Saturday, January 14, 2012 – Schaumburg, IL
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For our 3rd Annual Formal Banquet, we decided to move the party to a different venue. The original location of 2 years was a very nice place and was very accommodating, but it was simply just time for a change. After gathering much feedback from the group, I began my hunt for a new venue that would be able to meet most, if not all, of our wants and needs. The result of the search… The Embassy Suites in Schaumburg, IL.
We were provided with the entire banquet hall “wing” for the evening, which gave us ample space for dining, mingling, a larger dance floor, and even an extra area for a photo backdrop to be set up! This year the banquet started an hour earlier (5:00pm), so that those who had reserved a guest room at the hotel for the evening could take full advantage of the Embassy’s complimentary rooster party from 5:30 – 7:30pm. We also had our own cash bar in the banquet room that was open from 5:00 – Midnight.
As the 5:00 hour approached, Neil Auer was setting up his iPod to play his pre-recorded music selections overhead during rooster and dinner, Jason Patterson was completing setup of the 2 projectors and screens to play the “MWG 2011 Year in Review” PowerPoint on, Mike “Remo” Riemma was putting up his photo backdrop, and the final touches were being made on the banquet tables. Everything was coming together nicely, thanks to some greatly appreciated help and teamwork.
As the guests arrived, all decked out in their formal attire, they picked up their hand-made, personalized place cards and placed them at the seat/table of their choice, right next to their 2011 MWG Formal Banquet champagne glass keepsake. Then they were free to mingle until dinner was served at 6:30. Those that had a place card with a Red lightsaber/AT-AT had chosen the Beef plate, a Green lightsaber/Yoda had chosen Vegetarian, and the Blue lightsaber/AT-ST had chosen the Chicken plate. It was both a fun and efficient way for the servers to know which guest received what meal. And the guests seemed to like them too!
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As dinner was coming to an end, Aimee and I approached the podium and began the awards portion of the evening. We had many 10, 25, 50 and even 100-troop pins to give out, along with award certificates for each.
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Next up were a few past “Trooper of the Month” certificates:
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A brand new award, the “Event Coordinator Award”, was given out for the first time this year. This award goes to the MWG member that coordinated the most events throughout the year, and 2011’s award recipient was Mark C. Berry (BH-4265).
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Then it was on to the final awards of the evening, for two fantastic troopers. These two members were both nominated for the Midwest Garrison’s 2011 Trooper of the Year Award, nominated and voted for by their fellow MWG members. Both greatly deserved the award, and the voting confirmed it. The result ended in a difference of only 2 votes between them!
The first of the awards was given to a very special member that is always there to lend a helping hand to his fellow brothers and sisters, whether it is to help out at an under-staffed troop, taking the lead on a project, or just being there for a trooper when he/she needs a friend. The Certificate of Appreciation Award was presented to a true 501st/Rebel Legion treasure, Thomas “Crix” Turner (SL-4913).
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And of course the final award of the evening was given to the MWG’s 2011 Trooper of the Year, Chip Childress (SL-9965). Quoted partially from his nomination… Chip has done a remarkable job maintaining a busy schedule of Trooping and contributions to the MWG, and 2011 was one of the busiest ever in the Champaign area thanks to his efforts. Chip also serves as a Garrison Web Liaison, has been instrumental in developing the Garrison’s East-Central Illinois presence, and is also always willing to help out new and old members with costume construction tips as well as with any questions they may have.
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After the awards portion of the evening was over, it was time to enjoy some dancing! A very big THANK YOU goes out to Steve Szyndrowski for providing this year’s DJ for the evening! Everyone seemed to really enjoy the music and had a lot of fun.
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But before the night got too wild, and the suit jackets/ties started coming off, it was time to gather for a group photo!
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Then, of course, there was the after party. The hotel didn’t have a large enough suite for us to try to cram into like last year, but it was certainly successful. Many didn’t retire for the evening until after 4:30am (and some even later than that). I am already working with the hotel on another arrangement for the after party next year. I think we’ve won them over.
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The next morning, many of us met up once again at the hotel’s complimentary breakfast buffet. It was a great way to begin the morning and talk about the events from the night before. Of course, some folks were a little more awake than others.
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By noon on Sunday, we all vacated the hotel; some starting a journey as long as 8 hours back home! While a good number of us there live within a couple of hours travel time, this year’s group of 84 not only consisted of MWG members, but also members of the Wisconsin and Central Garrisons of the 501st, Central and Nar Shaddaa Bases of the Rebel Legion, spouses, significant others, family and friends. What a great group and a great time!
I hope you will join us for the FOURTH Annual Midwest Garrison Banquet in January of 2013!
Photos:
http://s1099.photobucket.com/albums/g39 ... ?start=all
MWG ATTENDEES:
Aimee Jorgensen – 101
Tom Schaefer - 118
Javier Esqueda – 265
Scott Holder – 373
Damian Jorgensen – 826
Mike Riemma – 1659
Jason Patterson – 1719
Rich Markle – 1781
Emily DeJan – 1802
Thomas Spanos – 1876
Steve Szyndrowski – 3052
Cheryl Whitaker – 3127
Neil Auer – 3446
Eric Pfeifer – 3667
Nick Frelichowski – 3761
Jim DeJan – 3853
Cherri Krzyzowski – 4026
Steve Gaza – 4034
David Obaidallah – 4185
Mark Berry – 4265
Ed Krzyzowski - 4438
Janine Jender - 4838
Tom "Crix" Turner – 4913
Kyle Dorethy – 4982
Heather Frelichowski – 4992
Robert Redden - 5026
Belinda Berry – 5187
Adriane Bean – 5451
Joe Orlando – 6074
Gina Martino – 6216
Jody McQuarters – 6443
Rick Devine – 6712
Michael Bollow – 7155
Chris Spice – 7306
Jeremy Wilcox – 7503
Carrie Dee O'Connor – 7898
Sarah Summers – 7929
James Norman – 8114
Matt McDonald – 8148
Jessica Hudak – 8238
Rob Hamilton – 8310
Kim Webster - 8934
Brian Troyan – 8968
Dan Moriarity – 9039
Thomas Durbin – 9293
Kevin Skiera – 9336
August Webster – 9397
Chris Schwarz – 9442
Chip Childress – 9965
Kathy Van Beuningen – 9989
Vince Newkirk – 9990
NAR SHADDAA ATTENDEES:
Ashley McClintock
Samantha Scholl
WISCONSIN GARRISON ATTENDEES:
Philip Zeman – 2720
Sara Zeman – 3881
Scott Goebel – 6773
Jason Rotunda – 7938
CENTRAL GARRISON ATTENDEES:
Jason Neurath – 1375
Tom Rohlf – 2235
Chris Andrews – 9772
CENTRAL BASE ATTENDEES:
Teresa Jackson
SPOUSES/SIGNIFICANT OTHERS/FAMILY/FRIENDS:
Tara Turner
Lance Neilson
Andrea Auer
Cathy Tomczak
Tracey Devine
Gerri Riemma
Rachel Neurath
Erin Gaza
Steffanie Moriarity
Tiffany Ducato
Kristen Avara
Madelin Esqueda
Jillian Kelm
Deb Markle
Belinda Goebel
Geoffrey Graves
Gissel Orlando
Shannon Andrews
Sarah Dufresne
Kristin Joyce
Melissa Troyan
Cindy Krahn
Nicole Wilcox