Upcoming
Society events
Fall
2009
Hoosier Heritage Pilgrimage:
"West Baden, French Lick
and The Cooks
"
Thursday & Friday , October 8-9, 2009
West Baden & French Lick, Indiana
Join us on a special two-day (one overnight) pilgrimage featuring private tours of two architectural wonders/resort hotels (one lavish hotel has been nicknamed the “Eighth Wonder of the World” for more than 100 years), as well as a personal tour of a historic courthouse under renovation, with the project’s distinguished Hoosier architect as our guide. Other highlights will include a stop at a historic African-American church that was built for West Baden Hotel employees by the hotel’s owner. In a rare treat, our dinner speakers in a banquet room at the French Lick Springs will be the internationally known philanthropists/historic preservationists Bill and Gayle Cook, who funded and oversaw the spectacular restorations of the West Baden and French Lick Springs hotels.
Thursday, October 8, 2009
- Enjoy breakfast and commentary on our drive south from author/historian Nelson Price and historian/educator Jim Fadely, author of Thomas Taggart: Public Servant, Political Boss 1856-1929, a biography of the flamboyant owner of French Lick Springs
- Tour the First Baptist Church “Black” in West Baden. Designed in Gothic Revival design in 1909, the church was built by West Baden owner Lee Sinclair for his African-American staff at the hotel; today, it has been renovated as a museum
- Enjoy a buffet lunch and short presentation at the Beechwood, a historic site known as the “Mansion” (former home of a West Baden hotel owner)
- Before checking into the hotel of your choice, enjoy private tours of West Baden and French Lick Springs, walking the corridors where John Barrymore, Clark Gable, the Kennedys, and Bing Crosby strolled.
- The afternoon is free for golf, a spa treatment, or to use your gambling coupon at the casino
- During a private dinner at the French Lick Springs, our speakers will be Bill and Gayle Cook. The Cook Group family company is the world’s largest privately held medical device manufacturer with international headquarters in Bloomington. The Cooks are known for their charitable and philanthropic efforts.
Friday, October 9, 2009
- Savor a leisurely breakfast at the Colonnade Restaurant at French Lick Springs.
- After breakfast, enjoy free time for golf, a visit to the French Lick Winery or the casino, or take advantage of the many amenities of the hotels, including a hot Pluto Mineral Springs bath, followed by lunch on your own.
- Travel to Paoli for a private tour of the Orange County Courthouse led by Indianapolis architect James T. Kienle. Specializing in historic preservation, he is the architect who is restoring the 1850 courthouse, the state’s second oldest courthouse in continuous use.
- Enjoy a stop at Oliver Winery near Bloomington in Monroe County.
- En route home, join in a toast to the individuals throughout history and during our pilgrimage who made this special opportunity possible.
Reserve early! This trip will likely sell out!
French Lick Springs Hotel Price:
$367
per person double
$325 per person triple or quad
$429 single
West Baden Hotel Price:
$405 per
person double
$374 per person triple or quad
$494 single
Price includes hotel room, transportation, two breakfasts, one lunch, one catered dinner, and all admissions, donations & gratuities to scheduled events and meals.
Deadline: Subject to availability
Guests are welcome. Seating is limited so don’t delay in making reservations.
Board Motor Coach at choice of three departure sites:
EAST: 7:30 am departure; 7 pm return: Flanner & Buchanan East, 10722 E.Washington St.
NORTH: 8 am departure; 6:30 pm return: Flanner & Buchanan Broad Ripple, 1305 E. Broad Ripple Ave.
WEST: 8:30 am departure; 6 pm return: Flanner & Buchanan West, 2950 N. High School Rd.
Mail the form you received in the mail (also available as a PDF here) and your check payable to:
Sunrise Tours/Milestone Travel Club
7911 Hunters Path
Indianapolis, IN 46214
To make a reservation or for answers to any questions,contact Sue Thomson or Sharon Woodburn at (317) 254-8945.
94th
Annual Meeting
& Luncheon
Saturday, November 7, 2009
Meridian Hills Country Club
Indianapolis, Indiana
More details will be forthcoming, but here's a tentative schedule:
- 10:30 a.m. Gather, meet and greet, peruse items offered for sale in the Silent Auction
- 11:30 a.m. Annual Meeting of Members
- 12:45 p.m. Lunch served with program to follow
- 1:45 p.m. Silent Auction closes
Archived Society events
As a service to our membership, we're pleased to make these reviews of previous Society events available here on the website:
Spring Pilgrimage 2009:
Montgomery County
Fall Pilgrimage 2008:
South Bend and Culver
93rd Annual Meeting
and Luncheon - 2008
Spring
Pilgrimage 2008:
Historic Tippecanoe County
92nd
Annual Meeting
and Luncheon - 2007
Fall Pilgrimage
2007:
Evansville & New Harmony
Spring
Pilgrimage 2007:
Wabash
91st
Annual Meeting
and Luncheon - 2006
Fall Pilgrimage
2006:
Bedford & Lawrence Counties
Spring
Pilgrimage 2006:
The Land of Lincoln
90th
Annual Meeting
and Luncheon - 2005
Spring
Pilgrimage 2005:
Taggart's French Lick & West Baden
89th
Annual Meeting
and Luncheon - 2004
Spring
Pilgrimage 2004:
Along the Old National Road
88th
Annual Meeting
and Dinner - 2003
Fall Pilgrimage
2003:
Lewis & Clark Bicentennial
Spring
Pilgrimage 2003:
History and Art of
Bloomington
87th
Annual Meeting
and Dinner - 2002
Fall Pilgrimage
2002:
The Lillys of Indianapolis
Spring
Pilgrimage 2002:
Lincoln's Indiana and
Historic Spencer County
86th
Annual Meeting
and Dinner - 2001
Fall Pilgrimage
2001:
Oldenburg and Batesville