast has been rescheduled from its traditional Sunday morning position to Saturday morning. The rationale for this change is driven by travel requirements inherent to our country’s security posture since 9/11. Your reunion committee has listened to many requests for schedule change as this important event has in many instances been by-passed as folks are scrambling to make planes for their trips home. Now we will present this important event with all the reverence it deserves with color guard, reading of scripture, calling the names of the year’s departed and concluding with taps…..at a pace and time that maximizes both fellowship and attendance.
8. The Saturday evening 27 September banquet is going to be the highlight of the reunion. We will start with cocktails and listen to appropriate preamble music presented by the full Fort Gorton Army Band. The colors will be posted and toasts proposed . Our guest speaker will be the CSRA Wounded Warrior Advocate/ representative and previous TV anchor Ms. Laurie Ott. She is working closely with both the Dept. of Defense and the Veterans Administration to help our returning warriors both heal and get on with their lives.. The entertainment will be provided by a group billed as the “Boogie-Sisters” who reinvent the performances of the Andrews Sisters of years gone-by. The music will be provided by the Fort Gordon Jazz Band playing Glenn Miller sweet music that we danced to when we were young. Finally, a large cake will be cut celebrating the Military Police’s Birthday by junior and senior members of the RMPO. The host’s sword will receive a special cleaning for this ceremony!
9. Item last: As of May 29 ...our reserved block at the Marriott Hotel has been increased by an additional 20 rooms. Attendees may make reservations effective immediately by calling the Marriott reservation desk in Augusta.....tel. 706-722-8900. Remember to ask for the RMPO rate. Rooms are also available at the River Golf Club where we will be conducting our reunion golf outing. These are brand-new upscale accommodations directly across the Savannah River and in sight of the Marriott. These units can be viewed on the River Golf Club’s web page….www.rivergolfclub.com. The rate for these rooms are $109.00 per night plus tax….a substantial reduction from usual rates. NOTE: These rooms are blocked for the RMPO only thru May …..hence if you are coming to Augusta for the reunion….book ASAP! Call 803-202-0110 and ask for Chris Verdery the Director of Golf who is handling these accommodations for us. These are a steal and would also be perfect for a group of golfers coming either for the reunion or later. Besides the River Course is spectacular.
The key phrase now is act quickly……book at either place to ensure your lodging for the reunion in Augusta. If your have questions or need assistance with lodging call Tom Regel at 706-796-7223 or by email at thomas.regel@comcast.net
