WELCOME REUNION WEEKEND XXI
We are a group of teachers, administrators and staff, many retired and many still working, who have taught or are working to educate our military children, usually on a military post or base for the United States Government throughout the globe! Since 1946 these brave educators travelled to a distant location, sometimes bringing their own resources, securing a place to live, setting up a classroom, working in an administrative position, and welcoming the military "Dependents" to the first day of school! We now celebrate those years we gave to America's children and our government by coming together somewhere in the United States of America
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| YEAR | NAME | SITE | ORGANIZER |
| 1989 | ODDSARA I | Concord, CA | John Eagan |
| 1990 | ODDSARA II | Orlando, FL | Paul Thome |
| 1991 | ODDSARA III | Chicago, IL | Ann Drake |
| 1992 | ODDSARA IV | Bremerton, WA | Warren Van Zee |
| 1993 | ODDSARA V | Flagstaff, AZ | Thomas Drysdale |
| 1994 | ODDSARA VI | Las Vegas, NV | Marie Espinoza |
| 1995 | DoDDS VII | Monterey, CA | Ruth McCampbell |
| 1996 | DoDDS VIII | Washington DC | Pat Lambe & Bill Gunkel |
| 1997 | DoDDS IX | San Antonio, TX | Barbara & John Williams |
| 1998 | DoDDS X | Minneapolis, MN | Walter Peik |
| 1999 | DoDDS XI | San Diego, CA | Barbara & John Williams |
| 2000 | DoDDS XII | Boston, MA | Barbara & John Williams |
| 2001 | DoDDS XIII | Wichita, KS | B.& J. Williams/ Jeanie Goodwin |
| 2002 | DoDDS XIV | Denver, CO | Bill Hobbs & Committee |
| 2003 | DoDDS XV | Atlanta, GA | Bill Hobbs & Committee |
| 2004 | DoDDS XVI | St. Louis, MO | Bill Hobbs & Committee |
| 2005 | DoDDS XVII | Scottsdale, AZ | Bill Hobbs & Committee |
| 2006 | DoDDS XVIII | Pittsburgh, PA | Bill Hobbs & Committee |
| 2007 | DoDDS XIX | Salt Lake City, UT | Bill Hobbs & Committee |
| 2008 | DoDDS XX | Louisville, KY | Joy Bryant & Pat Hein |
| 2009 | DoDDS XXI |
Las Vegas, NV | Dee Edwards & Clyde Atkisson |
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DoDDS Reunion XXI
Las Vegas, Nevada
Sunday, July 12 - Thursday, July 16, 2009
Location: Imperial Palace
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"FINAL"
DODDS XXI EVENTS
Sunday, 7/12...... Registration/Hospitality......The Pacific Rooms (Imperial Palace)..... 10:00 a.m. - 7:00 p.m. At the Bell Desk in The Imperial Palace, take the Pagoda Tower elevator to the 6th Floor. The Pacific rooms will remain open for you to use as a "sit and chat" location away from the public.
Monday, 7/13.....Registraton/Hospitality.....The Pacific Rooms (Imperial Palace).....9 a.m - 5 p.m.
Monday, 7/13.....Evening Reception.....Nevada Rooms at Harrah's Hotel.....6 p.m. - 8 p.m. Hotel employees will direct all with a DODSS Name Tag to the location. Note: There will be a registration Desk in the Reception area of the Nevada Rooms for late registrations.
Tuesday, 7/14.....Registration/Hospitality.....Pacific Rooms (Imperial Palace).....9 a.m. - - 7 p.m. (Closed during AOSHS meeting)
Tuesday, 7/14.....AOSHA Meeting.....Royal Hall (Imperial Palace) .....9 a.m. - 11 a.m.
Tuesday, 7/14....Mini-Reunions.....Royal Hall (Imperial Palace).....1 p.m. - 4 p.m.
.....Asia 1 p.m. - 2 p.m.
.....Europe 2 p.m. - 3 p.m.
.....Atlantic/Others 3 p.m. - 4 p.m.
Wednesday, 7/15.....Hospitality Room...Pacific Rooms (Imperial Palace).....9 a.m. - 3 p.m. This room will be open for visiting and chatting
Wednesday, 7/15.....Formal Banquet....(Forum Room) Caesar's Palace Hotel ... 6 p.m. -- 9 p.m. Bus transportation will be available. Sign up in the Hospitality Room. Caesar's Palace is just across the street from the Imperial Palace. It is possible to walk as well. Consider the heat, however. Men: Jackets are not required; a nice dress shirt and slacks is considered "formal wear" in Las Vegas.
Thursday, 7/16....Farewell Breakfast/buffet.....Royal Halls (Imperial Palace) ....7 a.m. - 10 a.m.
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Your DoDDS Reunion XXI Committee:
Dee Edwards , Co-Coordinator
Clyde Atkisson , Co-Coordinator
Nick Fice, Registrar
Max Gray, Budget/Finance
Sandy Hope, Name Tags and Address Book
Tina Calo, Memorial List
Kay Hosie, Memorial List
Smitty Reeves and Ted Edwards, Security/Meeter-Greeters
Jack and Kay Gaworski, Banquet Seating and Organization
Dick and Judy Nell, Hospitality Room co-Hosts
Jo and Ed Hiramoto, Hospitality Room co-Hosts
Lowell (Jake) and Margaret Jacobson, Food and Meeter-Greeters
Betty Nicholas, Mini Reunions
Kay Galloway, Mini Reunions
Billy J. Hobbs, Journalist
Richard Smith, Webmaster
FEE SCHEDULE
At the door................................................................$160
PLEASE.....DO NOT SEND REGISTRATIONS TO LAST YEAR'S COMMITTEE. THE NEW ADDRESS IS LISTED BELOW.
Reservations by mail are now closed.
Nick Fice
1528 Bonita Avnue
Las Vegas, NV 89104-3513
The registration fee includes all food events (the Monday night reception, the Wednesday banquet at the Flamingo Hotel and the Thursday morning departure breakfast), rental of meeting locations, lease of equipment and materials, communication costs, and incidental committee expenses. The contract does not allow for pro-rated or partial payments for single events.
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MAKE YOUR ROOM RESERVATION NOW!!!!!
IMPERIAL PALACE
(866) 583-2608 option 3
Reunion Code - SIDOD9
$59.00 per night plus tax
PARKING is free!
NOTE: Reservations must be made prior to June 9, 2009. A LIMITED number of rooms are available before and after the reunion dates at the same price. Individual arrangements must be made through the reservation center clerk. If you elect not to stay at the Imperial Palace, please advise the receptionist at the DoDDS registration desk of your hotel arrangements.
Registrants canceling before July 1, 2009 will recieve the registration fee(s) paid less a handling charge of $15.00 per registrant. There will be NO REFUNDS after June 30th.
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Getting around in Las Vegas
These sites will be useful!
Taxi: http://www.taxi.state.nv.us/FaresFees.htm NOTE; Tell the taxi driver to take you to the strip via Paradise Blvd. He may try and take you via the tunnel which would add around $10.00 to the ticket and would be much slower!
Monorail (stops at Imperial Palace) http://www.lvmonorail.com
http://off2vegas.com/transit.html
The Deuce: A double decker bus that provides the cheapest way to go from one hotel to another on the Strip and downtown. The Deuce runs 24/7 at intervals from 7 to 17 minutes depending on the time and day. Cost is $2.00 one-way trip ($1.00 for seniors 62 and older with ID) and $5.00 for a 24 hour pass. Ticket can be purchesed on the bus (must have exact change) or at vending machines. The route is along Las Vegas Blvd. (the Strip) from south of Mandalay Bay north to Downtown (Stewart Street); thus, covers all hotels on the Strip and downtown. Pluses are cheap fare and good view of the Strip if one sits on the upper deck. Minus is the bus is very slow because of multiple stops and the traffice on Las Vegas Blvd.
Getting around in Las Vegas can be accomplished with relative ease once you know which method of transport is best suited to you. Thanks to the website of
www.off2vegas.com/transit.html for providing us with the following information:
Airport Shuttle
Several shuttle companies operate from McCarren International Airport to the Las Vegas strip, downtown Las Vegas, Boulder Highway and the outlying hotels. Travel arrangements can be made outside of the baggage claim area for one-way or round trip transport. Round trip fares are slightly less than double the one-way fare. Approximate round trip fares per person are as follows:
Strip hotels--$8.00
Downtown hotels--$10.00
Off strip hotels--$13.50
Reservations are recommended for timely return to airport.
Limousine Service
Prices for limousine service in Las Vegas range between $35/hr for a basic limo up to $80/hr for a super-stretch limo. Limousines also offer shuttle service between McCarren Airport and Strip hotels from about $4.00 per person and downtown hotels from about $5.00 per person, be aware that for this price it is more likely that you will be placed in a shuttle bus or van operated by the limo company.
Taxi Services
You cannot hail a taxi on the street. You must go to a taxi station or at the front of a hotel.
Taxi fare in Las Vegas is governed by the Nevada Taxicab Authority and as such all fares between 16 companies operating in the Las Vegas valley will be the same. Rates are likely to change between now and next July, needless to say. At the moment (August, 2008), these rates apply:
the meter will start at $3.20 and then increase by either the time or distance (depending upon traffic conditions). There is also an additional $1.20 fee for all trips that begin at McCarran Airport, this will result in trips to your hotel from the airport costing more than your return trip to the airport. (DO NOT ALLOW HIM TO TAKE YOU VIA THE TUNNEL. IT IS MUCH SLOWER AND MORE EXPENSIVE.) Once the taximeter senses that the taxicab is moving at a speed greater than 8-12 MPH the fare calculates on the actual distance traveled.
To recap:
First 1/8th of a mile = $3.20
Each additional mile = 0.25
Waiting time = $22.00 per hour
McCarran Airport pickup fee = $1.20
From McCarren Airport the approximate fares are as follows:
South Strip (Luxor, Mandalay, Tropicana)--$9.50-$12.00
Center Strip (Caesars, Mirage, Harrah's)--$12.00-$15.00
Sahara/Stratosphere--$13.00-$17.00
Downtown Area--$17.00-$21.00
*Note-The above rates are per car load (up to 5 passengers) not per person.
Drivers are not allowed to alter from the most direct route without prior approval from the passengers.
Car Rentals
Cab fares add up quickly, buses are slow and the strip is long if you are walking. a rental car in Las Vegas is recommended if you are going to be doing a lot of travelling around town.
City Buses
The citizens area transit or CAT is the Las Vegas public transit system. The 2 routes that most Las Vegas visitors will be concerned with are the #301 and #302 which both run the Strip from the south to Fremont street. The 301 stops at every stop along the strip while the 302 is the express bus and stops at fewer locations. Fare to use the CAT bus sytem is $2.00 with exact fare required, drivers will not make change for you.
Trolleys
The trolley bus travels from The Stratosphere to the South Strip area, it does not travel to Fremont Street. Trolley bus fare is $1.50 exact fare only with hours of operation between 9:30am to 2:00am on a 20 minute schedule. The trolley bus does serve the purpose of transport and is generally less crowded than the CAT buses but be forewarned, has uncomfortable wooden seats (nostalgic I suppose) and stops at every major hotel along the strip making transport very slow.
Las Vegas Monorail
("The IMPERIAL PALACE has a stop on the monorail line. This is another reason for our selection of this hotel,” Dee says.)
The Las Vegas monorail runs from the MGM Grand Hotel to Sahara Ave.
The Las Vegas Monorail operates 7 days a week from 7:00am to 2:am Monday - Thursday and until 3:00am Friday - Sunday, Each car on the Monorail holds 72 riders seated and 152 riders standing with the approx. time to ride from one end of the 4 mile long Las Vegas strip is being 14 to 16 minutes, depending on the speed of boarding and unboarding passengers.
The monorail tickets can be purchased at vending machines located inside each station and at station hotel properties.
Monorail ticket prices are as follows:
Normal Fare Rates
1 ride pass $5.00
2 ride pass $9
10 ride pass $35
1 Day pass $8 (Summer Special)
3 Day pass $40
Children 5 and under FREE
(rates as of May 2007)
Free Shuttles
All these shuttles are a free service, a tip of $1 per rider to the driver will be appreciated.
Free Trams
1. Tram that runs from Bellagio to the Monte Carlo hotel runs every 10 minutes 24 hours a day offers indoor boarding platforms.
2. Excalibur to Mandalay Bay tram operates 24 hours a day with non-stop service on the southbound trip. The same tram on the return (northbound) trip from Mandalay Bay to Excalibur provides a stop at the Luxor for those wishing to visit there.
Walking and Your Safety
The Las Vegas Strip is over 4 miles long from one end to the other, walking the strip will take considerable time. If you decide to try walking here are a few tips:
1. At night stay on the Strip and do not walk alone if you can avoid it. Las Vegas is, generally speaking, a safe city but like any other is not excluded from crime.
2. Wear comfortable, good fitting shoes.
3. Summer months are very hot, during daytime walks take bottled water with you and stop often at the casinos to get a fresh bottle.
4. Obey walk signals at traffic lights, many tourists are hit by cars every week driven by other tourists that are looking at the sights.
5. When walking on the Las Vegas Strip you will be handed pamplets and magazines with pictures or ads for sex that may be objectionable to you. Do not hold out your hand to take them, the people that are giving them away will not bother or harass you in any way if you ignore them.
Web sites to explore for further information:
http://www.taxi.state.nv.us/FaresFees.htm (Check for the latest in fares, as they are subject to change.)
The Taxi Authority – (“Very good and up to date with price info,” Smith says.)
http://www.lvmonorail.com. (“Basic Info on the Monorail (fare prices, stops with nearby info on hotels and attractions for each stop, etc). The map for the Monorail is interactive and interesting.”)
http://off2vegas.com/transit.html
Do not jaywalk! The fines are very high!
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A special thanks to "Josh", my next-door-neighbor, who is the real brains
behind this website!
