TexSAcon 2006 Announcements
The First Announcement
UPDATE: TexSAcon Hotel Information Page is up 
From - Mon Sep 19 22:08:41 2005
Date: Sat, 17 Sep 2005
From: TexSAcon@netscape.net
To: NPL npl-folk@puzzlers.org, npl-announce@puzzlers.org
Subject: [NPL] Re: NPL '06 Con
The 2006 TexSAcon will be July 27 to July 30 at Holiday Inn Downtown/Market Square. It is a 4 floor Holiday Inn built around a courtyard with a very nice pool area and free (uncovered) parking. Our room rate is $95 plus their 16.875% tax. They have free WI/FI available throughout hotel. The banquet/meeting room will seat 150-160 in rounds. It is complimentary for Thursday through Sunday, as are a room across lobby for small breakaway groups and the upstairs hospitality room with mini bar area and adjoining bedroom. There is a restaurant/bar off lobby that serves buffet lunches Wednesday through Friday and menu items throughout the day. It has 20 plus tables that will hold at least 80 of us whenever we choose. There are exits very close to 3 ground level meeting places for smokers to go outside and have seated areas. The food I ate there Sunday was delicious. Our regular 5 meal buffets will have foods labelled if they contain any ingredients from a list I promised to supply them with that tells items members are allergic to. The staff is delirious to have us. They have an airport shuttle and are 1/2 block off I-35 with easy access, and 1/2 block in other direction from bus and trolley stops. It is 1 block from Pizza Hut and 2 blocks from Market Square. As soon as they get the contract processed, they will set-up a special web page for us to go to and make reservations. I will notify you of URL address later.
Feel free to email me at TexSAcon@netscape.net. I read this mailbox frequently
Rebel
Note: This content has been edited to remove some personal details that are no longer relevant. A more complete version can be read by members in The First Announcement. / Webmaster@puzzlers.org
Where We're Going
The Hotel:
Holiday Inn - Downtown Market Square
318 WEST DURANGO BOULEVARD
SAN ANTONIO, TX
210-225-3211 Ext: 107
Note:
King & Double Rooms are $95.00 + tax and can be booked online for dates July 26-30. The rates are good for July 25 through July 31st. However, if you wish to extend your stay outside of these dates, you will need to book a separate reservation on the web or contact the hotel directly at (+1) (210) 225-3211 Ext: 107.
Reservations Web Page (for any night between July 26-30):
http://www.ichotelsgroup.com/redirect?path=rates&brandCode=hi&hotelCode=satal&GPC=NPL&_IATAno=99503740
When making reservations at this location, after filling in info and setting preferences, scroll down to bottom of page and click on “Find hotels–>” which will take you to second page and will show Natl Puzzler's League.
National Puzzlers' League participants can utilize this web link until June 28, 2006. After that date, the reservations will be honored on a space available basis.
If you go to any other reservation page than this one set-up especially for NPL, you will need to know:
GROUP BOOKING CODE: NPL
IATA#: 99503740
Read about The First Announcement.
TEXSACON UPDATE — by Rebel
May 1, 2006
To my friends, acquaintances or absolute strangers in the NPL: TexSAcon is progressing on schedule and I have a few official announcements. As a reminder, this year’s convention will be July 27–30 at the Holiday Inn – Downtown Market Square in San Antonio, Texas. Hotel reservation information was in the December 2005 Enigma, and is available on http://www.puzzlers.org.
- First, the registration fee this year comes to $190.00, which is a little lower than the last few years. The deadline for sending your registration fee of $190 is Saturday, June 24th. Make out all checks to “National Puzzlers’ League,” and mail to Rebel: Brenda Martin, 5283 East Cypress Drive, Uncertain TX 75661.
- I have two day trips to propose.
Both of these trips leave the cost of lunch to you. In Austin, I plan at this time for the group to go to a unique little place called Eastside Cafe. In Fredericksburg, I still have to look into available eating places, for you to pick and choose your own destination for lunch.
If either trip is appealing to you or which day you would prefer to make a trip, Thursday or Friday, I'd appreciate a note. If enough folks are interested, both trips can go on the same day, or if there is overlap of interest, we can do separate days.
If you wish to take either trip, I prefer you send your check for them at the same time as your con fee, but if that is difficult, I can wait till July 10th to receive trip funds. I do want to stress, if you are interested in these trips, and feel you probably will take one of them, please let me know by email as soon as you can. I need to know if I have at least 35 people interested in either trip, or if I need to cancel these plans and look elsewhere. I want your input, pro or con, so send your comments directly to me.- Destination #1: Austin, Texas. We’d leave the hotel at 8:30 A.M. on an airconditioned motorcoach for a guided tour. We’ll stop and tour the capitol building, drive through the “Drag” at UT, visit the LBJ Library, and after lunch travel to the National Wildflower Research Center, a pet project of Lady Bird Johnson. (You can visit it on the web at http://www.wildflower.org.) We’ll return to the hotel at 5:00 P.M. Cost, with a minimum of 35 people, is $40.00.
- Destination #2: Fredericksburg, Texas, in Texas Hill Country. We’d leave the hotel at 8:30 A.M. and drive to the LBJ Ranch for a 90-minute educational tour of this National Historic Park, including the Junction School, the Johnson birthplace and cemetery, the LBJ Ranch lands with their registered Hereford cattle, the show barn, and the exterior of the Texas White House. If you care for shopping, the next leg of trip will be for you! We will be NPL Members can read Rebel's previous emails dropped off by the Main Book Shop on Main Street in Fredericksburg where they have over 100 shops, with antiques, fine art, etc. After lunch, the tour proceeds out of town to the Becker Vineyards and Winery, where a 10,000-square-foot reproduction of a nineteenth-century German stone barn serves as the winery, surrounded by a 36-acre vineyard. It includes the largest underground cellar in Texas. There you will hear of Texas wines and sample some of their wares. We’ll return to the hotel at 6:00 P.M. Cost, with a minimum of 35 people, is $45.00.
- Wednesday party: At the current time, I am heavily leaning toward a hotel catered “cookout” of burgers and dogs around the poolside patio for our Wednesday night get-together. That cuts down on the hassle of getting transportation to and from somewhere else, plus you can duck into A/C anytime you wish, go to your room and refresh or change after taking a dip in the pool, and spend more time visiting with one another. This is not written in stone yet, but very possible. Also, if anyone is interested in putting together a fun puzzle to while away the travel time on buses or entertain the Krewe, please let me know that too.
It is my greatest wish that y’all come to my state and enjoy yourselves, and that you’ll look back on TexSAcon as a wonderful experience!
/ Rebel