Vol. VII, Special Edition July, 2004
New Orleans Reunion Information
Participants Urged to Register and Make
Reservations Now
As was noted in the previous Passing In Review, those who plan to attend the New Orleans reunion need to make their reservations with the Astor Crowne Plaza Hotel (504-962-0500 or 888-696-4806) no later than July 30th; and then by August 6, you need to pay your registration fee of $70 per person (checks made payable to the 33rd ABAA and sent to Frank Schlatter, 3111 Futura, Roswell, NM 88201). Those dates are deadlines , but the reunion coordinator would very much prefer that arrangements for attendance be made at this time so that some plans for the event can be finalized.
Of particular concern is the need for the coordinator to know how many of the individuals who plan to attend the event are interested in taking your musical instruments to the reunion for a 33rd ABAA "concert." If the instrumentation that may be available is inadequate for a respectable performance, that particular aspect of the reunion will, of necessity, be cancelled. Thus. when sending in your registration fee(s), please indicate what musical instrument--if any--you will be bringing to the reunion. If there are not enough to play in a concert--or if the instrumentation is inadequate--the coordinator for the reunion will contact you who have expressed a willingness to participate to let you know that the concert has been scrubbed.
At this time, the schedule for the Reunion is as follows:
| Friday, Aug. 27 | |
| 9 to 11:30 a.m. | Registration and getting together with others attending the reunion in hotel hospitality room. Sightseeing New Orleans via streetcars. |
| 11:30 to 1 p.m. | Lunch on your own |
| 1 to 3 p.m. | Registration continues. Swimming party on 3rd floor of hotel, or sightseeing New Orleans via streetcars |
| 3 to 5 p.m. | In hotel hospitality room, sharing photo albums and slides of our tours with the band |
| 5 to ??? | Out on the town |
| Saturday, Aug. 28 | |
| Before 9 a.m. | Breakfast on your own |
| 9 to 9:20 a.m. | Board streetcar for National D-Day Museum, 945 Magazine St. (Entrance on Andrew Higgins Drive) |
| 9:30 to 12:00 noon | At the National D-Day Museum |
| 12 noon - 1:30 p.m. | Lunch at Contemporary Arts Center or Confederate Museum (each of which is a block from the D-Day Museum), or at other venues close by |
| 1:30 - 3:30 p.m. | Spend at either the Arts Center or the Confederate Museum or--??? |
| 3:30 to 4 p.m. | Return to hotel for band rehearsal. (Those not rehearsing continue with sightseeing, or following other personal pursuits.) |
| 4 to 5 p.m. | Band rehearsal |
| 5 to 6:30 p.m. | Free time |
| 6:30 p.m. | Official reunion photo (Please be present!) |
| 7 to 10 p.m. | Banquet and "concert" (Note: If you wish a vegetarian meal rather than the plated dinner being provided for the occasion, please indicate as much to the 33rd ABAA Conference Coordinator.) |
| Sunday, Aug. 29 | |
| 9 to 11 a.m. | 33rd ABAA breakfast and business meeting |
| 11 a.m. | End of reunion |
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Obviously, the basic reason for the holding of a reunion such as the one scheduled for New Orleans is to provide the opportunity for 33rd ABAA members to renew acquaintances with former members of the USAREUR Headquarters Band and to develop new friendships. It is therefore the hope of the coordinator that all in attendance will experience the pleasure of being a part of the expanded band family that constitutes the 33rd Army Band Alumni Association. The two meals that the band will be sharing together will be but two of the occasions for our associating with one another. (It might be mentioned, in passing, that our contract with the hotel calls for us to meet a banquet food and beverage expenditure of $2,000, exclusive of tax and service, and if we fall below this amount the difference between the minimum and the actual dollar amount spent will be charged to our Master Account. It is therefore important that reunion participants plan to attend both meal functions.)
Reminder:
Shuttle from Airport: The hotel does not provide shuttle service. However, a shuttle transportation is available to and from the airport. The cost is $26 round trip, $24 round trip for 2 or more people. When purchasing your ticket(s) at the airport, proceed to the baggage claim area on the ground level and once you have retrieved your luggage, proceed to the Airport Shuttle Ticket Desk, located across from all baggage claim carousels. Shuttles depart every 15 minutes from the airport.
Parking at hotel: Parking facilities in New Orleans are at a premium. The cost for overnight parking at the hotel is $28 per night.
STREETCARS: Those planning to attend the reunion will note a number of references to streetcars in the schedule. The parts of New Orleans that we will be interested in visiting are accessible either by bus or streetcar, and, for this reason, the reunion will not be chartering buses to get us from one place to another. (This was a major expense at previous reunions.) For public transportation, One-day Visitour Passes are $5; a 3-day Pass is $12.
If you have any questions regarding the reunion, contact Frank Schlatter (see address earlier in this newsletter), tel.: 505-622-6898, e-mail: obfusa@rt66.com