This is my final diary to invite Kossacks to attend a Meet-Up/Wedding Shower/Farewell Dinner for it really is that important and trs, who first met through The Daily Kos. They are getting married in July, and trs has moved from Illinois and joined his new family in Virginia, but they're coming back this Saturday to celebrate (h/t GollyMissMolly for suggesting this)!
So Saturday we will meet at The Lodge in Starved Rock State Park, IL (the site of several of trs' wonderful photo diaries). We hope many of you will join us for dinner and a raucous good time!
Note: Although this is in part a Wedding Shower, they do not want any gifts. If you want to give them a wedding gift, please donate to Netroots for the Troops.
Details below the fold:
Based on responses I received, I have placed a reservation with the lodge Dining Room for 6:00 pm on Saturday, June 26 for 20 people, though we can still make minor changes to that number if I hear from you soon. If you had not responded, were non-committal, or changed your mind about attending, please either say so in the comments section, or email me at normal1792 (at) yahoo (dot) com. Please let me know if you are bringing a guest or family members (welcome!), if you plan on arriving early to explore the park (beautiful!), or just to meet early for drinks in the bar. I hope to answer any questions you might have in the comments section.
So far I have the following as planning to show up: trs, Iriti, Kidlet, GollyMissMolly, StateofGrace, Mayrose, hpchicago, Wordene, Spedwybabs, Stranded Wind, kirbybruno, my lovely wife, and myself. Others indicating that they might/hope to attend: BFSkinner, luvsathoroughbred, Mr. luvs, RunawayRose, Alexandra Lynch, Sister Havana, blueschewy1, birdbrain, Predictor (long shot), & ben Masel (not likely). People will bring lap-tops and cameras, so there will be live-blogs, and later photo diaries to share with those who cannot make it - you'll be there in spirit!
My lovely wife and I met with iriti, trs, Kidlet, and the Lodge's Dining Room Manager to prepare for this meet-up. We tasted several of the dishes they serve, and have put together a menu for the dinner that should please most everyone, including vegetarians & vegans. MLW and I were also there to plan our 25th Anniversary, which we celebrated there on May 22 - we had a wonderful time, with great food, service, music, and ambiance. I think you will all have a great time!
Starved Rock is located in north-central Illinois, conveniently just off of I-80 @75 miles southwest of Chicago (map). For those wishing to stay the night, the lodge and cabins may be sold out for that night, but it can't hurt to check in case there are cancellations (there were the weekend of our event). There are also many hotels and B & Bs in the area.
I look forward to seeing many fellow Kossacks there to help celebrate this wonderful event!