Lou e-mailed asking when the Thanksgiving meets started, and I'm going to answer it here because it was kind of interesting reading some old trip reports and because it would be much more interesting if some more old-timers would chip in their memories - which might go back further than my notes.

According to my old TRs, the November meets started as a group birthday bash back in the Prodigy days, and the first one I went to was November 1997 at the Green Shack. I attended a second birthday bash the following year at Tommy Rockers but had no notes of a November meet in 1999.

The first TalkVegas meet was held at MSS Brew Pub in July 1999, but I have no record of a November meet that year either. The first TalkVegas Thanksgiving meet I attended was hosted by DAG at Monte Carlo Brew Pub in 2000, and I have fond memories of that meet since Mama Deuces was there and also because Ed & Irene gave me a very nice gift of Glenfiddich -some of that Special Reserve single malt still resides in my liquor cabinet, and it's tasting VERY good during this trip down memory lane.

Wendell has hosted the Thanksgiving Meets since 2001, but my notes don't mention exactly where we met in the Orleans that year. We gathered in the Nevada Ballroom at the Gold Coast for line-dancing and other hijinks in 2002 before the meets returned to the Orleans in 2003, a special year for me since I finally got to meet Bob Gaynor.

I hope everyone else will chip in their memories - I know I had a lot of fun reading those old TRs.

can't offer any history but i remember that meet well.i had forgotten that the meet was over thanksgiving.when was the meet we had with larry and loretta at the flamingo,in the garden bar?

Wasn't there a meet at the Orleans in the Irish Pub one year? I seem to remember that one. I also remember Prodigy meets at the American Bar and Grill at the Rio, and at the, oh, brain cramp, we always called it the turkey place. There was one on Decatur (now a Memphis BBQ)and one on the East side of the Strip.........sigh.....Country Inn maybe? The Country Inn one was around New Years, I think. I don't remember what year any of them were.....I leave that to the note takers among you.

Daisy,

I've got some good pictures from the Green Shack birthday meets. I'll try and get them scanned and posted.

jm

DAG, I also remembered the Monte Carlo meet but had long since forgotten that was during Thanksgiving week. There was talk of a Thanksgiving meet in 1999, but I don't think it actually happened so the Monte Carlo meet may go down in history as starting a great tradition of Thanksgiving meets! I'm still searching for my TR on that Garden Bar meet - that was a hoot! I especially remember the part when Mike & Lee were imitating dogs and cats<g> ... do ya remember that ice-breaking bucket of quarters?

There was a large meet way in the back of Brendan's Irish Pub, but my old TRs are only arranged by date, and I haven't found details of that one either. I attended two meets at the AAB&G at Rio, but I wrote my early TRs on-line and didn't keep a file copy so I really don't have a clue on the dates. The meet at the Country Inn was the second Prodigy meet I attended, so that was probably late in 1997, and I do remember that a lot of us there had taken part in the Project Petunia video. LOL, I can remember my first P* meet and that we ate in a separate dining room at the restaurant, but I have long since forgotten which restaurant.

I'd love to see the pictures from the Green Shack meets! That's where I first met the Senator in his Ohio state football shirt - and I remember we did some car decorations with our nametags that night<g>.

OOPS! I went through the TalkVegas archives since I made the above post, and I found out that Lee hosted the first TalkVegas Thanksgiving meet on November 25, 1999, at MSS Brew Pub. He also hosted the second one there on November 24, 2000 - the Monte Carlo meet wasn't until November 29th, the following Wednesday. Gee, talk about CRS, Mama Deuces flew in on Monday, but I was at both meets in 2000.

Tater, you were right - the 2001 Thanksgiving meet was in Brendan's Irish Pub in the Orleans.

Daisy,
You got it all over me, I can barely remember any of it. My first meet was atthe green shack, but it wasn't a birthday party. I remember giving Fred & Beth a lift back to the Excalibur. I remember that very few people at my first meeting of prodigy members are still with us today.
I also remember a meet at the big juke box on the strip. I have no clue what it was called, I have no idea what time of year it was. I do remember having an issue with one of the attendees, and only went after much convincing by John. Man that was a long time ago.

I salute anyone who arranges a meet. They can be a lot of work. Maybe it was just me, but I always worried about things when I would arrange them. I much rather be an attendee! LOL

I remember the 2001 meet in Brendens Pub (Larry and Loretta attended that one) I have hosted the annual Thanksgiving meet since 2002 have a record of those attending. There were meets other than at Thanksgiving - I think the first one for Maxine was at the Flamingo (I think hosted by Lee) I also remember the one at Tommy Rockers and many others at various times of the year, but no record of those attending. Interesting subject tho and likewise interesting to note all of the "loyal" Talk Vegas attendees.

Note to Lee: Setting a meet up really isn't all of that much trouble and can be immensely rewarding when they all show up. I felt really rewarded when I met Bob Gaynor (the New York firefighter who isn't with us any more - especially when he walked in thru the door with that cute little waitress carring all of those drinks).

Wendell, I remember that meet very well, with Bob Gaynor. I remember a mini meet at the pepermill with you and Maxine, it all seems like so long ago...
As for aranging the meets, I worry too much about people having a good time, is the place ok, will anyone show up. I always feel like an ambasador for talkvegas.
Being just a guest, I can be more relaxed and be myself. I always say, If I'm in town, and I'm invited to a meet, I'll be there!

Who hosted the meet at Mama Curcio's(something like that) at the Rio? There was a large group at that one, including Gary, the taxi driver, from LV.. One woman was a travel agent from CA and another couple was from the state of Washington.

Beth

I hosted that one at Mama Maria's Cuchina at the Rio, and Gary even wore a sport coat just for me. LOL, I remembered hosting that one and a smaller dinner meet at the Cortez Room, but I had totally forgotten that I was also the host at the Flamingo Garden Bar meet in July 2002 and one of the AAB&G meets at the Rio. I'm still looking for notes on the smaller Garden Bar meet that DAG attended.

Lee, I hate to disappoint you, but memory wouldn't get me very far down this road - it's those old notes and TRs that I'm reading in my spare time.

Daisy, The reason you can't find any trip reports for the meet at Lee's Garden Bar, is because the reports where not posted on TV but on Prodigy.
It was the one that I hosted and Prodigy gave a bunch of freebies to pass out. I think it was the last meet from there.
My first meet ever was at the Holy Cow. My last was the 2001 meet in Brendens Pub.

So Larry, you are about due for another meet, aren't you?

Larry, remember writing reports on-line and how good ole Prodigy would disconnect us back in the dial-up days? I finally wised up and started writing my TRs off-line<g>. It's hard to believe your Garden Bar meet was about 10 years ago, but I have checked all my old TRs back to late 1997 and couldn't find any mention of it. LOL, you & Loretta made quite an entrance at that Brendans meet!

Daisy, It was at the time we were stuck in with the boater's and we all were looking for a new place.
I think most of us left right after that.

Shhhhh.... don't let Lee know about the boaters, he might go back<g>.

I remember the very first meet I attended back in the Prodigy days was at Balley's on Wednesday evenings. That was way back in 1993 and Claire Harris used to organize those meets.

Then I attended my first TV meet in 2001 that was in the Irish Pub at the Orleans.

Someone deleted the notice of our 2007 Thanksgiving Meet-however; if anyone other than those responding are interested, it will be held upstairs (signs posted) at the Orleans on 20 November from 1 to 3:30 p.m.

Wendell, let's get clear on this. NOBODY deletes any topics or notes unless it needs to be deleted or there is an accident with a computer or person. And if it is an accident, every effort will be made to try to recover it.

Wendell, I still see it on my list.

Maybe you don't have your preferences set to see a post started more than 30 days ago?

The "show topics from..." has got to say at least as long as 30 days, since you started the topic on August 11.

One of the many reasons TalkVegas was born was because other choices at the time had problems of "notes disappearing". Usually, they were notes that did not fit the agenda of the administration. Many were from me, since i don't conform quite as easily as most manipulators think I should.

So "notes disappearing" isn't really a sore subject. It is a subject that is part of the foundation of TalkVegas. That along with no selling, no self promotion of companies, and not throwing links around helps keep us all on the same level. We are all people with opinions that share a passion for Las Vegas.