October 31, 2008

 

Post Reno Rendezvous Report from Brent Steiner

 

On behalf of those who attended the reunion event I would like to extend a huge Thank You ….

 

To the men of World Famous Fare for the use of the party room and D.J. Booth at Red’s Little Waldorf Inn in Reno.  That includes the initial invitation from Mgr. Toby Tamagni & Al’s business partner Jack Sterling, the GAF web page and announcements by Steve Vickery and other offers of assistance from Mark who I assumed to also be in management.

 

To Britt for the online poster of the Reno Rendezvous.

 

To Al - thanks for showing up and for the “Key 2” gesture.  It was great to see you again.  Best of luck with your new marriage.

 

To Les Perry who came to the rescue with tunes from our era.

 

To Patrick Flannery for his relentless enthusiasm and email distribution methods.  Paddy should be on everybody’s party list.

 

To Carol Harvey for the discounted room rates, and for your laughter.

 

To Carole & Phil Paddock for hosting the Fat Weasel Summit in Ojai, California, last May.  It really helped to get the ball rolling.  (For those who saw Patricia Merryman wearing a “Carol Cromwell” nametag at the reunion, don’t be fooled – it was in honor of Carole)

 

To Clark Merritt for producing the web site (http://www.oarhousebuffalochips.com) which was the inspiration for the event.  May many more stories and pictures be posted.

 

To Dee-Dee for being yourself.

 

To all of you who participated & attended – it was great seeing you and hearing the stories.  It made the effort I put into it worthwhile.  I hope everyone shares photos because I did a lousy job of taking pictures.

 

The Numbers

 

I have made a list and counted 29 people who traveled to Reno to attend the event called the Reno Rendezvous, October 24th, 25th & 26th, 2008.

 

Of the 83 people we have had on our mailing list 21 attended the event.

8 attended who are not on the mailing list, but are a spouse or close friend of somebody who is on the list.

 

13 worked at or attended the Oar House & Buffalo Chips in the late ‘60’s to early ‘70’s, before the Grand American Fare incorporation of 1973.

 

About a dozen worked at multiple locations and/or jobsites.

 

Home states from those in attendance: Ohio, Texas, Colorado, Oregon and Idaho, as well as both Northern and Southern California. Some drove, some flew.  As far as I know, nobody on the list lives in Reno or even close by.

 

Some drank alcohol while others drank tea and soft drinks.  It didn’t really matter to most what others were drinking.  Food from the menu was good.  Some brought pictures; everyone had a story or two and one memory lead to others. 

 

The Survey Questions

 

For those who attended to answer: 

How can we make the next event even better than this one was?

 

For everyone to answer: 

What would it take for you to attend a future reunion event?  Is there a time of year that would be best for you?  Do you have a suggestion for a location?

What about Maui?  A cruise ship?  A ski lodge in the off-season?  Reno again?  Fanny Ann’s in Sacramento?  The Bear in Chico?  Vegas?  Laughlin? Santa Monica?

 

That’s all from me for today, and maybe for a while.  I really have had fun with this, and plan to participate in future events, though maybe not as organizer.  I will still be collecting tunes from our Oar House days.

 

Best Regards to All!

Brent Steiner  (’71 – ’77)

Br1118@gmail.com