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NCICA 2011 Convention Update
         
Spring, Summer and then Fall. September 15th - 18th, is CONVENTION time!!!!!!!!!
Arrangements for our annual gathering are in place and all we need is YOU. Here are the highlights:
Bloomington, Minnesota, a suburb of the Minneapolis/St. Paul area, is the host city. The Sheraton Bloomington Hotel will be our headquarters with free shuttle service to and from the International airport.
Our hospitality room is located on the hotel’s 20th floor and the vista is awesome. It is the Presidential Suite and I know you will enjoy this meeting place for conversation, liquid refreshments and snacks.
The hotel RESERVATION procedure, (a phone call does it all) and the convention REGISTRATION form (fill in the blanks, enclose payment and drop in the mail) are available in your past and current issues of the Golden Sphinx.
A sightseeing trip via Deluxe Motor Coach with tour guide will be a day you will remember. The tour will include many local sites plus a luncheon cruise on a Mississippi riverboat. A complete itinerary is in this issue of the GS. This tour has been designed especially for our group.
The breakfast buffet is complimentary and is said to be the best in the area.  
Speaking of food, you will have three choices for your banquet dinner. Chicken with garlic roasted shrimp, rib eye steak and for fish, Walleyed Pike. For many people, Walleye is the number one tasting fish in this “part of the world.” They are caught by local fishermen, Tribal Indians and anglers on fishing trips to Canada. Don’t leave Minnesota or Wisconsin without having a meal of Walleye.
We have made an excellent selection for our banquet speaker. In my search I was looking for someone with a “fit” into our type of military background. Dr. Joe Fitzharris, Professor of History at the University of St. Thomas, exceeded my expectations. His teaching goes back to the early 70’s and his list of Publications and Conference Presentations is pages in volume. His expertise is the American Civil War. I told him we were familiar with the “bad guys” and what they did in WWII through Korea to the present, but had little or no knowledge of what had happened in prior wars. When he told me of historical incidents of “espionage,” I asked that he put together a 45 minute program. His response was an outline entitled “Espionage, Sabotage, and Insurgency in the American Civil War.” You will hear more about this later, but for now, be assured you will enjoy his power point presentation and follow up question and answer session.
Free time is available Saturday afternoon. The hotel has offered us complimentary shuttle service to and from the Mall of America. It is about 7 miles away and near the airport. You will see it on the
south side of I-494 as you drive west towards the hotel.  The MOA is the largest mall in the United States.
Mystic Lake Casino, which is just a half hour away is the largest Las Vegas type casino east of Nevada.
In this issue of the GS there is a section/block that provides you with a listing of venues you might find of interest during your visit to the area. Phone and internet addresses are provided for your research.
The hotel has extended our preferred rate for three days on either side of the convention dates should you wish to remain in the area.
One last thought:  If this is your first trip to Minnesota or if you want to spend extra time in the area, consider a 3 hour drive north to Duluth. Duluth is a port city on Lake Superior and everyday you will see ocean size ships and iron ore freighters moving in and out of this busy port. You could add to that a car trip along the North Shore of Lake Superior as far north as Canada. It is beautiful any time of the year, but spectacular in the fall.
My personal thoughts: Minnesota is a tourist responsive state. They convey their attitude with the phrase “Minnesota Nice.”  I found that the Bloomington Convention Bureau, the Sheraton Bloomington Hotel and Metro Connections were sincere in their desire to meet our needs and provide us with positive memories of our time spent in Minnesota.
We have a first class hotel and location, a personalized tour agenda from a premier tourist company, with excellence in food and service.  All we need is YOU. 
If you haven’t already marked your calendar for Sept 15th - 18th please do it now. Once you have finalized your travel plans for the summer and fall, please send me your Registration Form ASAP.

I have done the best I can to give you a meaningful Convention.  Looking forward to seeing you in September.  Regards, JOHN

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