Jay Honeck
Touchdown! Greaser!
H.O.P.S. Party Announcement -- Wednesday, July 27, 2011
Most of you know that in year's past, we have hosted the world's only "Fly In Pool Party" at the Alexis Park Inn in Iowa City. We also have hosted a party at our campsite in the North 40 aircraft camping area at Oshkosh, with food and beers from all over the country.
Obviously Party #1 is out, since we sold that hotel last March. We may be stopping in Iowa City on our way to OSH from our new hotel in Texas, but that will be just to meet up with friends.
I wish we could have kept the pool party tradition going, but our new place just is not "enroute to OSH" for very many people, unless you're coming from South America or Mexico!
Party #2, which has traditionally been called the "HOPS Party" (for "Homebuilt", "Owning", Piloting" and "Student" -- all the old rec.aviation groups), is still ON! Now sponsored by our new aviation themed motel, it will include:
- Free food & snacks
- Free hangar flying
- Ample viewing of airplanes.
This will be our 10th Annual HOPS Party. Here's how it works:
1. Admission is a 6-pack of beer from your home town/county/state. Extra points are awarded if you cannot see light through the beer.
(We will still let you in without bringing beer, obviously, but we will probably shun you like a pariah. The only thing worse than not bringing beer is bringing wine, which will result in a shower of ridicule like none other. This is WISCONSIN, gentlemen, not the Napa Valley.
)
2. This beer goes into a common cooler, for all to enjoy. We have had some truly wonderful -- and appalling -- beers over the years, so do your best to bring something that truly reflects your hometown pride!
(One Minnesotan, a fellow who shall remain nameless, always tries to lace the cooler with Grain Belt. We always try to dump these fetid, pale, flavorless bottles of turbid, under-developed hop-water onto the hallowed North 40 turf -- but since it's usually in one of his coolers, it's hard to get away with that!)
NO GRAIN BELT ALLOWED!
3. The party starts at 6 PM on Wednesday -- which is also known as "Right after the airshow".
4. It is held at our campsite in the North 40.
5. It does not traditionally run late, since (a) we're all wiped out from walking 12 miles a day, (b) we ain't spring chickens anymore, and (c) Wisconsin mosquitoes have been known to take flight with unsuspecting visitors after dark. A few die-hards may sit around the faux campfire (usually John Smith's Honda generator!) until midnight, trading lies about their flying prowess -- but it's usually wrapping up by 10 PM.
How do you find this party, since parking in the North 40 is "first come, first served" and essentially random? Two ways:
1. Go to the North 40 registration booth earlier in the day, and give them our tail number "N56993" or our last name "Honeck". They can give you vectors from there.***
2. Wander aimlessly amongst the 10,000 airplanes, parked wingtip to wingtip, looking for our hotel's banner. Although this is great fun, and I highly recommend doing this during the week, you may never find the party before it's over by utilizing this method!
Our motel is currently called the "Harbor Inn" -- but now that we've got each room decorated as a different era of aviation history, we are starting the transition to "Amelia's Landing" -- so that's what will be on the big banner that will be proudly planted in front of Atlas, our Cherokee Pathfinder.
I hope you folks can make it! It's amazing how many people we've met at this party every year, and it's always great to meet up with old friends -- and make new ones!
*** Please note that the OSH N40 Registration booths close around 6 PM. Way too many people have walked all the way to the North 40, only to find these booths shuttered, with no way to find out where the party is! We will be flying in on the Saturday beforehand, so you should be able to ask where we are any time after Sunday.
Most of you know that in year's past, we have hosted the world's only "Fly In Pool Party" at the Alexis Park Inn in Iowa City. We also have hosted a party at our campsite in the North 40 aircraft camping area at Oshkosh, with food and beers from all over the country.
Obviously Party #1 is out, since we sold that hotel last March. We may be stopping in Iowa City on our way to OSH from our new hotel in Texas, but that will be just to meet up with friends.
I wish we could have kept the pool party tradition going, but our new place just is not "enroute to OSH" for very many people, unless you're coming from South America or Mexico!
Party #2, which has traditionally been called the "HOPS Party" (for "Homebuilt", "Owning", Piloting" and "Student" -- all the old rec.aviation groups), is still ON! Now sponsored by our new aviation themed motel, it will include:
- Free food & snacks
- Free hangar flying
- Ample viewing of airplanes.
This will be our 10th Annual HOPS Party. Here's how it works:
1. Admission is a 6-pack of beer from your home town/county/state. Extra points are awarded if you cannot see light through the beer.
(We will still let you in without bringing beer, obviously, but we will probably shun you like a pariah. The only thing worse than not bringing beer is bringing wine, which will result in a shower of ridicule like none other. This is WISCONSIN, gentlemen, not the Napa Valley.
)2. This beer goes into a common cooler, for all to enjoy. We have had some truly wonderful -- and appalling -- beers over the years, so do your best to bring something that truly reflects your hometown pride!
(One Minnesotan, a fellow who shall remain nameless, always tries to lace the cooler with Grain Belt. We always try to dump these fetid, pale, flavorless bottles of turbid, under-developed hop-water onto the hallowed North 40 turf -- but since it's usually in one of his coolers, it's hard to get away with that!)
NO GRAIN BELT ALLOWED!
3. The party starts at 6 PM on Wednesday -- which is also known as "Right after the airshow".
4. It is held at our campsite in the North 40.
5. It does not traditionally run late, since (a) we're all wiped out from walking 12 miles a day, (b) we ain't spring chickens anymore, and (c) Wisconsin mosquitoes have been known to take flight with unsuspecting visitors after dark. A few die-hards may sit around the faux campfire (usually John Smith's Honda generator!) until midnight, trading lies about their flying prowess -- but it's usually wrapping up by 10 PM.
How do you find this party, since parking in the North 40 is "first come, first served" and essentially random? Two ways:
1. Go to the North 40 registration booth earlier in the day, and give them our tail number "N56993" or our last name "Honeck". They can give you vectors from there.***
2. Wander aimlessly amongst the 10,000 airplanes, parked wingtip to wingtip, looking for our hotel's banner. Although this is great fun, and I highly recommend doing this during the week, you may never find the party before it's over by utilizing this method!
Our motel is currently called the "Harbor Inn" -- but now that we've got each room decorated as a different era of aviation history, we are starting the transition to "Amelia's Landing" -- so that's what will be on the big banner that will be proudly planted in front of Atlas, our Cherokee Pathfinder.
I hope you folks can make it! It's amazing how many people we've met at this party every year, and it's always great to meet up with old friends -- and make new ones!
*** Please note that the OSH N40 Registration booths close around 6 PM. Way too many people have walked all the way to the North 40, only to find these booths shuttered, with no way to find out where the party is! We will be flying in on the Saturday beforehand, so you should be able to ask where we are any time after Sunday.
