384th BOMB GROUP REUNION #32 - 6-10 OCTOBER 2021 - OGDEN, UTAH

Our 32nd Reunion plans are now finalized by Armed Forces Reunions, Inc. (AFRI), for October. The Group mailed information and forms to all members on 28 July 2021.

REUNION SCHEDULE⇓

-930 DAYS REMAINING UNTIL WE MEET IN OGDEN

IMPORTANT DATES:

• EXTENDED TO 14 September: Deadline for AFRI to receive your paid registration. All registration forms and payments must be received by mail [OR by using the on-line registration form] on or before September 6 14, 2021. After that date, reservations will be accepted on a space available basis; call Mandy Lee at AFRI, 757-625-6401.
• 15 September: Last day our hotel room block will be available at the contracted rate.
• 6 October: Arrival and welcome day.
• 10 October: Farewell and departure day.

HOTEL INFO: Headquarters for the reunion will be the Hilton Garden Inn⇗ at 2271 South Washington Blvd, Ogden, Weber County, Utah. It has all the usual HGI amenities such as free parking, in-hotel dining, bar, indoor pool, exercise room, etc. You must make your own reservations by calling the hotel directly at 801-399-2000. Be sure to mention the 384th Bomb Group Reunion to get the contracted rate of $139 per night (plus tax), which includes breakfast each day. Reservations requested after that date may be accepted at the standard rate of $175/night. Our limited block of rooms will be held until 15 September (21 days prior to the reunion), so make your hotel reservation early. Guests may cancel their room reservation up to 48 hours prior to arrival without charge.
Recommendation: Reserve your room today even if you are not certain you will attend, as it can be canceled without charge. If you decide not to attend, please cancel before 6 September (the registration deadline) to make your room available for others.
Hospitality Room: There will be NO HOSPITALITY ROOM during this reunion. However, there are some public areas within the hotel where people may congregate as they wish. Also, the hotel does not restrict the use of individual hotel rooms for gatherings of reasonable size: beverages (alcoholic and otherwise) and dry snacks may be furnished and shared by participants.

OPTIONAL TOURS offered include:

• Thursday, 7 October: we will visit the Historic Wendover Airfield⇗ in Tooele County, the location at which the 384th came together and did their initial training. Members of the Historic Wendover Airfield Foundation will conduct a tour of the airfield which will include their museum, several restored buildings - including the Enola Gay Hangar - as well as the bomb pits used to load the practice "atomic" bombs into the B-29s of the 509th Composite Group for various test flights. We will have lunch in the "Senior Master Sergeant John T. Brinkman Service Club" (Brinkman was a 306th BG ball turret gunner) - itself the restored Officer's Club. The cost should be around $10 per person. Our chartered bus will leave Ogden at 8:00 AM and return in plenty of time for dinner at the Sonora Grill at 6:30 PM back in Ogden. Note that the bus ride to Wendover will be about two and one-half hours.
• Friday, 8 October: we will visit the Hill Aerospace Museum⇗, also in Weber County, to dedicate the new 384th Bomb Group Commemorative Wing Panel display. Our chartered bus will leave the hotel at 9:15AM to arrive in plenty of time to hold the dedication of "Wingy" at 10:00AM. We will gather at the brand-new Wing Panel display at the Hill Aerospace Museum to dedicate it in honor of all 384th Veterans. All are invited – especially Veterans and Wing Panel Hosts – to give a short comment about one of the Veterans whose signature appears on the panel, or any other Veteran. The 384th and our attending members will be acknowledged during the short ceremony. The Museum has a significant collection of aircraft and missiles, with lots of 384th artifacts including a huge chunk of chalk from the White Cliffs of Dover. The B-17 Short Bier is a good representation of what our guys flew and there are other 384th artifacts as well as our signed Wing Panel. We also plan to visit the Nathan Mazer Memorial Chapel, which is also on the Museum grounds. Between noon and 12:30 PM we will board the chartered bus to returnto the hotel for a board meeting at 1400.
• Saturday, 9 October, will find us visiting Park City, Summit County, Utah⇗, which has a rich and diverse food scene with plenty of palate-pleasing options. Over the past few years, a number of award-winning restaurants have been established in Park City, along with high-end breweries, wineries, and distilleries. There’s also no shortage of casual and delicious breakfast and lunch spots, with bright and airy cafés and coffee shops dotting Main Street and beyond. Wasatch Brewery is located in Park City and there are dozens of shops with unique items (we got our Bear Nativity set here, per Carol Alfter) and historic buildings and restaurants. It’s a great way to have a relaxing day away from it all. Our bus will depart the hotel at 10:00AM and will return in the early evening after everyone has had a scrumptious dinner on their own.

LOCAL TRANSPORTATION: While some will choose to drive to Ogden (your Webmaster, for instance), many will prefer to fly. If you are planning to fly, your destination airport will be Salt Lake City (SLC) in Salt Lake City County. The most direct way to get from SLC to the headquarters hotel will be to rent a car, although that may be very expensive at this time! A taxi will cost in the area of $100 or so (each way). There are also shuttle services such as:

• Black Diamond Shuttle⇗,
• Express Shuttle Utah⇗,
• Salt Lake Express⇗,
• and probably many others.

As more information and recommendations are gathered, these options will be updated.