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CLICK ON ANY OF
THE FIVE TITLES ABOVE TO SEE MORE DETAIL ON SPECIFIC ASPECTS OF THIS YEAR’S
REUNION.
*** NOTE: The “HOTEL”
link above is just for info on hotel facilities. Please follow the directions under “SIGNING
UP” to register. ***
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On the 13th of June, Jake Reece and I
met with the Beach Cove group sales people in order to decide on the menus
for our Friday dinner, our Monday Banquet, and our Tuesday departure
breakfast. We also discussed a group
visit to the Alabama Theater which resulted in a modification to our usual
schedule, so be sure to check that out below.
We also met with the Mission BBQ folks and came away with what sounds
like a good deal with them. Although
not yet written in stone, it looks like that will happen. We also sampled their food – FANTASTIC! This page now includes many of those
updates, but there will still be additional info, so stop back often to check
for additional updates. As you can see
now in the “attending” section below, we are currently at a VERY LOW
participation level. I hope we’ll see
many more of you saying you want to attend!
Those of you who’ve been to reunions before will know of the good
times that are to be had, and I can guarantee a good time to those of you who
may be attending for the first time.
You should not procrastinate too long in registering with the hotel
(following the guidelines under “SIGNING UP”). You can reserve your room at the Beach Cove
immediately if you want to. As we get
closer and closer to the reunion, the hotel will be looking to retrieve
unassigned rooms from our reserved block of rooms sooner rather than later
because beach vacations are back to normal if not even higher. DON’T MISS THE BOAT! You can always cancel for a full refund if
your situation changes and you’re unable to attend the reunion. If that should happen, just be sure to contact
either me, Pete Johnson at 980-328-4150
([email protected]) or Jake Reece at 336-601-3522 ([email protected])
and we’ll make the arrangements to be sure you’re totally refunded. Please
note that reunion fees, as well as ticket fees for the Alabama Theater (if
you expect to attend the show) MUST BE PAID PRIOR TO THE
REUNION. Also,
when you send in those fees, you MUST SELECT YOUR
ENTRÉE CHOICE FOR THE FRIDAY EVENING WELCOME DINNER. Below are some details on what we’ll be up to this year. A few bits of information are not yet
confirmed, so as I said earlier, check back every now and then to see if
additional numbers/details have been included or changed. In the meantime, you should consider
getting yourself signed up, particularly getting registered at the Beach
Cove. Scan through the info below and
see what’s going to be happening. *****SPECIAL
NOTICE*****
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*FRIDAY 8 sEPT* 4:00
PM HOSPITALITY ROOM OPEN (Salon E/F) 5:00
PM WELCOME DINNER (Salon G) Welcome
to Reunion 2023, our 23rd
annual reunion! As in previous years, the
first event of the reunion will be a welcome dinner. NOTE THAT IT IS AN HOUR EARLIER THAN IN
PREVIOUS YEARS. It will begin with
a short presentation of the National and Air Force colors followed by a brief
welcoming comment by Jake Reece. The
dinner will be hosted by the Beach Cove resort and will take place in a room
to be determined soon. We need to
provide the hotel with our final dinner selections no later than 14 days
prior to the reunion. That’s 25
August. Therefore, PLEASE BE SURE TO INCLUDE EACH
PERSON’S DINNER CHOICE WHEN YOU FORWARD YOUR REUNION FEES! Here are your dinner choices: ENTRÉE CHOICES: o
Grilled Bacon-Bourbon Sirloin Steak served medium with a Bacon-Bourbon Glaze o
Herb roasted Boneless Chicken
Breast served with Pan au Jus o
Grilled Salmon served with a citrus Beurre Blanc sauce *New York Cheesecake with a fruit topping for dessert Each dinner will be
accompanied with iced tea/water; House Salad; Italian and Ranch Dressing;
Steamed Medley of Seasonal Vegetables; Garlic Mashed Potatoes; Warm Rolls
with Butter Balls. Dinner will be
followed by a scrumptious cheesecake and coffee service. The Hospitality Room will be open after
dinner and throughout the reunion…normally between the hours of ~ 10:00 AM
and as late as people choose to hang around.
It may be closed during any time that a group event occurs off the
resort property. 6:30 PM ALABAMA THEATER This is an OPT-IN function. It’s not covered by your Reunion fee, so
you don’t need to attend if you choose not to. The actual show begins at 7:00. We’re
attending Friday because the venue has a special event on Saturday for which
they do not provide group discounts.
They no longer open on Sunday, so Friday is the only date available to
us. The facility is just across Hwy 17
from the Beach Cove, so getting there in sufficient time after our earlier
dinner (5:00PM) will not be a problem.
If you don’t have transportation, there will be people who can provide
you with a ride. This is a totally new
show for the Alabama Theater, so it won’t be the same thing you’ve seen at
previous visits there. Remember,
this must be paid for prior to arrival at the reunion. The Beach Cove will be picking up the
tickets before we arrive at the reunion. *Saturday
9 SEPT* 12:30 PM McLEAN PARK
BBQ We
will have Mission BBQ caterers at McLean park ready to serve us at 12:30. Try
to be there on time as they will likely have a short ceremony honoring the
military. While at the park, we will
also have the Corn Hole boards with us so we can begin the tournament at the
park, or continue it if playing already began at the Beach Cove. A map to McLean Park is included
below. Here’s what will be served: o Pulled Pork o Pulled Chicken o Slider Rolls o Cornbread Halves o Memphis Belle, Smokey
Mountain, and Tupelo Honey Heat sauces o Maggie’s Mac-N-Cheese,
Baked Beans w/Brisket, and Cold Slaw sides Mission
BBQ will provide plates and cutlery.
We will supply water, soft drinks, and beer.
There
will be a larger version of this in the packet you receive at the
reunion. It’s a very simple
route. Leave the Beach Cove and go to
Hwy 17, take a right and continue about 3 or so miles to Main Street where
you’ll take another right, then a right onto Pine Avenue and a left onto
South Oak Drive…and you’re there! Easy
peasy. The
Hospitality Room will be opened after the McLean park event for the rest of
the day. *Sunday
10 SEPT* 11:00
AM PUTT-PUTT TOURNAMENT Meet in the lobby. This is also an OPT-IN event, not covered
by your reunion fee. You will pay
the fee at the venue. As in the
past, it will be held at Moulton Mountain.
If you want to participate and don’t have transportation, there will
be folks willing to give you a lift.
If you’re having difficulty arranging a ride, seek out Mark Gransden,
Jake Reece or me, Pete Johnson and one of us will help you with the
arrangements. Apart from Putt-putt, Sunday
will be a free day, meaning there are no group activities planned. Watch (or participate in) the on-going Corn
Hole tournament, go to church, enjoy some time in the sun at the beach (with
a fruity drink surely), gather in the Hospitality Room, or check out some of
the many entertainment and shopping venues in the Myrtle Beach area. As you know, there are a ton of good places
to eat (I love the Flying Fish), covering nearly any type of food you’d be
looking for. Here’s a tip; if you love
seafood and don’t mind a buck or two above average, try Captain Georges’ all
you can eat buffet along highway 17 bypass down by Broadway at the
Beach. They also have non-seafood
items if you’re looking for that.
Yumm! *Monday 11 SEPT* 10:00
AM – about 12:00 PM BUSINESS MEETING
(Salon C) This is our one chance during the year for
members to meet face-to-face and discuss issues relating to our group. The room location will be provided at the
reunion. We hope that all members
attending the reunion will be sure to attend the business meeting. If you have thoughts that you’d like to see
discussed, come prepared to bring them up.
You may receive a little flak, but it’ll all be light-hearted. I’m sure there must be SOMETHING you’d like
to see done a bit differently, or maybe something we should be doing that
isn’t currently done at all! We also
look forward to any of your comments on how this reunion has gone –
particularly the BBQ -- and of course any other thoughts you might have. In addition to any topics of discussion,
we’ll have our usual Chi service (yes, authentic Turkish tea (not Lipton
tea-bags!) served in those little glass cups and saucers we all remember from
the ferry service to Istanbul), and of course we anticipate all this being
wrapped up by our long-time good friend Ed Watts supplying some of his dry
“Great State of East Tennessee” humor while raffling off some highly
desirable items. The Levy rules will
apply. Ed will attempt to explain how
that works! 10:00 AM – about 12:00 PM
LADIES’ TEA (Hospitality Room) During the members’ Business Meeting the
ladies will enjoy a tea service in the Hospitality Room. There will be a variety of teas as well as
a variety of munchies…both healthy and some likely not-so-healthy. Be sure to show up. I’m told there are rousing conversations
that take place while the members are taking care of what passes for business
in the Business Meeting. It goes
without saying that we hope all the ladies will attend…but I chose to say it
anyway… 6:30
– 9:30 PM ANNUAL BANQUET (Salon C/D) As the
reunion begins drawing to a close, the annual banquet is a time to gather
together for a delightful dinner and a chance to remember those of us who
have been beckoned to the ultimate Commander’s Call…a particularly sad
calling last year and again this year.
To keep the evening light-hearted though, there will be the usual
awards program along with other possible commentaries. Should anyone like to make some comments to the group (appropriate
ones please!), contact me at [email protected] or 980-328-4150. Or you can just come up to the mike if
something you want to share strikes you at the moment! Don’t hesitate! The group will surely enjoy hearing from you,
particularly any stories from Karamursel you’d like to relate. I know the folks would rather hear from
some of you than to listen to me drone on and on…and on! Just bear in mind that there will be ladies
present! Hehe! Please hold
off entering the room before the scheduled time. That will give both us and the Beach Cove
staff time to make sure everything is ready for you. The banquet will begin with a cash bar for
about an hour. During the cocktail
hour, select your favorite beverage, select a seat, and mix with the
members! The hotel staff will let
us know they’re ready for us to charge the banquet tables. We’ll do that right after our group
Chaplain Dick Casseri gives thanks for the food. Here’s what will be awaiting you:
2022 reunion. We want to see YOUR smiling face in the
2023 picture! Following the banquet, there
will be a short awards program. Then
we’ll gather in the Hospitality Room for our annual group photo. The picture above is last year’s photo. We
really, really want everyone to be there for this year’s picture. Again, we
want your smiling face included. We’ll
do our best to make that process happen as quickly as possible. Sadly though, based on previous experience
it will likely take longer than you’d hope!
It’s worth it though, to look back at those pictures in future years. It’s a fine-looking bunch that shows up and
they seem to look younger each year.
How do you all do that? I
suspect the great companionship and good times shared at our reunions has a
lot to do with it. It’s like taking a
supplemental vitamin, so don’t miss this year’s pill! *Tuesday
12 SEPT* 7:30 – 9:00 AM
DEPARTURE BREAKFAST (Salon C/D) As we always do, we’ll close out the
reunion with our departure breakfast.
Some will have to leave early to meet transportation schedules, but for
most of us this will represent a final chance to say goodbyes, trade hugs
with friends both new and old and maybe get a last picture or two. Don’t sleep through it! Our good friends at the Beach Cove Resort
always put on a very good breakfast buffet which we know you’ll enjoy. Eat your fill, take a few pictures, shake
some hands, and give/receive some hugs.
Remember, KAS 60-61 is a family.
Make plans with other members/spouses to meet again next year. Our numbers may be getting smaller, but the
good times just seem to grow. No one
knows the future and with us now bumping up against the “codger class,” it’s
important to live for the moment. The
future we have in front of us is a blessing, but don’t short yourself on the
present. GO HOME GLAD THAT YOU SHARED
ANOTHER GET TOGETHER WITH SOME OF THE VERY BEST PEOPLE, or as Bill Hesseltine used to say, “the cream of
the cream of the crop!” The few
costs associated with the reunion are listed below. You should know that when you make your
room reservations, the hotel will charge your card with your first night’s
stay. The balance of the nights you
reserve will be due when you arrive and check in. If you need to cancel your reservation for
any reason, do NOT
contact the hotel. Contact
either Jake Reese (jdon[email protected] 336-601-3522 or Pete Johnson ([email protected]) or
980-328-4150). One of us will contact
the hotel to make sure you receive a FULL REFUND of your reservation
charge. We will also ensure that you
are refunded any reunion fees you’ve paid, with the exception being payment
for the Alabama Theater. Once the
tickets are purchased, we can’t turn them back in. We will see if another member is interested
in purchasing them from you. Here are
the fees:
Once you’re prepared to sign up for the
reunion, there are a few simple steps to follow. The order you complete them in is not
important in most cases, however completing them all IS important. It will make things go much more smoothly
for you and for the organizers of the reunion. o Call the Beach Cove Resort reservation service at 888-974-5531 to reserve your room.
Be sure to let them know you’re with the KAS 60-61 reunion so that you’ll receive our
discounted rate. You’ll want to
reserve the nights of 8, 9, 10 and 11 September. You will also be able to reserve up to 3
days before and/or 3 days after the reunion at our discounted rate. If you encounter ANY problems in this
process, contact either Jake Reece (j[email protected] or 336-601-3522) or Pete Johnson ([email protected] or 980-328-4150)
and we will resolve the situation with the hotel. · If you require handicap facilities in your room
let (j[email protected]
or 336-601-3522) or Pete Johnson ([email protected]
or 980-328-4150) know. We will make
that arrangement for you. DO NOT
ATTEMPT TO MAKE IT WITH THE RESERVATION CLERK. They may or may not be
aware that those facilities can be made available to you. o Once you have reserved your room, please let Pete
Johnson (info above) know so that we have an on-going accurate count of the
rooms that have been reserved and what attendance to expect. o Send a check to our treasurer for the reunion
fee(s) and for any show ticket(s) if you want to attend the show. At the same time, include your choices for an entrée at the Friday
welcome dinner. IT IS VERY IMPORTANT THAT THIS
ALL BE DONE AND RECEIVED BY THE TREASURER NO LATER THAN 15 AUGUST. Make your check out to “KAS 60-61”
and mail it to:
That’s it!
You’ve completed the process.
Now you can sit back, relax and know that in a very short time you’ll
be at the beach (we’re almost always scheduled for great weather) among old
buddies from long ago, as well as some new ones you’ve first met over the
years from previous reunions. As
usual, you can expect great stories, some retold for the umpteenth time, more
colorful with each iteration. If you
have memorabilia from your time in Karamursel, think about gathering it
together and bringing it to the reunion.
Our memorabilia table always welcomes new examples of old items from
your days of service. They’ll be safe
in the Hospitality Room and if, in all the excitement you neglect to collect
them all at the end of the reunion, we’ll get them back to you. We know where you live!! Yep, this is the place! Will you be there? SEE
YOU IN SEPTEMBER!!! ….and below is
current list of who you’ll see there!
Below is a chart indicating who has already
indicated an interest in coming to this year’s reunion. If the information on you is incorrect,
please let me know at [email protected] or call at 980-328-4150 so I can correct
it. When you do get yourself signed
up, be sure to follow the directions in the “SIGNING UP” section. Also, even if you’re not yet ready to make
your reservations or to send in your reunion fees, but fully expect to attend
the reunion, let me know using the contacts listed above. Having an accounting of likely attendance
as soon as possible helps us to solidify plans early. The chart will be updated as new
information is received.
See you at the
reunion! |
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