March 13, 2008 Meeting Minutes

Usual suspects: Glenn, Daniel, Tammy, Randy, Julie, Nancy, Debbie, Kelly,
Josie, and special guests JOANNE and JANET.

Location: Magurie Aviation, Van Nuys.

Dear Fellow Classmates:

Dan kept notes and helped prepare the meeting minutes:

During our meeting, Janet Moshin joined us by phone to discuss the potential of hosting the birthday bash at her winery. During our discussions, it became evident that her winery did not have enough space to accommodate our group as most of the winery and adjoining vineyards are built on a slope. We further learned that the church retreat/camp next door was already booked for next year. To further complicate matters were the questions concerning logistics in getting to the winery which is located outside Santa Rosa in NorCal. After much discussion, teasing and joking, and with the help of Joanne Disbrow Williams who attended her husband’s class B-day party in Vegas and provided us with some great info, we came up with the following plan of action.

Plan A: Vegas baby:
Vegas has good economical plans that are suited to accommodate large groups. The group party Joanne was with rented a large suite in the Bellagio that can accommodate up to 100 people. They used the suite as the meeting and party room. The great thing about the Bellagio is that it is centrally located on the strip. In this plan, each person books their own room in their hotel of choice and everyone helps pitch in to pay for the Bellagio suite. Food can be ordered through the Hotel or everyone can bring something. The suite is 1200 square feet large.

We can plan activities to do within the suite and we can also plan group meals with the hotel or some of the other larger restaurants in Vegas (what about the cavernous Hofbrau Haus across from the Hard Rock), shopping trips or other activities such as attending a show, concert etc. In order to get the best deal, the idea is to book the party for a Saturday/Sunday with check out on Monday.

Plan B: Sideways Wine Trip
There was the suggestion that we book a winery in the Santa Ynez Valley within the Santa Barbara Wine Country. Randy Farber will look into the cost and availability of a weekend catered party at a winery. What is appealing with this idea is that those living within SoCal do not necessarily have to stay overnight and the trip is relatively short. Another plus is the great wines coming out of Santa Ynez.

Plan C: Queen Mary, yes, the one in Long Beach.
There was also the suggestion of having the party somewhere local such as the Queen Mary in Long Beach. There are plenty of hotels and other accommodations in the area and for those of us who live in SoCal, we don’t have to spend the night. Debbie Mollner will look into the Queen.
Plan D: Some more Vegas Baby; The Las Vegas Hilton

One of Tammy’s employers is an owner of the Las Vegas Hilton, she will see if we can get a good deal on rooms and maybe a meeting space. Someone mentioned the Hilton is connected to the strip via the monorail and could be a great party local.

When to have the bash:
We do not have a date planned as yet as we intend to plan the event around spring break and kid stuff (as a result, March and April are out). We will also see what part of the year we can get the most bang for our buck.

NEXT MEETING: APRIL 8, 2008 @ 7:00 PM MAGUIRE AVIATION AT VAN NUYS AIRPORT.

Thanks again to Tammy and the kind people at Maguire Aviation for hosting our meetings.

Later….Glenn