2010 O Scale National Convention

Banquet

Banquet Information

A no-host bar will open at 6PM Friday evening July 2. The banquet will start at 7:30; this is to allow time for it to get dark so presentations can be seen easily. An hour and a half is a long time so pace yourself at the bar.
The banquet will be held outside (no weather worries!) on the Hyatt Regency's patio.
The guest speaker will be Art Lloyd, who has worked for the Western Pacific Railroad and for Amtrak; Art's background in railroading is below.

Menu

Three members of the convention committee and wives were invited to the Hyatt Regency by the hotel's catering staff to assist in determining the menu for the banquet. We evaluated by taste the menu suggestions that had been made by the Hyatt Regency. We sampled three salad candidates, three vegetable sides candidates, three starch sides candidates, the entrees, and three dessert candidates. Some minor modifications to the ingredients in the preferred salad were made, and the vegetable and starch sides and dessert shown in the menu below were liked the most by all present. The quality of the food was excellent and the portion sizes were just right. The meals are priced at $50 per plate which includes tax and tip. $50 is comparable in total cost to a $40 meal at a restaurant where you would be paying tax and tip in addition to the meal cost.

The menu is as follows:

• Salad: Bibb Lettuce with Citrus Poached Pear, Candied Walnuts, Sun Dried Cherries, Sliced Roma Tomatoes, Goat Cheese, Chenin Blanc Dressing
• Entree:
  Citrus Garlic Chicken with Forest Mushrooms and Lemon-Thyme Au Jus
  or Pistachio Crusted Red Snapper with Saffron-Chive Citronette
  or New York Steak with Red Wine Reduction
  or a vegetarian meal Hand Rolled Lasagna, Pomodoro Sauce, and Roasted Garlic Crostini.
  All Entrees served with Pesto Mashed Potatoes, Grilled Asparagus, Baby Carrots, Warm French Bread, and Sun Dried Tomato Butter
  
• Dessert: Individual Tiramisu Tower with Fresh Berries

The registration form (available on the Registration page) is how you select your meal(s) and pay for them. Since we need to be able to tell the hotel a week in advance of the banquet how many of each type of meal to prepare, please register by June 20. 

Bar

There will be a no-host bar next to the banquet seating area. The bar will open at 6:00.
It will be possible to order bottled wine for your table; the Hyatt house brand (Canvas by Michael Mondavi) Chardonnay, Merlot, and Cabernet Sauvignon wines are excellent and are currently priced at $30 per bottle.

Agenda

At the conclusion of the meal portion of the banquet, there will be awards presentations, selection of the 2013 convention site, and Mr. Lloyd's presentation. Non-meal seating will be available for those not wishing to eat the banquet meal but wanting to be present for the post-meal activities.

Art Lloyd

Here is a brief summary of Art's extensive experience in railroading:

Art started railroading as a yard clerk for the San Francisco & Napa Valley Railroad.
At the Western Pacific Railroad he rose to the position of Assistant Director Public Relations.
At Amtrak he has been Director of Sales - West, Director Public Affairs - West, and Director of Public and Government Affairs - West
Member of the San Mateo County Transit Board of Directors
Member of the Joint Powers Board (CalTrain).
Member of the Departmental Transportation Advisory Committee for Caltrans (California Dept. of Transportation)
Facilitator for the San Joaquin Valley Rail Committee
Chairman of the Operation Lifesaver Executive Committee
Chairman of the Caltrans District #4 Advisory Council

Board member of the California State Railroad Museum
Adviser to the Golden Gate Railroad Museum
Past president of the Railway and Locomotive Historical Society
Chairman on the Pacific Coast Chapter of the R&LHS
Past president of the California Nevada Railroad Historical Society
Past president of the Bay Area Electric Railroad Association
Member of the Northern California Railroad Club
Member of the Central Coast Chapter, R&LHS
Member of the Feather River Rail Society
Member of the Union Pacific Historical Society
Member of the Northwestern Pacific Railroad Historical Society

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