C-7A CARIBOU ASSOCIATION
Advance Information
September 29th thru October 2nd
Dayton, Ohio
Reunion 2008 in Dayton will provide the usual
opportunity to reminisce with friends of yesteryear, take you on an
aviation history tour keyed to the Wright Brothers, acquaint you with
Dayton history and serve your banquet in a poignant museum setting that
you are unlikely to experience again.
Reunion central is the Hope Hotel and Conference Center
located just outside gate 12A at Wright-Patterson AFB. The Hotel’s web
site is www.hopehotel.com.
Telephone and Fax numbers are (937) 879-2696 and (937) 878-8731,
respectively.
Our reunion registration desk and War Room open at noon
on Mon (9/29) with hotel check-in after 3 pm. You’ll enjoy a deli buffet
that evening in the War Room. Tue (9/30) is aviation and Dayton history
day. After coffee, juice and Danish, we board busses early to tour the
Wright-Dunbar Center and Carillon Park in Dayton. After lunch, it’s on
to the Wright Brothers Interpretive Center, the Wright Brothers Memorial
and, finally, Huffman Prairie which are all adjacent to WPAFB. Dinner
that evening is back at our hotel.
On Wed (10/1), we visit the world class National Museum
of the United States Air Force for a specially arranged behind-the
scenes tour of the museum’s restoration area. The main attraction here
is work on the Memphis Belle, the first B-17 to complete twenty-five
bombing missions over Germany in WW II. This tour will accommodate only
100 persons (probably the first 100 guys who register) so we also offer
a ladies’ shopping tour and regular museum tours while the restoration
area tour is ongoing. Lunch that day is Dutch treat either on the
shopping tour or in the museum’s cafeteria. Our repast that evening will
consist of Octoberfest fare at the Wright-Patt Club.
On Thur (10/2), there is a morning business meeting for
the guys and a tour of the museum’s Presidential Aircraft (FDR, HST, DDE
and JFK) for the gals. Then we’ll have afternoon and evening events that
will provide Caribou memories for a lifetime. First, we’ll attend a
solemn museum ceremony to dedicate – in memory of our fallen comrades –
the Association’s recently installed granite bench followed by group
photos. After the museum closes to the public at 5 pm, we’ll have
private access to the museum’s foyer and adjacent gift shop until
6 pm when we’ll enjoy a social hour around the museum’s Caribou which
will be open for viewing. At 7 pm we’ll gather only a few feet away for
our reunion banquet in the museum’s signature, Under-the-Wings setting.
The War Room will be stocked with refreshments and open
except during tour times. Coffee, juice and Danish will be served in the
War Room on Tuesday thru Friday mornings consistent with tour schedules.
One important reminder: Please carry a photo ID. The restoration and
Presidential Aircraft tours take us onto WPAFB as does the Club meal on
Wed. For all three, there will be an ID check either by tour leaders or
by WPAFB gate guards.
Some planning for the foregoing is still a work in
progress and could change, … but not by much. See you in Dayton! |
