'NEW INTEL'

REUNION DATES:   MARCH 20, 21, 22nd, 23rd 2003

LATEST INFORMATION AT BOTTOM

 

OVERVIEW:  The Chopper Association has a contract for 80 rooms at the Holiday Inn Mt. Pleasant (800-290-4004).  Rooms are $82/night. They are reserved for March 20,21,22 (Thur, Fri. Sat.) of 2003.  Price and room availability will not be guaranteed after February 20 2003. So make reservations early.  Each Guest (you) are responsible for your room payment. These rates include a continental breakfast served in the hospitality suit each morning.  The hospitality room is complimentary along with the banquet room which accommodates 300. We are allowed to sell our own drinks in the hospitality room, and John "J.J." Lynch has agreed to again be our head Barkeep. We can have our own bar setups.  The hotel will provide ice. This is much like Kings Land, GA. Chopper reunion.

6/27/2002 Bob Stamper recently made a visit to Charleston, SC  to check out he hotel and local tour sites and I need your input before I can finalize tour arrangements.

Please vote on the tours you are interested in so I can setup things up.  The tours will be on Friday and Saturday with the exception of the Hunley tour which is only on Saturday.  Most tours will leave the hotel lobby at around 9:30AM and return around 4:00PM Let me know which tour/tours you prefer and the day you want to participate.

Tours
There are several tours available for this historic city where the Civil War's first shot was fired and a city that played a role in the Revolutionary War. Charleston is a city of great history.

The following tours available:

'CLICK' ON THIS LINK FOR COMPLETE INFORMATION ABOUT TOURS!

Tour (1) Historic City and Boon Hall Plantation Tour:
Starts at 9:30AM from the hotel lobby and this two tour combination is an all day affair and very interesting.  The tour group is provided with a very knowledgeable guide who describes the sites along the way and provides an informative dialogue.  My wife and I took this tour during our trip and found it to be very interesting.  The cost of this combination tour is $45.00/person.  This price assumes we have a 100 guest minimum.  This tour does not include any meals

Tour (2) Patriots Point Maritime Museum and Ft Sumter
This tour includes an visits to the Choppers sister boat the USS Clamagore SS343, and the The Fighting Lady USS York Town aircraft carrier of W.W.II fame.  Also, you'll be able to tour the USS Laffey.  Lunch is included and will be served  to the group in the York Town CPO Mess.  In the afternoon you'll be taken by boat to Ft Sumter which is on an island in Charleston Bay.  Price for this package is $43.00/person. This price assumes a 100 guest minimum.

Tour (3) CSS Hunley Submarine Tour

Bob has arranged and paid for 40 tickets for this very popular tour. 40 tickets is the maximum number allowed on the tour  Arrangements and payment had to be made 15 months in advance to insure we would have availability for our reunion shipmates/guests.. Tickets are $10 and transportation is extra.  Bob has not negotiated a price yet for the transportation but would estimate it would at least equal the ticket price.  This tour does not include meals. The tour at the Hunley Site starts on Saturday at 10:00AM so attendees need to muster in the hotel lobby at 9:00AM.   Tour attendees will be chosen on Friday afternoon during the reunion if the demand for tickets is greater than 40.

Those wanting to take a tour of the Hunley as well as one of the other offered tours, Bob suggests you do the non-Hunley tour on Friday as there may not be enough time in the day to do both.

The above rates are special for the Chopper Reunion and require we meet the minimum attendance numbers.  Please try to make your vote as firm as possible otherwise, if at the reunion we don't meet the number requirements,  the tour price goes up.  Return your preferences to Bob Stamper ( k4cfv@gte.net ) Chopper Reunion Coordinator by August 1, 2002

4/01/2002:  Things are starting to come together for the second Chopper Reunion in 2003.  Hotel arrangements have been made and Bob Stamper has a “discovery” trip to Charleston is scheduled for June 7 and 8.  At this time banquet meal selections will be discussed, banquet room arrangements will be made, shipmate registration/hospitality room location will be set and other details will be finalized. As soon as the meal selections are known I will e-mail or US mail all registered attendees requesting their meal selections.

Additionally,  the registration fee is the same as our last reunion: $50.00 for each shipmate and $50.00 for each guest.   This fee will include the banquet meal, name badge and hospitality room non-alcholic refreshments, registration confirmation mailing costs and some other undetermined items.

We will have reunion and Chopper related items for sale in the hospitality room.   I’m also in contact with a touring company and there will be several interesting tours available for shipmates and guests. Details will be made available later as negotiations are currently in progress.

Send your registration fee check made out to:

USS Chopper Reunion Fund
c/o  Bob Stamper
11301 Sandpine Rd.
Riverview, FL 33569

I will be accepting registration fees immediately.   Please provide me with an e-mail address and I will send confirmation of your registration fee via e-mail or US Mail for those who don’t have internet access.
 

The Holiday Inn, Mt Pleasant is now accepting reservations at 1-800-290-4004, 1-843-884-6000 or by writing:

Holiday Inn Mt. Pleasant
250 Johnnie Dodds Blvd.
Mt. Pleasant, SC 29464
 

2/7/2002:  Bob Stamper reports that he has contacted the Charleston Tour Company.  He's planning on setting up some tours for the ladies and well as shipmates.

9/01/02:  Link added to this page for the Charleston Tour Company.

12/03/02:  Latest Reunion Agenda and Tour Schedule

 

12/05/02:  Hi Shipmates,

I have great news for our golfers. Stan Martel has again arranged for golf during our reunion. Those who choose, can play golf at the Charleston AFB Golf Course. The price is $23 per person and this includes a cart. Stan needs to know who wants to play so he can reserve tee times. Tee time are tentatively set for both Friday and Saturday at 10:00 AM. So please contact Stan Martel at sandamart@tds.net and let him know which day or days you want to play.

Remember there are Tours available on those days also, so be sure and check you schedule closely you don't want to get into trouble with the wife.

Shipmate,

Bob Stamper

------------------------------------------

Posted 3-3-2003 

Chopper Reunion Agenda

Holiday Inn, Mt Pleasant, SC

250 Johnnie Dodds Blvd.

800-290-4004

March 19,20,21,22 & 23, 2003

 

 

Dress Code: Business Casual

 

The hotel to serve a complementary continental breakfast daily in the Hospitality Room.  

 

There is no strict daily activities schedule other than tours. You are free to do as you please during the day however, the hospitality room (Seabrook Room) will be available for our full time use for our general use. There will be snacks provided as well as refreshments in the Seabrook Hospitality Room. 

 

Stan Martel has arranged golf game on Friday and Saturday with tee times at 0800 hrs.  There will be a sign up list for golf at the reunion sign in table.  You will notice tours have flexible days or times so with proper scheduling shipmates will be able to tour and play golf during the reunion. Contact Stan Martel to let him know if you want to play golf.  No transportation for golf will be provided. StanÕs e-mail address is: sandamart@tds.net

 

All drinks obtained in the Hospitality Room MUST remain in the hospitality room to conform to South Carolina State laws.  Please observe this rule

 

Wed, March 19

       1500- Hospitality room open for early arrivals. Please bring any Chopper

                 pictures and/or artifacts for display in the hospitality room. 

       2000-2100  Chopper Reunion registration table is open for early sign in.

Thurs., March 20

       0700- 0900: Continental breakfast

       0900-1200: Chopper Reunion registration desk open.

       0700- Until: Hospitality room opened.Please bring any Chopper

              pictures and/or artifacts for display in the hospitality room.

       0900- Until: Get Acquainted with Charleston Area, go Shopping,

                 Sightseeing.

       1300-1400: Ladies Luncheon

       1500-1800: Chopper Reunion registration is open.

       2000-2100: Chopper Association Business Meeting Election of Officers and 2005 reunion site selection.

                         

 

 

Friday March 21

       0700-0900: Continental breakfast

       0800- Golf at the Charleston AFB. $23 for 18 holes with cart

       0900- 1200: Chopper Reunion registration is open.

       0900-Tours of the Charleston Area. Tours pricing includes transportation.  Muster in the lobby one hour before the tours:

               1) Old Charleston and the plantation tour. Price $45/person. Tour fees will be collected by the bus driver before boarding.

               2) Naval Museum at Patriots Point combined with a tour of Ft.Sumter $43/person. Tour includes lunch. Tour fees will be collected by the bus driver before boarding.

       2000-2200: Chopper Reunion registration desk open.  

       2000- Gathering of the 1969 final Chopper Crew in the Jericho Room

 

Saturday March 22

       0700-0900: Continental breakfast 

       0800- Golf at the Charleston AFB. $23 for 18 holes with cart

       0900-1200 Chopper Reunion registration desk is open for late check ins

                      Muster in the lobby one hour before the tours:

                   Naval Museum at Patriots Point combined with a tour of Ft.Sumter $43/person. Tour includes lunch. Tour fees will be collected by the bus driver before boarding.

       1000- Tour of the CSS Hunley Confederate Submarine**

       1400- Tour of the CSS Hunley Confederate Submarine**

      

Chopper Reunion Banquet Night

       1930-2200: Chopper Reunion Banquet

              Pledge Allegiance

              Invocation

              Tolling the bell for Lost Boats

              Dinning

               A few words from our shipmates

              Socializing

       2200-2300: Farewells and best wishes

 

Sunday March 23

       Checkout

 

Note: All shipmates and guests taking tours, muster in the lobby at least 15 minutes hour prior to the tour start time. The only exception will be the Hunley tour. and they should muster at least one hour prior to their tour times to allow for bus boarding and travel time.

 

**80 tickets are available for the Hunley tour.  All 80 tickets have been purchased in advance by the Chopper Association.  If the demand for tickets is greater than 80,  tickets will be distributed on a first come basis.  The cost of the tickets is $10 plus and additional $9 for transportation.  All on the tour must use the transportation provided.  Tickets will be available at the Hunley site on a "Will Call" basis.   Money for the Hunley tour tickets will be collected when you check in.  A small sticker will be placed on you name badge. With out the sticker you will not be able to board the tour bus.

 

 

LAST REVISION:  3/03/2003

 

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