August 27 – Interest in our annual Early Bird Discount Offer is now brisk. Discounted seats are limited and are going fast. To review our 2011 Calendar and to take advantage of the substantial discounts, send an e-mail to cwea@earthlink.net with your name and the simple message – SEND 2011

 August 27 –Before September 15, we will post up all of the details of the Savannah tour, November 17-20.  The program, led by Richard McMurry, will be a doozy, and a fit way to end a long tour season. In the meantime, here is the lodging information:

Base Location & Lodging: We will be based at the Holiday Inn Express Savannah Historic District, 199 East Bay Street, Savannah, GA 31401 where we have reserved a block of rooms at the special nightly rate of $109.00 – Single or Double. To reserve a room under our block, call 912-231-9000 and identify yourself as a registrant for the CWEA tour. A continental breakfast is available each morning for all hotel guests.

Parking: Valet parking for hotel guests is available at a fee of $15.00 per day. Or use the public parking garage next door to the hotel – fees are less there.
If you fly into Savannah/Hilton Head International airport, take a taxi to the hotel – fares run about $25 one-way.

Our program will begin on Wednesday, November 17 at 7:30 PM with a welcome reception and orientation in the Azalea Room of the Holiday Inn Express Savannah Historic District

August 24 - Our 2011 Calendar of Events has now been set. To review it, and to take advantage of our Early Bird Discount Limited Offer, please send an e-mail to cwea@earthlink.net with the notation Send 2011. We hope you’ll like the offerings.

August 24 - Full details for our two Sarasota, Florida meetings will soon be posted up – or ask for them too, by sending an e-mail to cwea@earthlink.net with the notation Send Sarasota. We know you’ll like these two programs. Seating and hotel rooms are limited, so please act soon.

August 24 - No, it is not just marketing – we really do have only TWO more spots available on the much ballyhooed Gary Gallagher/Bob Krick Gettysburg tour, September 24-26. Use this website to enroll. Realistically, there will probably be a cancellation or two as we get closer so you may be able to climb aboard later – we will set up a first come first serve waiting list.

July 30 - Our 2011 Calendar of Events (and Early Bird Discount offer) will be announced next week. We’ll send you the info by e-mail if you send us an e-mail to cwea@earthlink.net – just write SEND 2011. Later on it will all go up on this site and also be sent to those in our database by regular mail. We hope you will like the selection of conferences and tours

June 21 – The Sicily/Italy tour group spent the day at Pompeii and the Herculaneum. They return to the World War II theme tomorrow when tour guide Dr. Danila Bracaglia meets the group in Mignano Montelungo, and then it will be on to San Pietri Infine, Monte Trocchio, Sant’ Angelo, Monte Cassino, and Frosinone On Wednesday, the group will visit the Museum of Piana delle Orme, Nettuno, Anzio and Cisterna. On Thursday, the group will tour Rome beginning with a visit to the Museum of Liberation in Via Tasso, and then the Coliseum, Roman Forum and Vatican Museums.

On Thursday, Friday and Saturday of last week Len Fullenkamp did a superb job of leading the group around Sicily – from Catania to Gela to Troina to Messina and to plenty of points and places in between.

Ciao.

June 17 – Last weekend’s 5th Annual All-Star Tour of Gettysburg must now be considered as one of the best programs in the long history of the CWEA. A near magical ambiance seemed to pervade throughout and the program proceeded, from start to finish, like a pleasant dream.

After a spirited informal reception on Thursday evening at O’Rorke’s pub in Gettysburg, the touring began on Friday morning with Gary Kross on Ramseur’s Brigade at Gettysburg, followed after lunch by Charlie Fennell on Stannard’s Second Vermont Brigade.

On Saturday morning, Bob Baker led us on Caldwell’s Division at the Wheatfield, and after lunch Zack Fry took the lead on Norman J. Hall’s Brigade: Unsung Heroes of Cemetery Ridge

On Saturday evening, we took the bus out to the suburban home of Roger & Lynn Heller for a cookout of hotdogs and burgers. Jesse Philpott’s wife, Pamela, prepared home made macaroni salad, deviled eggs and brownies. Lynn Heller made baked beans, apple/carrot/raisin salad, hot artichoke dip, salsa and various cakes and pies. 40 of us indulged in this tangy repast on an evening that was further highlighted by three special events:

• Surprise Birthday Party for Gary Kross – we celebrated with candles, card, cake and song – and a couple of presents to boot. Gary, the master of the quick quip, was rendered temporarily speechless;
• Guide Stories - we laughed heartily as Gary, bluster now fully restored, entertained us with tour tales – and then Charlie Fennell “took the stage” and sang for us the unofficial anthem of the Gettysburg Licensed Battlefield Guides.<
• The First Presentation of the Spirit of Gettysburg Award – to Frank Stouter, a semi-retired bank executive from Wyckoff, New Jersey - for fifteen years of participation, service and good cheer, The Spirit of Gettysburg Award will henceforward be presented annually during the Gettysburg All-Star tour, to an individual or individuals for “especially meritorious contributions of support and congeniality demonstrated during CWEA Gettysburg tours.” Congratulations and thanks to Frank.

On Sunday morning, Ed Guy led us on a tour on the theme of Confederate Potpourri: Stories from the Three Days of the Battle.

All five guides were terrific and their tours were enlightening, concise and well-supported with maps and other materials

So that tells you a bit about the 5th Annual All-Star Tour of Gettysburg. Think about coming next year for the 6th Annual – the dates are June 10-12, 2011.