Hey, everyone! Here is a summary of what we came up with at our planning meeting in Reno.

Many Thanks Go To…

Thanks to Cris, Becky, Mac, and Greg for their work on this and everyone else please feel free to email your response to what we’ve done so far.

Details

The reunion site was confirmed as the Peppermill Hotel and Casino. Although we also looked at the Atlantis, the Peppermill was head and shoulders above the competition: beautiful rooms and great facilities. The convention rate is $109 per night. There is also a $99 per night option but those rooms are further from the reunion area and not as nice. Suites are available for $139 per night (very good rate for a suite).

There is also a $12 resort fee per night, which includes a bunch of stuff including unlimited wi-fi access.

Our attendance target is 50 people and filling 25 rooms. We get a free suite if we fill 80% of the rooms we’ve blocked. As Christy noted, we have invited RJH graduates from other years in to 60’s to join us. This helps us meet or exceed our attendance goals and it will be fun to meet and chat with alumni from other years.

The Agenda

Our agenda looks like the following:

FRIDAY NIGHT, July 18

“Meet in the Suite” – mixer and socializing in the Reunion suite plus some activity boards where attendees will use post-it notes to put some info about themselves onto wall posters (things like how many grandkids if any, state you came from, etc.).

Bruce has also been working on a “slam book” for people to write in. Becky has some of our schoolwork from RJH that we can display and attendees will be encouraged to bring and display any RJH artifacts they have which have withstood the ravages of time (!)

SATURDAY, July 19

A whole menu of activities will be available, including the activities that Christy sent out in an email earlier today. Morning is a good time for the River Walk and/or miniature golf, as it’s cooler then. Other options include side trips to Lake Tahoe or Virginia City, etc etc.

Some people will also want to lay by the pool, visit the casino, or shop during the day.

Saturday night is the main event, with a cocktail hour followed by a buffet and dancing in our banquet room. There will also be some brief comments (to be determined). We thought the buffet will give people greater choice in what they want to eat (and how much), plus encourages mingling. Music will be from the 60’s, with a heavy emphasis on 1964 (obviously the peak musical year in the history of mankind…)

Cocktails would be at 6:00, dinner dance from 7 to midnight (or until the last person is standing, if we don’t make it that late!)

SUNDAY, July 20

People will have a variety of departure times, but we can meet up for breakfast at an agreed upon hour (informal arrangement) and those who are departing later can engage in other activities from our activity menu.

We are also going to encourage people to extend their visit, if feasible, either for additional time in Reno or a few days in Lake Tahoe. Jim and I stayed in Tahoe for two days after the Reno visit and it is highly recommended.

We hope to have a souvenir of some type for attendees to take home. We’re currently planning a coffee mug with the RJH logo and “Ramstein Junior High Reunion” printed on it, although this is subject to change. We thought of t-shirts, but the size issue could be a headache.

How Much Will It Cost?

The cost for the reunion will be $100. per person. Half of this goes to the banquet and the rest will cover other costs such as printing, souvenirs, DJ for dance, etc.

Those who were at the planning session feel free to add anything I left out.

We also discussed the process of searching for classmates, and Mac has sent an email already on this subject.

Over and out,
Pat