THE FRIENDLY BUNCH 7 TH ANNUAL GET TOGETHER

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We are pleased to announce, our 7 th annual get together will once again be held in Sparta, North

Carolina from Thursday October 10 th to Sunday October 13 th .

An itinerary will be e-mailed one to two weeks prior to the get together. Please make sure we have your correct e-mail address. If you are not sure we have it, please contact Bobby KB4ABJ at

kb4abj@yahoo.com, Mike (JERSEY MIKE) K2MFS at icom757@gmail.com or Bob N8BCF at

cadkyd101@comcast.net and we will get you on the e-mail list.

Almost everybody stays at the Alleghany Inn (1-336-372-2501 direct or 1-888-372-2501 reservations only) located at 341 North Main Street, Sparta, North Carolina 28675. They offer special rates for The Friendly Bunch starting at $79.95 by using the code FBAR24 when you make your reservation. If for some reason you have to cancel at any time, you will not be charged. There will be outside seating and canopies set up in the parking lot. Available seats (chairs provided outside of your room by the Alleghany Inn) is limited. You are encouraged to bring your camping chairs. Socializing and camaraderie will take place all weekend in the parking lot and at our functions.   They have a website https://alleghanyinn.com.

Some people prefer to bring their travel trailer, camper, etc and camp nearby.   A & C Campground is a popular location.  It is located at 3435 Pine Swamp Rd, Sparta, North Carolina, 28675.  Their telephone number is 336-372-7905.  They have a web page www.accampground.com.

People will start arriving early on Thursday. However, this is a free day to do as you wish to shop, site see, relax or take in the beauty of the North Carolina mountains. Thursday evening, for those who have arrived early, we will all get together for supper (or dinner depending on your geographical home QTH and origins). Please see the itinerary for the supper plan.

On Friday, we start the day by having breakfast at The Pines restaurant in the heart of Sparta. Friday afternoon we have a corn hole contest in the parking lot of the Alleghany Inn with cash prizes. Friday evening, we go to Crave restaurant (336-372-7283) for supper (dinner) located at 854 Main Street, Sparta, North Carolina, 28675.  They have a web page   https://cravesparta.com.

Saturday is the main event. We Have rented a picnic shelter at Stone Mountain State Park in Roaring Gap, North Carolina. Roaring Gap is located approx. 11 miles south of Sparta. Entry to the park is via Oklahoma road off State Road 21 (the main road thru Sparta). Be careful, Oklahoma road is very winding and will turn you around to look at yourself coming at yourself.   There is an admission fee to the shelter to help cover the expenses of the get together.   The amount of the fee will be in the itinerary.   We will have a keynote speaker, give away several prizes and have a catered lunch. This is also the only time and place new members of The Friendly Bunch can get a Friendly Bunch number. Things start around 10:00am local time and last till around 3:00pm. Saturday evening, we go to supper (dinner) again per the itinerary.

Sunday is departure day. Several people will leave early. Those who wish to leave later in the day, can all meet at Pines for breakfast. This is a purely personal preference since some people have a distance to travel and want to get on the road. Perfectly understandable.

There is a local 2m repeater the local HAM radio operators have graciously shared with us annually for the get together.  Most everyone attending the get together monitors this repeater.  You can contact Friendly Bunch operators or the local operators.  This repeater has a large footprint. Here is the repeater information:

Green Mountain, North Carolina

Alleghany County

Sparta, North Carolina

Call Sign: K4ITL

Frequency: 145.4300

Offset: -0.6

Tone: None

If you have any questions, or comments, you can contact Bobby – KB4ABJ, Mike (Jersey Mike) – K2MFS or Bob – N8BCF. Also, the nightly controllers have an e-mail they can send out upon request. We look forward to seeing everyone again and meeting our new HAM’s.

73’sThe Friendly Bunch Leadership