What an outstanding reunion ! Hats off to Otis and Mary Crews and for
putting on really special weekend for all of us. Who knew Greenville was such a
great place to visit ? The hotel and
arrangements made our Meet and Greet really enjoyable and we all loved the
outdoor tables, sofas and carpet for relaxing ( read DRINKING ! )
The US Marine Corps Band just happened to be in town playing
for the annual xxx Games and staying at our hotel. As you will see in the slide show, they put
on a special performance for our group, presenting the colors and saluting us
in front of the hotel. Kudos to SgtMajor
McGhee for setting up the show.
Weather was absolutely fantastic (love these Down Home
reunions) and members enjoyed shopping, golf, and the river and park downtown. Greenville is progressive, modern, yet still
has that Southern charm. The Shoeless
Joe Jackson Museum is even located here !
If you don’t recognize that name, Google It …
Many members drove over to the ‘Motown On Main’ restaurant and nightclub not far from the hotel
(Thanks Freddie Hall !) and enjoyed unbelievable prices on food and drink. On our second visit they reserved an entire
section for the FOD, recognized us officially, and treated us very special as
we dined and danced. ( Definitely going
back to see them next time in town )
The meeting went well and future reunion locations were
determined (see Upcoming Reunions tab
at top of blog) and a new slate of officers was elected (See Officer Slate tab at top of blog). We are looking forward to more great
leadership from new President Andrew Town and new Sgt At Arms Freddie Hall. Thanks to President Jim Hutcherson for the
great job he did during the past two years.
Our annual Dinner Dance was laid out, really nice venue,
great food, music and fun. FOD had an
outstanding professional photographer, Eva Frenzel of Frennet Studio in
Fountain Inn, SC, who took superb photos.
Much of her work can be seen in our blog. The Group Photo, Past Presidents and three
slideshows are available for your viewing.
If you wish to order any photos contact her at studio@frennet.com.
The Sunday Cook Out was held in the hotel courtyard and most
of us came out for awhile, but that South Carolina sun was doing most of the
cooking. We retreated to the Hospitality
Suite and did what we do best !! Sunday
Night and once again ‘The
Closers’ mustered to properly close out the Hospitality Suite and
celebrate the ‘Official End of Reunion’.
This year ‘The
Closers’ wore special Blue T-Shirts designed by Melanie’s class which made it
even more special. If you wanna be a
Closer, you better ask somebody !!!
The Crews wound down the weekend with the most unbelievable
After Party at their lovely home. They
hosted one really superb cookout in a backyard that looked like a park! If you were not able to attend, you missed
the Big One Baby …
Once again, a very special and sincere thanks to Otis, Mary
and all of their crew who put together a really fantastic weekend.