As our December dinner meeting approaches, we need to get organized about what everyone is going to bring for the potluck. I will be bringing both a broccoli casserole and Rotel dip & chips. The club is furnishing the meat as usual. We need people to bring vegetables, potatos, salads, desserts, bread or rolls, paper plates, cups, plastic flatware, and drinks. I'd like to suggest that each club member bring 1 or two 2-liter bottles of their favorite soda so that we have plenty of drinks, and each one gets what they need ( some need diet, some want non-caffienated, some need both.)

Anyone else?

Say, Dave, good way to get this done. I was trying to coordinate with Cathy about who's bringing what, but this would work just fine.

I'm bringing mashed potatoes and mustard potato salad.

Others are bringing many of the things you mentioned to begin with. A quick note to the members with eMail through the club might solicit more forum responses. That way, we'll all know where to look for the current list of items on the menu.

If 100+ people come to hear Dr. Sears, are we really going to try to feed them all? Should press releases mention a potluck dinner?

Should someone bring 5 loaves & 2 fishes?

Dave,
I could bring paper plates, cups, and plastic flatware if you could give me your best estimate of how many will be attending. Thanks, Jim

Dale:

For some reason, I don't think we're going to get 100 people, BUT - I also think that if everyone brings something, and we see to it that we have plenty of meat, we should be able to feed 100 people. I've seen it done in churches many times. (Perhaps there's the reference to 5 loaves and 2 fishes. - Just make sure they're really BIG loaves, eh?)

Well, anyway - how many did we have in 1992 when Dr. Sears was here last time? It seemed to me that we fed everyone alright then.

Bob? Got any comments?

Jim - I'd suggest planning for 75, and we could run out to get more if necessary.

Count on me to bring paper plates, cups, and plastic flatware for 75 people. Let me know if I can help with other things not covered as meeting time approaches.

I can bring chips and dip and possibly a dessert if time allows. Let me know if I need to bring some drinks or something.

I will be bringing the following: sweet potato casserole and a scalloped corn casserole and a dish of cranberry sauce.
Chuck Larson

Folks, we must remember that the dinner is only open to AOAS members! We, alone, will enjoy Dr. Sears for ourselves during the dinner, and the dinner must be over by 7. At 7, we will open the doors to the public and yes, we do need to advertise to the media, but only that the public are invited to Dr. Sears presentation, NOT TO DINNER!
Dr. Sears presentation will begin at 7:30 sharp!

I don't think anyone has established that the dinner will start at 6 pm sharp! we'll eat and be cleaned up by 7.

As I looked at my first post, I thought it looked somewhat, well terse, but that's not how I intended it. Let me tell you my reasoning behind it.

Dr. Larson and I kicked around the idea of inviting the public to the dinner, and asking for a $10 or $20 per head/per plate to help raise some more funds. Chuck said that he'd seen circumstances similar to this where someone in the crowd complained about food poisoning after the event, probably just as a way to try to sue someone. We decided not to invite the public to the dinner portion of the event.
I even thought about trying to have the event catered, but that brings in other problems that, frankly, I don't want to hassle with.

This brings us to the decision that Dr. Larson and I agreed would be best for the club. That we have the dinner for AOAS members and as always, any guests that we invite or bring with us. We advertise that Dr. Sears presentation will be at 7:30, and the doors will open at 7 for the public.

We, as members and bearers of the food, should all strive to be at Creekmore Park at 6pm, maybe even a few minutes early, so that we can set the tables, start the line as close to 6pm as possible and eat our fill and do some clean-up before 7.

As always, this is NOT set in stone, and any problems that anyone sees with this tentative plan should post a reply and make their comments or statements known to all others.

We want to enjoy ourselves as we always do at our Christmas dinner/meetings, but we also want to open the doors to the public for the presentation by Dr. Sears. This will help us include this event in our in-kind payment to the parks service for our debt from the Pavillion in August.

Great News!

OK - Jim Foster - bring enough plates, cups & flatware for 30 people, not 75. We should have a good meal and company for this year's Xmas Dinner.

I'll bring plates, cups, and plastic flatware for 30-35 people and bread, rolls, and butter.

OK, I hope I have this right this time - I'll bring 2 deep-dish pies, pumpkin custard and dutch apple w/crumb topping. Also, some paper napkins.