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An Invitation from Your Convention
Chairman…
Hello, Bell Lovers!
Prepare now to come to the 66th Annual ABA Convention. The Gateway
Arch Chapter has some important plans on Route 66. The Central
District is hosting this year’s Convention.
 Come and learn from fascinating, informative programs. Save
your money now. The Exhibit Room provides many wonderful
bells for you to purchase. The BEHOLD Room stimulates your
expertise with fabulous displays. The Auction provides
magnificent bells for sale. I’m sure it will also be very
entertaining!
You won’t need to travel down Route 66 for entertainment. Saturday
evening’s entertainment will amaze you and leave you astonished!
Sorry, I must keep you in suspense on this for a little while.
Stay on Route 66 for information on the 2011 ABA Convention bell.
You will want to make plans to order it as soon as it is advertised
in the January-February issue of The Bell Tower. I’m sure the
bells will go quickly! I wish I could tell you about it. I know you
will be impressed when you see it.
There will be time for visiting with friends and making new friends.
Remember, bell collectors are very friendly people. There are areas
in the hotel where small groups can gather and visit.
Plan to allow a few extra days for visiting St. Louis. We have some
great antique malls and shops in the area.
Read on to learn more about the Convention Hotel and our Early Bird
Route 66 Special, Things to See and Do in St. Louis, our Hat
Contest, and more. Please bookmark this page because we will
continue to add new and exciting information over the next several
months!
 I’ll be traveling Route 66 and looking for you!
Annette Hunt
2011 ABA Convention Chairman
bellhunt@centurytel.net
What You Will Get with Your 2011
ABA Convention Registration
With your paid registration fee, you get the following:
-
Invitation to attend
Thursday night’s Welcome Reception with refreshments and special
bell exhibits
-
Admission to educational
programs about a variety of bell-related topics
-
Admission to the Bell
Exhibit/Sales Room
-
Chance to sell some
bells ($40 for a full sales table and $25 for a half table). Reserve
your table early!
-
Admission to the
six-hour auction of 300 bells
-
Ability to place up to
12 bells per family in the bell auction (first come-first served
reservations only)
-
Admission to the
included lunch and dinner on Friday
-
Admission to the
included lunch and banquet on Sunday
-
Admission to ABA annual
business meetings
-
Opportunity to buy the
beautiful, handcrafted convention bell-shaped paperweight designed
by Joe Rice
-
Opportunity to review
bell book, annual committee reports, and special displays in the
BEHOLD Room
-
Opportunity to make new
friends with people who have similar interests and renew old
friendships
 The Cost of Registration and How
to Register
-
Early Bird Adult
Registration (postmarked by April 1, 2011) = $135 USD
-
Adult Registration
postmarked after April 1, 2011 = $155 USD
-
Youth Registration = $40
USD
 Click
to download a
printable registration form.
Also on the Registration
Form:
-
Order form for the 2011
ABA Convention Bell
-
Order form for reserving
a full size Exhibit Table
-
Order form for reserving
a half-size Exhibit Table
-
Place to list any
special dietary requirements, food allergies, handicap need, or
other special requirements
Send the completed
registration form and your check to:
Ruth Ann Frank,
Convention Treasurer
800 Avenue H
Saint Louis, MO 63125-1760
Full refunds for
cancellations will be given through June 1, 2011. Fifty percent refund
if cancelled from June 2-15.
We Treasure our First Timers!
There will be a First
Timers Meeting on Thursday at 11 a.m. with the 2nd Vice-President
and the Chairman of the Welcome Letter Writers. They will give you
helpful information about the Convention. Please include your e-mail
address on your ABA convention registration form so they can contact you
about that meeting.
 Hilton St. Louis Frontenac Hotel
While at the 2011 ABA
Convention, our meetings and accommodations will be at this lovely
hotel. Hilton has agreed to charge us only $89.00 plus tax (USD) per
night! This price will be honored for 3 days before and 3 days after the
convention.
To make your room
reservations, please contact the hotel directly. Be sure to tell
them you are with the American Bell Association convention. The hotel’s
direct telephone number is (314) 993-1100 and their toll free number for
reservations is (800) HILTONS. For more information about the hotel, we
invite you to visit their website at
www.stlouisfrontenac.hilton.com.
 Click
to download a
printable hotel registration form.
 The St. Louis experience
begins when you enter the grand and gracious two-story reception area of
the Hilton St. Louis Frontenac Hotel. The hotel is an upscale, midtown
hotel with a European flavor. This central location will provide access
to many St. Louis attractions.
 Our hotel is across the
street from fantastic shopping at the Plaza Frontenac. It is home to
Saks Fifth Avenue, Neiman Marcus, Williams-Sonoma, and many other stores
and restaurants. If you need more shopping, the hotel provides free
shuttle to the Galleria Mall and West County Mall. There are restaurants
in the hotel and restaurants within walking distance of the hotel.
Hotel Amenities
-
FREE airport
transportation to the hotel from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m.
-
FREE outdoor and
covered parking
-
FREE shuttle to
the Galleria Mall and West County Mall
-
10% OFF at
restaurants in the hotel
-
COMPLIMENTARY
high speed Internet
-
Business Center
-
Fitness Center
and Outdoor Pool
-
Breakfast Cart
(paid by each individual and not included in paid registration)
Fantastic Shopping at
the Plaza Frontenac located across the street from the hotel. It is home
to:
-
Saks Fifth Avenue
-
Neiman Marcus
-
Williams-Sonoma
-
and many other upscale
stores and restaurants
Restaurants in the
hotel and within walking distance of the hotel
 The Early Bird “Route 66 Special"
Prizes: Three (3)
names will be drawn for upgrades to suites at our standard room group
rate of $89 per night!
Eligibility: To
qualify for entry in the “Early Bird Route 66 Special” drawing, your
convention registrations must be paid and hotel reservations must be
made by April 1, 2011.
Members and spouses of
the Executive Board, Convention Standing Committee, and the 2011
Convention Chairman are not eligible.
 The drawings will be held at
one of the April 2011 ABA Chapter Meetings.
The 2011 Convention Bell
This hand-blown glass bell
paperweight was designed by Joe Rice and made at the House of Glass in
Elwood, Indiana. It is inscribed, “ABA 2011/Joe Rice”.
The paperweight is hand-blown so the approximate size is 5.25” high and
3.5” in diameter. This paperweight is clear glass with red, white, and
blue flowers on a base of red, white, and blue. There are hundreds of
tiny bubbles inside this bell. The paperweight bell is so beautiful that
it really can’t be described. You must order it early since we have a
limited amount. Cost:
-
$35 if picked up at
convention
-
$45 if mailed to the
U.S. or Canada
-
$55 international
mailing
Please ORDER EARLY to ensure
you get one of these!
 The Silent Auction and Raffle
Things are shaping up for a
wonderful raffle and silent auction. If you would like to donate an item
for the raffle or silent auction, please e-mail me at bellhunt@centurytel.net.
There will be more information coming about this over the next few
months.
How to Place Bells in the
Convention Auction:
To place items in the
auction, call Bruce Clayton, Auction Chairman, 913-782-4944, on
Saturday, March 5, 2011 only, beginning at 12 noon CST
The Convention Auction will
be on Saturday, June 25, from 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
A maximum of 300 bells or
bell-related items will be accepted with a limit of 12 bells per family.
Each Item must have a minimum value of $25. A minimum bid may be set for
any two (2) items in your group. Any bell with a value of $300 or more
may also have a minimum bid. The ABA seller’s premium is 15% of the
total sales of their bells. A catalog of auction items will be in your
registration packet.
 The Hat Contest
There will be a hat
contest at lunch on Friday. Decorate a cap, hat, or any kind of
headgear with bells and wear it to lunch. There will be a first and
second prize awarded. Start decorating those hats now! This should let
people in the hotel know we are bell collectors (ding-a-lings) and we
have a good time!
This contest is for human
men, women, teenagers, and children. (Sorry, pets may not enter the hat
contest.)
Come Early and Stay a Few Extra
Days
There is so much to see and
do in St. Louis! Visit the website:
www.explorestlouis.com
-
St. Louis Arch & Museum
-
St. Louis Zoo
-
Cardinals Baseball Game
-
Grants Farm
-
St. Louis Science Center
-
Missouri Botanical
Gardens
-
Missouri History Museum
-
St. Louis Union Station
-
Museum of Transportation
-
MO Civil War Museum
-
Route 66 State Park
-
Six Flags
-
Purina Farms
-
Mississippi Riverboat
Cruises
-
Laumeier Sculpture Park
-
The Magic House
-
St. Louis Children’s
Museum
-
Ted Drewes Ice Cream
-
Antique Malls and Shops
-
Golf Courses and much
more…
 Drive, Fly, Roller Blade, Bicycle,
or Skateboard
It doesn’t matter how you
come, just get on Route 66 and head for the 66th American Bell
Association Convention on June 23-26, 2010, in St. Louis, Missouri. We
will have lots of fun. Check out the hotel and the St. Louis websites:
www.stlouisfrontenac.hilton.com and
www.explorestlouis.com.
More details are
forthcoming. Please bookmark this page and check it for new information
from time to time. |
American Bell
Association International, Inc.