The 61st annual convention will be held July 21-24 in Louisville KY.
The Louisville Downtown Marriott will be the host hotel, with a room rate of $95 per night with free parking. The hotel is located within walking distance of Fourth Street Live!, a downtown entertainment and restaurant district.
This year’s convention will feature the regular line-up of activities including the War Room and a Memorial Service.
The membership meeting will commence at 9 a.m. Saturday and all veterans are urged to attend. MG William Monk III, commanding general of the 99th Regional Support Command, has been invited to address the membership.
Friday Night R&R will feature special entertainment and allow time for visiting with friends and comrades.
The Saturday evening banquet will follow the usual format with a meal and short program.
Following the program, the Patt Holt Singers will perform a USO-style show. This group was a knockout success at the convention in St. Louis and were invited back by popular demand. It’s a show you won’t want to miss.
Several tours have been arranged.
On Wednesday, a city tour, “It’s All in the History,” will run from 9 a.m. to noon. The tour will showcase Louisville and allow a look at several local attractions.
That afternoon, a visit to Huber’s Winery and Family Farm will begin at 2:30 and offer a glimpse of the wine-making process. Afterward, enjoy a delicious home-cooked meal at Joe Huber’s Family Farm. The tour will conclude at 7 p.m.
This tour does include a visit to a wine cellar. The winery does not have an elevator and stairs are required to see the cellar. Those guests using wheelchairs and those with limited mobility will have a place to wait during this portion of the tour.
On Thursday, a trip to Fort Knox and the Patton Museum is being organized. The outing will include a Southern lunch buffet at Doe Run Inn and a walk through the grounds.
Friday’s tour of Historic Bardstown begins at 10 a.m. and will include a visit to Star Hill Farms, home of Maker’s Mark Bourbon. Guests will be able to see the whiskey-making process. Lunch will be at the Kurtz Restaurant, one of Bardstown’s restaurants known for their hospitality and good southern recipes.
Along the way, the group will visit My Old Kentucky Home at Federal Hill, Kentucky’s best-known plantation. This portion of the tour is not handicap-accessible but there will be a place to wait for the group.
The tour returns to the hotel at 4:30 p.m.
Saturday’s tour, “Bridles & Boats,” will showcase two of Louisville’s main attractions. The day begins at 11 a.m. with a leisurely cruise along the Ohio River on the Belle of Louisville, a National Historic Landmark and the oldest operating steamboat in the nation.
This tour does not offer lunch but concessions are available aboard the vessel.
Afterward, the group will visit the Kentucky Derby Museum, featuring exhibits dedicated to the 128-year history of horse racing. A walking tour of legendary Churchill Downs includes the historic Grandstand and Paddock area, weather permitting.
The tour concludes with a drive along 3rd Street and St. James Court to see the beautiful Victorian homes with a scheduled return to the hotel at 4:30 p.m.
Each tour has been designed with the 99th members and their guests in mind. Accommodations will be available for those wheelchair-bound guests who cannot visit the wine cellar or My Old Kentucky Home. All motorcoaches are handicap-accessible. Please note on your registration form if you plan to use a wheelchair on the tours or need a bus with a wheelchair lift.
The early cut-off date for the special hotel rate and early registration fee is June 22. After that date, hotel rates will increase and the convention registration fee will increase to $25 per person.
More information is included elsewhere in this issue and convention packets will be mailed soon.
Don’t wait till the last minute. Get your reservations early and plan to attend the 61st annual convention. Because of decreasing membership, this may be one of the last conventions. Don’t miss it!