This will be the last notice for the 2018 Christmas Party. It is a copy of the notice in the Flypaper so most of you have already seen it.
The 2018 TIC170A Christmas party will be held again this year in Fredericksburg, Texas on December 7-8, 2017. Everyone in the Association is invited to come and take part in this year's celebration and enjoy the weekend in Fredericksburg! In previous years we have had members attend from Texas, New Mexico, Colorado, Oklahoma, Louisiana, Georgia, Ohio, Florida, Minnesota, England, and British Columbia! Everyone is welcome!
If you are flying in to Gillespie County Airport, T82 for the party, free hangar space will be provided on a first come-first served basis for as many as can fit into my hangar. Tiedowns are also free of charge down by the Hangar Hotel or on the north end ramp. If you need to refuel, be sure and use the self service pump on the north end ramp, it's a lot cheaper than at the FBO. The Fredericksburg FBO, 830-997-3313, has rental cars that can be reserved in advance and there are taxis available. Enterprise will drop cars at the airport with prior arrangements.
Friday Night Lighted Christmas Parade-
The fun starts Friday evening where we will meet in front of the Fredericksburg Brewery on Main St. at 6:00pm and watch the Fredericksburg Lighted Christmas parade which starts at 6:30pm and runs for about an hour. Every float entrant displays Christmas lights and the parade continues to grow every year. Be sure to dress for the weather as the parade happens no matter what. It's a great event to kick off the Christmas season.
http://www.lightthenightchristmasparade.com/index.htmlFriday night dinner-
After the parade we will walk across the street where we have dinner reservations for 25 people downstairs at the Rathskeller. Rathskeller is one of Ina's and my favorite restaurants in Fredericksburg. The menu is varied with American and German dishes and is reasonably priced.
Daytime Saturday-
Saturday is open for whatever activity suits you. There are many interesting things to do in Fredericksburg from shopping, just walking up and down Main Street, wine tours, to the world-class Museum of the Pacific War.
http://www.fredericksburg-texas.comSaturday night Christmas party-
The Christmas Party starts at 6:00pm on Saturday evening Dec 8. The dinner will again be Pot Luck with Ina and I furnishing Bar-B-Q brisket, sausage, pork tamales, pinto beans, and potato salad, as well as coffee, mixers, and assorted adult beverages. If you can, please bring a dish of some sort whether it is an hors d'oeuvre, salad, vegetable, or dessert. We are usually light on cooked vegetable dishes but bring whatever you like and we'll make it work. If you prefer to bring your own drinks, feel free, plus we'll have an ice chest to keep things cool. Last minute items can be picked up at the local HEB grocery store which has a great selection of prepared foods.
After dinner, we'll again have a Chinese Christmas gift exchange. These have been a lot of fun in the past. Everyone who wants to participate brings a gift of around $20 value. Men bring a man's gift and women bring a woman's gift and they will be separated under the tree. Everyone will draw a number that determines when you get to go to the tree and select a gift. When it is your turn, you may either take someone else's gift or go to the tree and select a gift. If you take someone else's gift, they can take someone else's gift, or go back to the tree and pick another gift. A gift can only change hands twice and is "dead" when the third person picks it. After everyone has a gift, the very first person has the last chance to take anyone's gift whether "dead" or not or keep the one they have. It sounds more complicated than it is but everyone will make sure you don't make a mistake. There will most likely be some very lively discussions and there will definitely be lots of laughs.
After the gift exchange, Ina will pass out Christmas Carol Song Books and we’ll all sing our favorite Carols.
There are no planned activities on Sunday.
Lodging-
There will be no blocked rooms or preferred hotel this year. There are many hotels and B&Bs in Fredericksburg, all of which have websites. With Friday being Pearl Harbor Day this year, rooms will probably fill up early. Kerrville is just 20 miles away with several nice hotels which might be cheaper. There are also several nice RV parks around town for those bringing their own lodging.
Things are shaping up for another excellent weekend in Fredericksburg! Ina and I hope to fill the house again this year so make some plans and come join in the fun in Fredericksburg Dec 7-8. Come a few days early or stay over and get your Christmas shopping done early, there are many unique shops and stores in town.
As Ken Peck says, “As most who have attended before will attest, our annual Cessna 170 Christmas party is one of the most enjoyable events to take place anywhere in the free world", so we invite you to come and have a great time with us in Fredericksburg.
Richard and Ina