Reunion 2013

San Antonio, TX

October 16-20, 2013

Kay Aielli, 487th Planner 5203 Turnabout Lane Austin, TX, 78731 kaielli at austin.rr.com (512) 451-2185

Jane Wilson, 487th Planner PO Box 932 Luling, TX 78648 selah at gvtc.com (830) 540-3987

Phylis Craig, 486th Planner 20804 NE 132nd Ave Waldo, FL 32694 phylbcraig at aol.com (352) 339-0862

 GREETINGS!!

 

Well, after some last-minute considerations, the new location for the 2013 San Antonio Reunion is the El Tropicano Hotel.  You can see this hotel by going to www.eltropicanohotel.com.  Their reservations phone number is 877-214-9768 (be sure to identify yourself as being a member of the 486^TH/487^TH Bomb Groups), and we recommend that you make reservations now, as October 2013 will be a busy time in San Antonio;  you can always cancel your room reservations 72 hrs before, if you find you are unable to attend, without any cancellation fee.  Our discounted room rates are $103, which includes a complimentary breakfast.  For an extra $10.00, you can have a microwave/refrigerator (free, if you need it for medical reasons).  You will be able to reserve rooms three days before and three days after the reunion dates, at the same discounted rate.  San Antonio has wonderful and very affordable wheelchair-accessible trolley/bus/water taxi system.

 

Our #1 goal for this reunion is to accommodate and serve our veterans and their families, especially those with mobility/health challenges, so that everybody can fully enjoy all the activities that we have planned.   When you fill out your registration form, we will offer you the opportunity to rent wheelchairs ($45 for the whole long weekend!), and we will have volunteers to push those wheelchairs.  Nurses will be identified by a button on their lanyard, a nurse will be in the Hospitality Suite at all times and on all tours, and the hotel is three blocks from the Santa Rosa Hospital. 

 

Our plans include filming veterans and widows and preparing DVD’s.  Copies of these DVD’s will be given to those sharing their stories, so they can share them with family and friends.  And the DVD’s will also be played in the Hospitality Suite and so shared with the membership.  If you already have this type of DVD, bring it.  Also bring any other memorabilia you have;  we’ll have space in the hospitality suite for displays.

 

Our tour schedule is still pending (we’ll get tour costs to you after the first of the year, along with the registration form), but so far, it looks like: 

 

 

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 16:

 

            Noon to 5:00 p.m.         Formal registration, El Tropicano Main Lobby

5:00 to 7:00                   Meet & Greet, Hospitality Suite (margaritas, tacos & tamales) -- Free

 

PASEO DEL RIO CRUISE -- $17.00

 

At 7:30 p.m., we’ll load up onto river barges for a narrated  night cruise tour of the beautiful River Walk.  This will be a great time for you to plan your personal River Walk shopping/dining excursions on your River Walk map.

         

 

 

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 17:

 

 MARKET SQUARE/ALAMO -- $40.00

 

9:00 a.m.  Load up on buses for a trip to Market Square, where time will be allowed for lunch (there are several places to eat) and shopping (the El Mercado is a Mexican market which is akin to shopping in Mexico).  Back onto the buses for the Alamo experience, beginning with the award-winning IMAX movie presentation “The Price of Freedom”. Then on to visit the Alamo itself!

 

 

BARBEQUE AT VFW HALL -- $25.00 if using water taxi and

touring North River Walk (free if you walk a block)

 

At 5:00 p.m., we’ll load up onto wheelchair-accessible barges for a trip to Texas’ oldest VFW Hall where the VFW members will serve us a Texas barbeque with all the fixins.  While there, we will have a ceremony to place memorial bricks.  These bricks are available at $25.00 each for three lines of text – you will see an order space on the Registration Form (when we send it) if you want to place your own.

 

     

 

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 18:

 

GRUENE, TEXAS -- $30.00

 

Another bus trip, this time to Gruene, TX, with free time to visit Gruene Hall (Texas’ oldest dance hall).  There are several good restaurants, but we recommend the Grist Mill (be sure to have some strawberry shortcake!).  There are also many quaint shops to visit.

 

… OR …

 

TEXAS AIR MUSEUM -- $30.00

 

… a bus trip to the Texas Air Museum at Stinson Field.  This museum is dedicated to telling the story of Texas and San Antonio's vital role in the development of military air power, and explains why San Antonio is considered the birthplace of American aviation.

 

 

ICE CREAM SOCIAL/BINGO – FREE

7:00 p.m. – 10:00 p.m.  ---  Hospitality Suite

 

Have you ever had Blue Bell Ice Cream?  From “the contented cows at the Little Creamery in Brenham”?  It’s another Texas thing.  While we eat ice cream, we’re going to play some Bingo, and the Bingo prizes are going be “Texas things” too!

         

 

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 19:

 

                                    10:00 a.m.                    Business Meetings

                                    11:30 a.m.                    Mens Luncheon in the Hospitality Suite

                                    11:30 a.m.                    Ladies Luncheon

                                    4:30 – 6:00 p.m.            Photos

                                    6:30 p.m.                      Banquet/Ball

 

 

We’re going to do something different with the name badges this year.  Please locate a picture of your veteran (Owen and Elizabeth, childhood pictures from “the day”, please).  The front of the tag will be as usual, but on the back will be information which we will ask you to provide on the registration form.  For example, below is the back of our badges.  So find those pictures!!  What fun we’ll have flipping our name badges!  J

 

Jane’s Badge:                                                              Kay’s Badge:

Daughter of   Lt.Col. Howard “Pete” Peterson   Pilot of the Picadilly Lilly   d. 1 Feb 2011

                    

 

 

One more thing.  If you are able to sponsor a veteran or a widow -- to help with their travel costs, hotel rooms, tours, meals, etc. -- please reach out to them.  So many are on limited incomes, and it is only right that they should be able to attend these reunions that are theirs, not ours.  We’re family, after all. 

 

We sure hope that we’ve planned some things that will have you looking forward to San Antonio and your “Texas Experience.”  If you have any questions or suggestions, our phone numbers are above.  So let us Texas girls just say,

 

                                                                                    Ya’ll Come!!