Reunion Information Page Update July 2, 2008 Howdy! I just posted the date for reunion on the website homepage. I will be sending out the date and additional information via email hopefully by July 7th. So, please update your email addresses in the alumni database if they have recently changed so you can stay informed of reunion plans as they become available. Instructions to assist in updating your information can be found HERE. Update January 29, 2008 Wrangler Alumni, I would be interested in any feedback from those who attended the (last minute) trial edition of the "mini-reunion." Unfortunately, I was unable to attend any of the Saturday events due to unexpectly having to leave town due to family emergency with Stacey's grandmother. I am planning to get the date out soon for this year's edition. Please email me (jenglish@wrangleralumni.com) with any comments. Thanks. Jason English Update September 29, 2007 Howdy Alumni! Aggie Wrangler Reunion 2007 is 1 week away. Hopefully everyone got my prior email discussing future annual reunion events. If not, please refer to the alumni website (www.wrangleralumni.com) or yahoo group (http://groups.yahoo.com/group/aggiewranglers/) to get up-to-date. We are trying out the idea of the "mini-reunion" this year, with the larger reunions planned for every 5th year anniversary. For those who haven't heard, the Aggie football game got picked up by television, so the kickoff is now at 6:30pm Saturday. Based on the revised kickoff time, we have prepared a schedule of events for the 2007 Reunion. Please check the alumni website for this information: http://www.wrangleralumni.com Again, I want to thank everyone for their suggestions regarding reunion activities and events. I plan on incorporating many of those in future reunions. While I don't foresee any last minute changes to the schedule, please check the website toward the end of this week to verify that nothing has changed. Hope to see everyone this Friday and/or Saturday! Update September 3, 2007 Howdy Alumni! I apologize for the long delay in correspondence regarding reunion. I have had a lot of other commitments this year and have gotten really behind in reunion planning. After last years reunion, we have also been debating about the best way to proceed with future reunions. While we had good (normal) attendance at last year's reunion, it was just barely enough people present to cover the costs, even at $25 per adult. We ended up with a positive balance of about $200 thanks to a $500 donation from the current team, leaving a total AWAA account balance (combined 2005 & 2006 reunions) of $380.61 . If not for the team donation, we would have been in the hole just from the income of the attendees alone. Food, drinks, decorations, and a decent facility are just a lot of expense to cover when only divided between about 50-60 or so alumni who attend annually (not including the 24 or so current team members who we haven't charged to attend in the past). A few people commented that for $25 a head, there should "be more," which I can understand based on a typical A&M or large high school class reunion, but when you're only dividing the costs between a limited number of people, it can only carry us so far. Thus, the dilemma about how to proceed with future reunions. After consulting with a few other alumni, and based on suggestions the past 2 reunions, I have the following thoughts regarding future reunions. I'm recommending having "mini" reunions annually, with larger celebrations for every quinquennial (5th year) anniversary, with the next big one being the 25th anniversary of wranglers in 2009. The annual "mini" reunions would consist of a scheduled "reunion" date on a home football weekend or something (maybe even a basketball weekend if they continue in their upward progress), with a pre or post game informal gathering at a particular location, lunch/dinner (depending on game time) at a group-friendly place like Rudy's or the new C&J BBQ location, and then everyone going out dancing. Basically something that wouldn't have much of an expense associated with it on an annual basis. Maybe someone trying to organize a block section for tickets. From comments, it seems that on a routine annual basis, alumni just want a time and place to get together, visit with friends, and do some dancing, and don't necessarily want to pay $25 per person, in addition to their travel & hotel expenses. For the "anniversary" reunions, the AWAA would actually rent a facility like we have in the past, and hopefully we'll have a really large turnout on those years like we had for the 20th anniversary reunion. We probably wouldn't want to schedule the larger reunions on a home football weekend due to the reasons previously discussed when planning the 20th anniversary reunion. We are open to further comments and suggestions from all alumni regarding future reunions, so please let us know your thoughts! This will be only the 3rd reunion since the alumni association took things over, so we are still attempting to figure out the best way to go about doing things on a routine basis. We are experimenting with different ideas to see how things go, and in time will determine the best approach for the long term. Nevertheless, we are moving forward with the "mini" reunion idea at least for the 2007 reunion. The reunion date for this year is October 6, 2007, the same date as A&M vs. Oklahoma State home football game. I deeply apologize for the short notice, with reunion being only 5 weeks away. However, I do hope many of you can make plans to attend (especially if you're already coming to the game anyway). More details and schedule of events will come soon. Hope to see everyone October 6th! Update January 30, 2007 I hope everyone enjoyed Reunion 2006! I feel we had another great turnout. We are currently evaluating potential changes for Reunion 2007 and will try to provide information along with a potential date as soon as possible. Hope everyone had a great Christmas and a Happy New Year! Update October 20, 2006 We are going to be at the Welborn Community Center at 9am Saturday morning to setup tables/chairs and decorate. Anyone who is available, please feel free to stop by and help out. We could also use some help cleaning up after reunion Saturday night as well. Also, if anyone has some western type decorations that they don't mind lending out, I'm sure we can find somewhere to put them, it's a pretty big place to decorate and we're trying to be conservative in our decorating budget. Everything is going on as planned. The weather outlook is pretty good for the park Saturday. Looks like it's supposed to be in the mid-70's during the day, but down in the 50's for the evening, so I would recommend bringing a sweatshirt or jacket. There's also a chance for rain Saturday night. Anyone that needs my cell number can get it off the wrangler database list in the yahoo groups in case you need to contact me over the weekend. I would post it here, but I don't want to end up on a 1,000 telemarketing call lists. Based on the RSVP's, looks like we'll have 90 to 100 people attending. Should be a fun weekend! See everyone there! Update September 24, 2006 Howdy Alumni, IMPORTANT NOTE: Please read. I need RSVP's by October 17th to make final arrangements for reunion. See below. Aggie Wrangler Reunion 2006 is less than 1 month away! I hope everyone is planning on being in College Station on October 21st. To reduce costs (and since we are in the electronic age), there will be no regular mailing sent regarding reunion this year. As stated previously, I plan on relying on the Alumni Association website (www.wrangleralumni.com) and email as the primary means of communication regarding the annual reunion. Therefore, if you know of any former Wranglers who you believe will not receive this information through electronic means, then please pass this information along. The cost of reunion this year for AWAA members and guests will be $25.00 per adult. There will be no additional fees for children. Reunion T-shirts and window stickers will be available for purchase at reunion. With last years fees and attendance, we barely broke even (ending with an account balance of $181.45), including the donations made the night of reunion. The resulting balance was enough to cover the $150 deposit to reserve the Wellborn Community Center for reunion this year, but that's about it. I have personally paid the remainder of the deposits and fees in preparation for this year's reunion out of my own pocket. At my low (worst case) estimate for attendance this year, the $25 per adult will be enough to break even again. Hopefully, we will again have a great turnout, allowing the AWAA to add to it's account balance to assist in covering expenses for next year's reunion. Over the next 3-5 years, my goal is to accumulate enough of a positive balance in the AWAA acount to be able to cover the deposits and expenses of each reunion, without any individual having to front the cost of reunion, and take on the risk of not being fully reimbursed. Then the fees from each subsequent reunion will just replenish the account balance. For now, the AWAA really needs a minimum balance each year of $600 just to cover the reservation deposits (allowing the remainder of the fees to be prepaid by the members attending reunion if the president isn't willing to cover the final balances due just prior to reunion). This will prepare the Association in the event that I decide to resign as "president" or get voted out, and the person who takes it over is not willing or in the position to front the association $2,000 leading up to each reunion, as I will this year. If members feel these fees are too expensive, then a vote can be taken at reunion to cut out some of the expenses (such as Saturday night dinner, etc.) to allow us to reduce the fees. In regard to voting and the organizational elements of the association, I have posted the current AWAA Constitution for the members review at this link: The fees for Reunion 2006 can be mailed in advance or paid at the door. If you pay in advance, please send your fees ($25 per adult) to: Jason English 1525 E. 29th Street Apt. 406 Bryan, TX 77802 IMPORTANT: No matter whether you pay in advance or not, PLEASE RSVP with the total number of adults attending as soon as possible by emailing me at jenglish@wrangleralumni.com. I need to determine a fairly close attendance estimate in order to make final arrangements regarding food. I hope everyone can attend reunion this year! I would love another great turnout like last year. Feel free to email me with any questions. Please expect another email closer to reunion with any last minute changes, but as always, please continue to check www.wrangleralumni.com regularly to stay up-to-date with the association activities. Take care and Gig'em. Jason English '96 Update June 27, 2006 Howdy alumni! I apologize for the length of time that has passed since the last update regarding Reunion 2006. Reunion 2006 will be October 21, 2006! This is the day of the Aggie away game versus OSU. We will again plan on everyone meeting up Friday night for dancing (at a location to be determined), and then have some planned activity during the day on Saturday, followed by the main event Saturday evening starting at 6pm at the same venue as last year (Wellborn Community Center). In light of the newly imposed "rules" of the University on the current team, one of which being that Wrangler alumni are no longer allowed to attend any function of the Aggie Wrangler team, it appears it was a blessing that the alumni took over the reunion event last year, otherwise it would have been quite a chore for the alumni to try and make it happen this year in the limited time since the injudicious University ruling. While several volunteers will be needed to assist come closer to the reunion date, I currently would like to request ideas for this year's reunion t-shirt. If someone really wants to run with it and provide the entire design, that would be great, or if individuals want to just provide suggestions regarding potential artwork, text, slogans, sayings, t-shirt color, etc., anything would be appreciated. If ya'll can provide the suggestions, then I will take it to a local screen printing place here in College Station (where we have connections, i.e., discounts!) that will put it together and make the shirts at a good price for us. I really need some of you creative people's help! I hope to see everyone at reunion this year! Please continue to check the AWAA website regularly as I will be updating it as the planning progresses with more details on the events, times, and locations. I will send out regular email updates as well, but checking the website regularly (www.wrangleralumni.com) is really the best means to stay up-to-date. Check the list of accommodations at the link above for those of you needing to book hotels for reunion. Also, please continue to update your information on the yahoo groups database (instructions are on the website). ALL NEW ALUMNI (or any other alumni not in the database), please add your information to the database if you have not already, as there is no one tracking you and doing it for you. Hope everyone is having a great summer so far! See you all soon at reunion! Update March 11, 2006 Howdy Ags! Thanks everyone for your responses and comments! I had a total of 62 alumni respond and vote regarding a fall or spring reunion. The results of the voting are as follows: Fall 2006 Reunion: 80.6% Spring 2006 Reunion: 9.7% Indifferent: 9.7% As you can see, by a landslide vote, reunion 2006 will be postponed to this coming fall. While several voiced their opinion that they would like to try and schedule reunion on a football weekend, more people seemed to think it would be best on a non-home game weekend due to the reasons discussed in my prior email. In addition, information provided to an alumni by Bill Byrne (A&M athletic director) was that as of now, all non-televised games through October will have a 6pm kickoff and that all kickoff times can change up to 6 days prior to the game due to TV scheduling. So, I will be proceeding by primarily looking at the 3 non-home game dates in October (7th, 21st, & 28th). As soon as I get facilities confirmed, I will announce the final date for the 2006 reunion. Prior to reunion this fall, I should know the potential options as far attempting to coordinate reunion and tryouts in 2007, and take a vote of those in attendance this fall to decide whether to have a spring or fall reunion in 2007. Look forward to seeing everyone this fall! The final date will be announced soon. Thanks. Jason English '96 Update February 26, 2006 Howdy Alumni! The purpose of this update is to get the alumni's opinion on the date of reunion based on the information I'm going to outline below. I will make a decision based on the majority vote of the alumni who respond to me at jenglish@aggieenglish.com. Sorry this is a little long, but I want everyone to be fully informed before they vote. As everyone is hopefully aware, the reunion date was moved from April 29th to May 6th due to the inability to find an available (and affordable) facility on April 29th. Both Kurten and Wellborn have longtime annual events the last weekend in April. Apparently, I unknowingly swiped that date last year for the Wellborn facility by reserving at such an early date. However, the group that hosts the annual event made sure that didn't happen again this year by beating me out. I've searched for all facilities in B/CS and the surrounding communities without success in finding another facility for a price I feel we can afford. In addition, the date of Wrangler tryouts will remain on April 29th, so that will put Reunion the weekend after tryouts. Since the announcement of the new reunion date, I've also become aware of another conflict that may affect reunion attendance of the current team and members of recent teams. A wedding for a couple on the current team is scheduled for the same evening as reunion, and therefore, outside of a performance, the current team and (probably alumni of recent teams) understandably will not be attending the main reunion event, or for only a short while. One of the original purposes of moving reunion to the Spring was to try and correspond reunion and tryouts, to potentially increase attendance at both. Unfortunately, that will not be possible this year and quite possibly in future years due to the scheduled annual events at the few local and affordable facilities, unless the date of tryouts can be postponed by a week in future years. This would really be the only option since every weekend in April other than the last is typically tied up with major events (Parent's Weekend, Easter, Muster, Ring Dance). Because of this, I want to get the Alumni's opinion about moving Reunion back to the Fall, but holding the event on a weekend that does not have an A&M home football game. If reunion is returned to the fall, there are a few prime reasons I feel reunion would only be feasible on a non-home football weekend. (1) Hotel accommodations are non-existent (and more expensive) on weekends with home football games. (2) Game kickoff times are typically not determined until the week of the game due to television scheduling. It would really put things in a bind if the week of reunion, the football game was moved to Saturday evening. Even a 2:30 afternoon kickoff would put those attending the game to most likely arriving at reunion no earlier than 7:30 (3 hour game, traffic, showering & cleanup). (3) Football weekends present another headache as far as scheduling facilities and food catering. Many alumni (myself included) seemed to really like reunion starting at an earlier time (6:00), and the more relaxed schedule without trying to fit in a home football game. If the majority of alumni would like a fall reunion, I feel the best dates would be October 21st (OSU away game) or 28th (Baylor away game). I'm happy to do whatever the majority of the alumni prefer. So, based on my best efforts to inform you, please vote your preference whether to (A) proceed with the currently scheduled reunion date of May 6, or (B) postpone reunion to the Fall. Please respond with your vote (and/or comments) by the end of this week - Friday, March 3rd to jenglish@aggieenglish.com. At that time, the decision will be made based on majority vote of alumni responding. Thanks in advance. Gig'em! Jason English '96 Update January 15, 2006 Due to a scheduling conflict with the facility where Reunion was held last year, and the inability to find an equivalent facility that was available, I have changed the date of Reunion 2006 to May 6, 2006. I apologize for any inconvenience that this has caused anyone. I'm am awaiting word from the current team as to whether the date of tryouts can be moved. It may not be possible because of the time that A&M finals fall. If not, then the Wrangler "newbies" can get an early exposure to the history of Wranglers. So, there can be some positives to having reunion soon after tryouts. I will keep you posted regarding tryouts. In addition, I will be sending out an email shortly to request volunteers to help with reunion in certain areas. Update October 7, 2005 Aggie Wrangler Reunion 2006 will be April 28-30, 2006, with the main event being Saturday evening, April 29th. Please mark your calendars! Updated reunion information will be posted as soon as it is available! Please continue to update your email and contact info in the database found on the Aggie Wrangler yahoo groups! As discussed at reunion, the primary means of communication will be via email and this AWAA website, as each regular mailing sent out to the 200+ alumni costs the association about $100. So, in order to keep costs down, please keep your email address in the database current and regularly check this website for updates. For any comments regarding Reunion 2005 or suggestions for Reunion 2006, please email Jason English (jenglish@tca.net). Hope to see everyone at Reunion 2006! Update July 11, 2005 Thanks to all who attended the 2005 Reunion! It was a great turnout and lots of fun and dancin'! If you couldn't make it to this years reunion, then I hope to see ya at the next one. The date for Aggie Wrangler Reunion 2006 will be posted and emailed as soon as it is determined. Thanks again for all those who assisted with reunion (planning, set-up, cleanup, etc...). Your help was much appreciated!!!!!!! Everyone take care and GIG'EM! Update April 17, 2005 - Important regarding RSVP's and Friday Schedule Change!!! The time for Reunion is fast approaching! If you plan to attend, and have not sent in your RSVP form (Click here to download), it is not too late! Please email Jason English at jenglish@tca.net indicating your intentions to attend and mail your RSVP form and payment as soon as possible in order for us to give an accurate head count to the caterer. However, orders for the items to purchase are no longer available as the final numbers have already been turned into the product vendors. MANY are planning to attend, so come see old friends and renew/relive days as Aggie Wranglers! Should be a GREAT time for everyone-- don't miss this opportunity! IMPORTANT!!: There has been a schedule change for Friday night. A concert has been scheduled at Hurricane Harry's, so we have changed the location to meet for dancing at 8pm to The Canyon located in Post Oak Mall. We have negotiated a discounted cover charge at The Canyon, so please tell them you are with the Aggie Wrangler Alumni Association when you arrive in order to get the discounted rate. In addition, the times and locations for the Sunday morning tryouts have also been updated. Please review the updated schedule of events, along with directions and maps to event locations located here on the website. It is important to pass this information along to friends just in case we don't have a valid email in our system for everyone. While we don't anticipate any additional changes, I encourage everyone to visit the Aggie Wrangler Alumni Association website the week prior to reunion to verify the schedule of events and locations. I will keep the website updated with any changes leading up to the reunion event. I have a few other housekeeping items that were not mentioned in the previous material that was sent. Regarding Saturday at Villa West Park, lunch will be provided by the association, but please bring your own favorite beverages (alcoholic and non-alcoholic). Drink machines are available at the park pavilion and we will be providing some coolers with ice that will be available for use. Also, please bring any sports equipment (basketball, horseshoes, volleyball, baseball, soccer, etc.) you may want to use. You can see a list of some of the park amenities on the schedule of events here on the website. Lastly, if you plan to attend, we are looking for old wrangler videos and photographs. Please bring a copy of any old videos and/or photographs you have so we can create a video and photographic library. If you have video, please email Kimberlee Norris at kdnorris@lovenorris.com and let her know what you've got. We would love to compile videos and photographs so they can be viewed by all at future reunions! For those of you that purchased any of the products we had for sale, they will be available for pickup Friday at The Canyon or at any of the Saturday events. If you have any other questions or comments, then please email Jason English at jenglish@tca.net. See you at REUNION April 29th - May 1st!! Update 3/31/2005 Thanks to everyone who has responded regarding Aggie Wrangler Reunion! It looks like we're going to have a great crowd! To those who have not responded, but would like to attend reunion, don't fret. Just send in your RSVP/order form as soon as you can, or as soon as you can finalize your schedule. Depending on when I receive it, it may be too late to be included in the product orders, but if that is the case, I will provide a full refund for any items you do not receive at reunion. To all, please note that the Friday night location for dancing will be changing due to Robert Earl Keen being scheduled to perform at Hurricane Harry's. While it should be a great concert, not everyone will want to pay the cover charge for such an event. We are still in the process of confirming a different location, so please check back prior to reunion to verify the schedule of events. I will also send out an email to all in the database when a location is confirmed. Look forward to seeing everyone at reunion! Update 3/7/2005 Reminder: Please send in your RSVP/Order Form by March 18, 2005! I must receive all forms in hand by the absolute latest date of March 28th, but please don't wait until the last minute because I need to relay accurate counts to the food/product vendors. Remember, Aggie Wrangler reunion can only continue if it has the support from the alumni, so please send in your payment if you plan on attending. If you are interested in any of the items we have for purchase, you must order and pay in advance. They will not be available for purchase at reunion! Update 2/9/2005 Please contact Jason English (jenglish@tca.net) if you have any questions. Howdy Ags! Dust off those boots, Aggies! The Fightin' Texas Aggie Wrangler Reunion is upon us! April 29th through May 1st, 2005, we're celebrating 20 years of Aggie Wrangler boot-scootin'! We have exciting events and activities scheduled for former Wranglers and families, with Alumni attending who represent Aggie Wrangler history from 1984 to the present. You won't want to miss this historic event! Please review the schedule of events covering Friday evening through Sunday noon of reunion weekend... PLEASE plan to stay for try-outs on Sunday morning, May 1st, so YOU can impact THIS generation of Aggie Wranglers! Please arrange for your own accommodations. Please check the Bryan/College Station visitors center, which lists most all of the local hotels, along with contact information. There are many new hotels that have recently been built or that are currently under construction (with completion scheduled prior to reunion). Directions to the Reunion event locations can be found here: Directions to Events The cost to attend is $15 per adult, $7.50 per child (3-12 yrs), and children age 2 and younger are free. Please note the Reunion payment form enclosed with your letter or download an Adobe .pdf copy from the Items to Purchase page. Please complete this form and return with payment by March 18th, 2005, so we can have an accurate head count, for food purposes. This order form also lists Aggie Wrangler products available for purchase. PLEASE NOTE these items MUST be pre-paid, and WILL NOT be available for purchase onsite at reunion in April. So also fill out this portion of the order form (with quantities, sizes, etc.) and include the cost in your payment check. These reunion products may be viewed here: Items to Purchase We've had a HUGE initial response from former Wranglers, and expect a great turnout for this Reunion! Please contact other Wranglers from your class years, and encourage them to come; we anticipate a fabulous time reminiscing, boot-scootin' and catching up with old friends! Don't miss this chance to see friends and dance buddies from your year(s) on the team! To this end, please check the "Alumni 'Lost' Wrangler List" (Lost Wrangler List.pdf), and see if your buddies are "missing in action", so we can find and inform all alumni. Don't wait! CALENDAR this event and send in your order form. Write all checks to: Aggie Wrangler Alumni Association and place with the completed order form in the addressed envelope enclosed with the mailing, or if downloaded from the website, mail to the address listed at the bottom of the order form. Be there! Gig'em Update 1/23/2005 We are finishing up with the final reunion plans and hope to have the final letter in the mail by the end of the month or the first week in February. Such mailing will include the final schedule of events, items that will be available for pre-purchase, along with other information. Items available for purchase can be viewed here: Items to Purchase. All information will also be posted to this website. Update 11/15/2004 Posted 11/8/2004 Howdy Aggie Wrangler Alumni! Get ready to dust off those boots, because the Fightin' Texas Aggie Wrangler Reunion will be April 29-30, 2005 in College Station, Texas. So mark your calendars!! We hope to have a big turnout from all former Wranglers to help celebrate 20 years of Aggie Wranglers! We would like to also announce the newly formed Aggie Wrangler Alumni Association, which starting this year, will plan all future Aggie Wrangler Reunions. A group of Wrangler Alumni representing various time periods from the founding team to the current team are working to plan reunion, with a goal to increase attendance and participation in Reunion from all former Wranglers starting from the 1984 team to the current. This year's reunion will consist of planned events starting Friday evening, April 29th, and continuing until the main event on Saturday evening (see tentative schedule of events). More details and information will follow as soon as we can get everything compiled, to include the schedule of events, a list of hotels (including potential Aggie Wrangler group rates), and potential Aggie Wrangler Alumni items available for purchase. But for now, please mark this date on your calendar and plan on attending! In addition, Aggie Wrangler Tryouts for the 2005-2006 team will be held the same weekend on Sunday, May 1, 2005. So, the current team would like to invite all Wrangler Alumni to come and judge the dancing at tryouts starting Sunday morning, and probably finishing by noon or early afternoon. Also, please visit http://groups.yahoo.com/group/aggiewranglers/ which will take you to the Aggie Wrangler Alumni yahoo groups page, where you can join the group (a free service), allowing you to utilize the message board and communicate with all alumni who have joined the group, but most importantly, please add or update your information (especially address and email) in the alumni database. The database on the Aggie Wranglers yahoo groups page is the most current information we have on all former members, and is the information utilized for all mailings and emails. So, please keep your information up-to-date, and update other alumni's information that you know is incorrect. We really need both an email address and a mailing address to keep Alumni completely informed and "in the loop." Fairly detailed instructions on how to access the database and update your information are provided on the page "database instructions." Please check this website on a regular basis for reunion updates, as our primary means of keeping everyone informed and updated is through this website and by email. Lastly, in order to better estimate costs, etc., we would ask everyone who hasn't already emailed Jason English or Kimberlee Norris, to please email us whether or not you think you will be able to attend reunion. We realize that many may not know for sure yet, but we are just trying to get a ballpark number. So, please let us know your initial thoughts about whether you will be attending reunion, or won't be attending reunion. If you think you will be able to attend reunion, please also include the estimated number that will be attending with you (spouse, children, significant other, etc.). This will enable us to better plan and estimate costs. Please email jenglish@tca.net with your initial response. Hope to see everyone at Reunion!!
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