REUNION NEWS
POSTED: 1 August 2012
Judging by the
number of people staying at the Sirata before and after the reunion, it looks
like it’s going to be a five-day event, instead of two. Here’s the
attendance statistics provided by the Sirata:
9/6 9/7
9/8 9/9
9/10 9/11 9/12
9/13 9/14 TOTALS
Contracted
0 0
0 127
127 0
0 0
0 254
Picked Up 1
28 69
91 90
41 12
4 1
337
Since so many
are coming in on the 7th and 8th, we asked the Sirata if
we could have the two suites serving as our Hospitality Room for those two days
as well. They agreed, and based on our total room nights of 337, they have
comp’d us those days as well. So,
besides the two bar and grills, the swimming pool, and the Gulf of Mexico, we
now have a Hospitality Room for four days as another place to congregate.
And if that news
wasn’t exciting enough, here’s another one: We’re going to feed you not
just once, but twice, that’s right, twice. Besides the buffet at the
dinner/dance on the 10th, we’ve managed to spring for a cookout
dinner on the beach deck on the night of 9th. Both menus look
quite delicious, but we’re not going to tell you which ones they are. It’s
a surprise. So make sure you’re arriving in time for that also.
The rest of the
time, you’ll have to feed yourself, but there’s no reason to leave the Sirata
compound to do this. The Compass Grille restaurant serves breakfast, lunch
and dinner, and the two bar and grills located on the property will serve up
your favorite beverages and light dining fares.
Oh yeah, one
other thing. This year we have a band. They are called Motel Funk.
Guaranteed to keep you dancing or toe-tapping all evening long. I’ve heard
them. They’re good.
As for
deadlines: To register with the hotel, they officially will turn back any
unused rooms from our block on August 6th . I know, it used to
be the 4th. It changed. They will, however, still offer
you the $101 rate based on availability. I’m still not clear on how that
works, so if you haven’t done so already, best to reserve a room before the 6th.
To register for the reunion, there is no deadline. We’ll take you right up
to show time. But remember, walk-ins are not guaranteed a plate of food or
a seat to sit in, so give us a couple weeks notice at least.
POSTED: 25 June 2012
OHS GEAR STORE items: There are currently some St Pete Reunion items
in the OHS Gear Store, and between now and the big event, you can expect
to see more. Items include a button, mug, tote, messenger bag, plate
and candy jar. Coming soon are several shirts and other items you
may like, including Class of 1962, 1965 and 1967 reunion shirts in
recognition of their great sign up rates for the reunion. If you
want a reunion shirt for your Class, just ask.
MIke Magnan,
Class of '62
MIKE.MAGNAN@N8MARKETING.COM
POSTED: 5 June 2012
HOTEL RESERVATION CONFIRMATION EMAIL
If you get a confirmation letter from the Sirata, it may contain the following text: "listed rate is for the first night of your stay only -- the rate may vary over the course of your stay". Not to worry, your rate is the same for each night of your stay as explained by their Group Reservations Coordinator, Josef Martinez:
"The confirmation letter is
automatically generated and only
lists the first night. Since it only generates the first night of the
reservation that it is confirming, the system adds the disclaimer
just in case the
reservation was quoted a number of rates which
may not reflect
the rate listed on the letter. This is only
if the reservation has more than one rate (i.e. Weekend and Weekday rates). This
is not the case for the OHS Reunion; the rate is $101 for a Standard Guest room
each night.
We are aware of the confusion
that this causes; unfortunately the Automated Batch System cannot be customized
for each group we have in our system and we apologize in advance for any
inconvenience that this may cause you and your guests.
POSTED: 28 MAY 2012
(This is a reprint of the email I sent to all those for whom I have a good email
address)
WE’VE GOT A BAND
On May 26th, I
flew down to St Pete Beach for the day to listen to a band that we were
considering for the reunion dinner/dance. Their name is
Motel Funk,
and they were performing that afternoon at Jimmy B’s Beach Bar and Grill at the
Beachcomber Hotel. They’re a regular there. You can Google all those
things I just referred to, so I won’t bother elaborating. The bottom line
is they were terrific, and we got ‘em booked for our event. Good dance
music.
REGISTRATION DEADLINE OF
JUNE 1ST
The use of the word
“deadline” was a mistake. Deadline kind of implies that if you don’t make
it by that date, then you’re out in the cold, period. Well, that’s not the
case, and it never has been in the 27 years that we’ve been doing these
reunions. We should have called it the “quota critical date” or something
like that. Anyway, we’ve made our quota, so we’re good to go. As a
result, you can send in your $120 registration fee when you feel certain that
you’ll be joining us. Just remember, that the sooner you get it to us, the
better we can plan for the activity details like live band vs DJ, or hot dogs
and beans vs surf and turf.
HOTEL RESERVATIONS
We contracted with the
Sirata for 125 rooms, and certain amenities are granted us if we achieve 80% of
that figure, i.e. 100 rooms. As of 7 May, only 80 rooms had been reserved,
so if you’re coming, make that hotel reservation now so we can stop sweating
this issue. The room rate is $101/night + 12% tax, and the Sirata will
hold that rate for us until 4 August. Yes, that’s a new date, so
pay attention to it. I’ll be posting a new hotel list in about a week.
GETTING FROM THE AIRPORT
AIN’T CHEAP
When I flew into Tampa
on the 26th, I decided to catch a cab to the Sirata. It cost
$75 plus tip, but what the heck, I was feeling like some big shot music mogul
coming down to audition a band, and I wanted to get there pronto. Ask me
how I feel about that now. On second thought, don’t. Seriously, a
cab ride is pricey, but it’s a quick and no fuss way to get there. On the
return to the airport, I had the Beachcomber Hotel
concierge call me a cab. What she ended up calling was her favorite
limo service after asking me if I was in a hurry or not. I was not, so she
proceeded to call CAB PLUS. I had to wait about 35 minutes, but the
ride was only $55 plus tip, and it was a much nicer vehicle than the taxi.
If you think you might be interested in using this service, you can call Jason
at 813-220-9650 to make a reservation for him to meet and greet you at
the airport. The $55 fare covers up to 4 people in his limo. If he
gets enough requests for the same time slot, he’ll lay on some 9-passenger
busses at $120/bus. That’s an even better deal. Jason is an older
fellow from Syria who has been in the States for many years, and we had some
interesting conversations during our ride. If you’re lucky, you’ll get him
as your driver also.
REUNION INFORMATION IS ON
THE OHS WEBSITE
Details of this reunion are
still evolving, and we’ll keep you abreast of them by posting the information on
the OHS website at
WWW.ORLEANSAMERICANHIGHSCHOOL.COM. However, since the June 1st
“deadline” was a concern to some of you, I wanted to clear that up for you
immediately. Also, I was excited about getting the Motel Funk band, and I
just had to tell somebody about it other than the reunion committee.
POSTED: 12 MAY 2012
TRIP TO FLORIDA
Dave Thatcher took a road trip down to the Sirata in late March to check out the hotel, and to meet with the staff we will be working with. It was a good trip, and well worth the effort. Now that we have personal knowledge of what the place looks like, we feel that the rest of the details can be worked out among the committee and the Sirata via emails. We're looking forward to this reunion, and hope you are too.
DANCE THE NIGHT AWAY
We are checking out musical groups for the dinner-dance.
Live musicians, vocalist(s). The OHS Fund has stepped out on the dance
floor with this one and picked up the tab.
WHAT TO WEAR TO THE DINNER-DANCE, YOU ASK
"Elegantly casual." Beach. Just not a bathing
suit.
Ladies -- Whatever.
Men -- Whatever. Tropical shirts welcome.
WHAT'S THE WEATHER LIKE, YOU ASK
Until its presses stopped in 1986, the "Daily Independent"
(St Pete's evening newspaper) was free on any day when the sun didn't shine.
In its 70 years of existence, the paper was free only 296 times. That's a
whole lotta sunshine, folks. Here's a link to the Sirata's web cam, aimed
at the ocean. Click on "live web cam" at the bottom of the page. http://www.sirata.com/testimonials/
WHERE IS THE NEAREST GROCERY STORE, YOU ASK
There is a Publix Supermarket less than half a mile from the
Sirata.
WHERE IS THE NEAREST LIQUOR STORE, YOU ASK
Even closer than Publix. Norman's Liquors is at 5234
Gulf Blvd. The Sirata is at 5300 Gulf Blvd.
POSTED: 25 MAR 2012
SHARE A RIDE FROM THE AIRPORT
Mike Stoll has reserved a limo to transport him from Tampa Airport to the Sirata Hotel. He has room for two more passengers. If you would like to share a ride with Mike, contact him at SJMACE@VERIZON.NET. Mike arrives Tampa at 1310 on Friday, September 7th.
PET-FRIENDLY MOTEL: (For those who can't bear to leave Fido at home)
Bay Palms Waterfront Resort (less
than 1 mile from the Sirata)
4237 Gulf Blvd
St Pete Beach, Florida 33706
1-800-257-8998
http://www.plazabeachresorts.com/bay-palms-resort.html
RV PARKS AND CAMPGROUNDS: (for the nomads among us)
KOA Campground (9 miles from the Sirata)
5400 95th Street North
St Petersburg, Florida 33708
1-800-562-7714
http://www.koa.com/campgrounds/st-petersburg
ROBERT'S MOBILE HOME & RV RESORT (12
miles from the Sirata)
3390 Gandy Blvd
St Petersburg, Florida 33702
727-577-6820
http://www.robertsrv.com