Microware Reunion

Newsletter No. 8

July 6, 2004

 

 

Mark your 2004 calendar now: August 13, 14, 15 in Des Moines, Iowa!

 

The Barb Table Event is Friday August 13th.

The Reunion Hog Roast is Saturday August 14th.

The State Fair and I-Cubs outings are Sunday August 15th.

 

Greetings once again from the Microware Reunion Cleanup Committee!  Please tell other former employees to visit the Microware Reunion Site and sign up for this newsletter.  Also tell them to join the X- Microwareoids Group on Yahoo to immediately get in touch with other former employees.  If you have not returned the questionnaire, please fill it out, add some pictures and return it today by simply replying to this email.  Your old friends want to know what you are up to these days!

 

This is a most important newsletter.  It includes more details on the reunion weekend: a preliminary schedule of events, maps and driving directions and the Reunion Order Form.  We will also post all of this stuff to the website.  After you read this newsletter, please fill out and return the Reunion Order Form as soon as possible.  Because of catering, lead time to order t-shirts, etc, we need to get an accurate headcount and receive payments for the reunion events in July.

 

The Reunion Order Form must be returned with your payment by July 30,2004.

 

 

Microware Reunion Schedule of Events

 

August 13, Friday – Barb Table Event

 

6:00 pm          Reunion Get-together at Frog’s Lounge 

Frog’s is at a new location, but with the same atmosphere, and, yes, the same old Barb Table. 

 

 

August 14, Saturday – Reunion Hog Roast

 

12:00 noon     Basketball game at Moats Park in Indianola

 

1:00 pm          Softball game at Moats Park or Pickard Park in Indianola

 

1:00 pm          Reunion Hog Roast – Open Doors to Lodge at Lake Ahquabi

4:00 pm          Food service begins at the Lodge

6:00 pm          Award Ceremony

9:00 pm          Close Doors to Lodge

 

 

August 15, Sunday

 

1:05 pm          Baseball Game Outing:  I-Cubs vs. Albuquerque.  The I-Cubs are in town all weekend; 7:05 pm on Friday and Saturday evenings

 

 ?                     Iowa State Fair Outing.  The State Fair goes on from August 12 through 22nd.

 

 

Barb Table Event

 

The Barb Table Event is an adult’s get-together at Ebenezer Frog’s Lounge.  Frog’s was always the preferred after-hours watering hole for old Microwaroids.  Our table was the Barb Table, where “BARB” was knife-etched deeply into the table surface, and located less than 2 feet from a busy dart board.  We would vent about the day, raise a toast to our victories, all the while dodging the darts aimed toward that board.  The Barb Table Rule was: Nothing said at the Barb Table ever leaves the Barb Table!  (Yea, right…)

 

Frog’s has changed locations but the Barb Table is still there.  The bartender is “Nick” who was at the bartender at the old Frog’s location.  We should pretty much have the place to ourselves on August 13th.  We can bring food into the bar, so we encourage you to bring your favorite appetizer to share.

 

The new location is in the Sherwood Forest shopping center behind Baker’s Cafeteria.  It’s on the SW corner of 73rd and Hickman in Windsor Heights, across from the Metro Ice Arena.  7460 Hickman Rd, 50322-4619, (515) 253-9933.  You can get a map to Frog’s here. 

 

Reunion Hog Roast

 

The Reunion Hog Roast is on Saturday at the Stone Lodge at Lake Ahquabi.  Softball and basketball games at parks in Indianola will precede the main events at the Lodge. 

 

This is a “Friends and Family” event!  Lake Ahquabi is a nice kid-friendly state park, and we will have family-friendly activities at the Reunion Hog Roast.  So bring kids and grandkids of all ages!  Bring your parents and grandparents!  Bring your friends!

 

We’ll open the Lodge doors at 1:00 pm, with beverages, appetizers and activities.  We encourage everyone to bring any family-oriented games and equipment like volleyball, croquet, ring toss, yard darts, etc.

 

At 4:00 pm, we’ll begin food service.  The Hog Roast is a combination of catered and potluck.  Meat, buns, barbecue sauce, pasta salad and fruit salad are provided.  Keg beer, soft drinks, lemonade, tea and coffee are provided.  Table service is provided.  There are so many good cooks in this bunch we just had to add your great recipes to the event.  So if you would like, we encourage you to bring a favorite dish to share, especially appetizers, side dishes and desserts.  You are also welcome to bring other things to drink, but please NO GLASS CONTAINERS.

 

At 6:00 pm, we’ll conduct the Awards Ceremony.  Don’t miss it!

 

After the awards, who knows?  We’re trying to put the Real-time Band back together with Electric Cat and BB King to provide the tunes for the evening.  However, we may get stuck with Larry Crane singing Karaoke.  Stay tuned…

 

Lake Ahquabi is located 22 miles south of Des Moines, 4 miles south of Indianola, on highway 69.  16510 118th Ave, Indianola, IA, 50125.  From Des Moines, go South on East 14th, (Iowa 69) through Indianola.  You can get a map to Lake Ahquabi here.  

 

I-Cubs Baseball Game Outing

Iowa State Fair Outing

 

More details on the I-Cubs Game and the State Fair outing will be included in the next newsletter.

 

 

Commemorative Reunion T-shirts

 

We are producing a great Reunion T-shirt.  You will want to order one of these for each member of your family as well as your friends and neighbors.  They are available in a variety of sizes, 100% pre-shrunk cotton and are pretty true to size if not a bit bigger.  We will try to have an image of the T-shirt on the web site soon.  Order yours today!

 

 

Old Microware Party Videos and Pics

 

We are soliciting any old Microware video footage or great still pictures that you might have to include with the Reunion DVD.  They can be any sort of Microware event, but footage of parties is especially good.

 

 

New Microware Party Videos and Pics

 

Please bring your video and still cameras to the reunion!  We want to put your footage and pictures on the Reunion DVD.  Also, we are soliciting the use of a digital still camera and tripod for the Hog Roast Event.  We want to get a picture of everyone and their families as they arrive.  If you can help us with a camera and tripod, please respond to this email.  Thanks!

 

 

Please Come to the Reunion!  But if you can’t…

 

We want to see YOU at the reunion!  We are hard-pressed to understand why you would let other plans take priority over this event!  You may not get to see us again.  The next reunion is scheduled for August 12, 2039.  If you can’t attend the reunion, keep in touch with everybody by doing the following:

 

1) Send us a short video of yourself and family.  We’ll try to play these at the reunion and include them on the Reunion DVD.  Sort of a: “Hi from Bud Berry.  I wanted to say hi to all my old friends!”  Email your video clip, or mail a VCR or mini-dv tape.  Most video formats except OS-9 RAVE are acceptable.

 

2) Fill out the questionnaire and attach some pictures of yourself, family, pets, etc!  Email them to us and we’ll include them on the Reunion DVD.

 

3) Order Reunion t-shirts for your family and friends and neighbors. 

 

4) Order several Reunion DVDs.

 

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Reunion Questionnaire

 

Whether or not you plan on coming to the 2004 Reunion, please take a few minutes and fill out the short questionnaire below.  We plan on producing a Reunion Highlights VCD or DVD that will include reunion video, photos, contact information and updates on everyone.  Let us all know what you have been doing the last few years!

 

Just respond to the e-mail with your answers, or cut/paste and send them to MicrowareReunion@mchsi.com.  Don’t forget to attach some pictures of yourself, family, pets, etc!

 

 

1.  Please provide your contact information.

 

    Name

 

    Nickname

 

    Address

 

    Phone No.

 

    E-mail address

 

    Web site address

 

2.  What was the timeframe you worked at Microware?

 

3.  What was your job title(s) and what did you do at Microware?

 

4.  What is your most interesting or vivid memory of Microware?

 

5.  What were some of your favorite times at Microware?

 

6.  Have any experiences, skills, or habits that you picked up at Microware made an impact on your life?  Please share them with us.

 

7.  What was your reason for leaving Microware?

 

8.  What have you been doing career-wise since Microware?

 

9.  Tell us about your family: spouse, significant others, kids, pets, etc.

 

10.  Please attach up to three pictures of yourself, family, pets, and etc. to appear in the Reunion Highlights DVD.  We prefer .jpg and .gif images.

 

11.  Do you ever see other former Microware employees and do you have their email addresses?

 

 

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Reunion Order Form

 

Use this form to order tickets to the Microware Reunion Events, t-shirts, and commemorative reunion DVD.  The t-shirts will be available at the Hog Roast; the DVD will be mailed to you.  Print out this Order Form, fill it out and return it with payment (a check) to the address below.  Make the check out to “Microware Reunion – Mike Burgher” The Reunion Order Form must be returned with your payment before July 30,2004.

 

Microware Reunion Tickets                                  ____  x  $12.00  =  _______

Tickets cover the Barb Table Event and the Hog Roast.

Kids 5 and under are free.

Adults only to the Barb Table event, please.

 

 

Reunion T-Shirts                                                    _____ x  $7.50   =  _______

Indicate number of shirts in each size

 

_____S  _____M   _____ L   _____ XL  

 

_____ XXL   _____ XXXL

 

 

Reunion DVD                                                        _____ x  $10.00  =  _______

Address to mail DVD:

 

_________________________________________

 

 

_________________________________________

 

  Total                                                    TOTAL         _____________________

 

 

Make check out to “Microware Reunion – Mike Burgher” and mail check and Order Form before July 30 to:

 

Microware Reunion – Mike Burgher

2808 71st Street

Des Moines, IA  50322-4714

 

 

 

 

 

See you at the Reunion!

 

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