REALLY big news! REALLY!

If you've tried to call our office in the last two weeks, you're probably aware that something's going on around here!  Since this is normally a very slow two weeks, chances are you haven't tried to call, and you don't know something is underfoot!  But either way, it's time to spill the beans!

Effective on January 2, 2012 Military Locator & Reunion Service has been sold!  The new company, Premier Reunion Services, LLC has purchased all the assets of ML&RS, Inc, including the company name, all the contact methods, the web site, and the physical assets.  Our reunion customers and our vendor contacts will most likely not notice the change.  We'll still use the same name, for the first year or so, then gradually change over to Premier Reunion Services, LLC.  But other than that, you will still receive the same great service you always have from us!  Our staff will remain the same, as will our phone number, web address and mailing address.  Our street address has changed, so if you decide to stop by for a visit, please call first so we can tell you how to get here!  If you want to send us flowers or chocolate just 'cause you like us, we'll be happy to give you the new street address too!

As you might imagine, our "on site staff" thoroughly enjoy traveling all over the US to manage our reunions.  One reunion a month is a lot of fun, two is still fun.  Eight reunions in eight weeks...now that can tucker one out!  Larry and Brenda have decided it's time to scale back, so they are in the process of retiring.  They will still be traveling to reunion locations to manage reunions, but they are out of the management end of the business.  I (Dina) am their daughter and I have started Premier Reunion Services and will be continuing the business as seamlessly as possible.  Our goal is that our customers won't really notice a change.

If you're in Hickory, still feel free to stop by and say hello!  We're in a new location, but we still love to see our reunion folks when you are passing through NC!

Of course, I can't post a blog without a few pictures!  We moved from our old office to a much smaller location.  It took some doing, but we're all in our spots now, snug as a bug in a rug!

First day, moving in.  Whew.

First day, different angle.

Second day.  We did good!  This is where Karen, our newsletter editor does her work!

This is where Elaine, our Memory Book editor, works.

And this is looking down the room, Karen and Elaine are just behind the filing cabinet and book shelf, Lynette and I are in the two back corners.  It's been a great money saving venture to change our location and outsource our printing jobs.  We're very happy with the results!

Colorado Springs - Air Force Academy - Another great location!

We really don't favor any one city over another!  Everywhere we've been has great things to offer a military reunion group.  But my purpose on here is to highlight some of the places you might not think about going, or some activities you might not have considered including in your itinerary!  We recently had the privilege of having the 34th Bomb Sqd meeting in Colorado Springs, CO.  Being an Air Force group, their trip to the Air Force Academy was one of the highlights, as well as attending the Academy Vs. Tennessee football game.  There are many other great activities in Colorado Springs, but since this group's itinerary was a little different than normal, I wanted to highlight the things that they did.  Below are pictures from the visit to the Academy on Friday, and then pictures from the football game on Saturday!  It's a little "iffy" to schedule a reunion around a football game - at the time we have to book the hotel, the football schedule has not been released, so we have no way of knowing whether the team will be playing at home or traveling to another school.  We got lucky this time and they played at home on the date we were there!  Check out their photos:

Diamond Lil, at the entrance to the Academy

34th Bomb Squadron group members 

The chapel on the grounds of the Air Force Academy

Watching the noon formation on the grounds of the Academy

Posing at the football stadium in front of the Screaming Eagle!

Now, there's not many military reunions where you get to see cheerleaders!

Opening ceremonies prior to the game

Fans watching the game!

Carrying in the US Flag!

The flag unfurled!

There are so many great places to have a reunion!

I wish I could write about every place we visit for a reunion!  There are so many really really interesting places in this great country of ours.  I'm going to try to highlight a few of this fall's locations on this blog.  Maybe you'll see one you'd like to visit for your next reunion!

The USS HALSEY POWELL (DD-686) went to Rapid City, SD.  If there is a more beautiful spot in the whole world, I couldn't tell you where it is!  I think these pictures say more than I could ever say with words, so just take a look:

The whole gang!

Bison at Custer State Park

The Shrine of Democracy Chorus sang at their banquet

Some brave souls hand feeding wild burros

WHAT A VIEW!!!!  

Mt Rushmore

The tour group in front of the entrance to the park

Crewmember learning how to play the washboard at the Flying T Ranch after dinner!

A beautiful location for their annual Memorial Service

Price Comparisons

I thought you might find it interesting to see how various cities we will be visiting this fall compare in price.  So I picked out some of the places we'll be holding reunions, and listed the option price for two people from Thursday - Sunday.  Some of these reunions actually start on Wednesday, so those who arrive on that day do pay more,  but this was the easiest way to compare "apples to apples".  None of these prices include the tours, those are always in addition to the option cost.  There are some good deals out there!  Some cities are more expensive than others, but there are great things to see and do in every one of them!  For more information on any of these, I would encourage you to check out our Where Next site at www.mlrsinc.com/wherenext

Quincy, MA (Boston)	Aug 25-28	$902
Buffalo, NY	Sept 8-11	$801
Rapid City, SD	Sept 8-11	$803
Branson, MO	Sept 8-11	$680
Northern Kentucky (Cincinnati)	Sept 15-18	$727
Nashville, TN	Sept 15-18	$841
Long Beach, CA	Sept 15-18	$761
Colorado Springs, CO	Sept 22-25	$655
Norfolk, VA	Sept 28 – Oct 2	$727
Charleston, SC	Oct 6-9	$792
New Orleans, LA	Oct 6-9	$789
Cocoa Beach, FL	Oct 13-16	$796

Doing Our Part to Keep the USPS in Business!

This is the beginning of a very busy couple of months for us!  Now is the time to get out all the registration packets for our fall reunions.  Although the planning has been in the works for months, the details have to be finalized, deposits sent, contracts reviewed and refined, and then all the pieces put together into a single registration packet.

The physical process of getting the packets out has changed so much since we started this business!  We used to have a small copier, that didn't even do two sided copies.  And looking back, I think it only printed 5 or 6 copies in a minute.  We had to run all of one side, flip the paper over, run it back through again for page two, then repeat for pages three and four, and then repeat again for pages 5 and 6!  Then collate by hand.  We used an ink stamp to stamp our return address on the envelopes - that's fun to do 600 times in one day.  Then we printed off labels on the pin fed, dot matrix printer, and pulled off 600 labels one at a time, and put them on 600 envelopes.  Then collated three stacks of 600 copies each, folded them, and put them in 600 envelopes, that had to be kept in the order they were printed to allow for the discounted postal rate.  And for mailings of more than 200 (I believe) we had another ink stamp that we marked the envelopes as "bulk mail".  Sealed the envelopes with a sponge (it only took a couple of mailings to learn licking them was NOT the way to go!).  Then we had forms to fill out, promising that all 600 pieces of mail contained exactly the same number sheets, and then we took the forms and the mail, and a check for postage downtown to the bulk mail window at the main post office,  They weighed ten pieces, and then weighed the whole tray, and we were charged postage based on the weight, not individual pieces.  They also did random checks to make sure all the envelopes weighed the same amount.  Finally, that days' work could be on it's way!  Whew!  I'm glad our equipment has improved.

Back then we didn't have a lot of groups that were 500+, just a few.  Now we have plenty of groups that are over a thousand, some are a couple of thousand.  But we have a great copier, that spits out two sided, collated, pretty as a picture copies in just minutes.  We have a specialized envelope printer that prints the return address and addressee info out almost faster than we can keep it loaded with envelopes.  And we have a folder/inserter - a nifty machine that we load with the printed envelopes, and the collated copies and it pulls in the copies, stacks them neatly, folds them in thirds, and inserts them in the envelopes.  Then we take that stack of mail to our postage meter, and run it through to seal the envelope and apply the postage.  Lynette has processed about 2000 pieces of mail today, start to finish.  

So now you know more about what goes on here at ML&RS, Inc in a day!  

2000 pieces of mail ready to go!

Lynette running the Folder/Inserter.  Papers go in on the right, and come out in envelopes where she is on the left.

Chattanooga Choo Choo!!!

Last week I had the privilege of visiting the beautiful city of Chattanooga, TN and staying at the Historic Chattanooga Choo Choo Hotel.  What a great trip!  The hotel is a Perfect 10 when it comes to their enthusiasm and friendliness towards military reunions.  They host a lot of military reunions and are very familiar with what it takes to put on a great reunion.  All the staff members we encountered were thrilled to show off their property and eager to bring in more reunions.  And there is so much to see and do in Chattanooga!  Have you seen the barns with Rock City painted on the roof?  They're all over, and it's worth a trip just to go to Rock City.  There's the beautiful Ruby Falls, the Incline Railroad, the Tennessee Aquarium, river boat rides, and for the history buffs, there's the Chattanooga and Chickamauga Battlefield park.  I thoroughly enjoyed my time there and can't wait to go back again with my family.

The Choo Choo used to be a train depot.  You walk into the lobby, and you just have to stop and gawk at the beautiful domed ceiling.  The lobby area, banquet area, and lounge area are in what used to be the terminal.  When you go out the door the train passengers used to board the trains, you come into the garden/trains area.  Where the train tracks used to be, there are now hedges and rose gardens.  There are actual train cars that have been converted into sleeping rooms, dining areas, and a pizza place.  There are shops on either side that sell all sorts of neat things, including really pretty stained glass items.  At the end of the garden area, there are the hotel buildings, 3 of them, that are just as nice as you could hope for!  There is a trolley on the property that you can ride around, and learn all about the various hotel features.  It is quite a walk from the hotel buildings, through the gardens, back to the main terminal building, but the staff knows that, and they are prepared!  They have golf carts driven by the staff for anyone who may find that far of a walk to be difficult.   They really are excited to host military reunions and hope you will plan your next one with them!

Click here to see more pictures on my Facebook page!

Another Visitor!

I think maybe we should call this a "who's come to see MLRS" blog!  We got another visitor today!  Last week Michelle and her cohort from the Greenville, SC CVB dropped by to say hello, and then today, Lindsey from the Sheraton in Charleston, SC came by!  Both visits were very nice, but I have to tell you what Lindsey brought!  We (as in my family) have recently become fans of the eastern NC style bbq sauce (it's vinegar based instead of the more ketchupy based kind I've always bought in the grocery store).  I made a couple recipes of it myself, and was going to try another one this evening, so I have a pork loin in the crock pot at home, and it should just be ready for supper by the time I get home.  Did you know this is National BBQ Sauce month?  In honor of that, Lindsey from the Sheraton, brought us a bottle of Fiery Ron's Pepper Vinegar BBQ sauce!  That will be a perfect fit for my supper tonight!  Here's Lindsey, the bottle of sauce, and Karen, our newsletter editor!

If you're in our part of NC, feel free to come by for a visit!  We in the office, who don't go very often to the reunions, would love to meet you in person!