Celebrating the Genes

10/06/2022

Final countdown. We're days away.
You placed your ballpark ticket order (pick them up at willcall)?
You placed your food order? (with us)
You will be at the ballpark in Des Moines by 6 on Tuesday (we'll start gathering at 5:38 when gates open)?
If you're flyiing in and staying at Des Lux: You know there is an airport shuttle? (Call the front desk.

See you all next week.

24/04/2022

The Gene Foreman Des Moines First-Pitch Q & A
Q. Where is the ballpark?
A. Principal Park is at the confluence of the Des Moines and Raccoon rivers, just south of downtown. The address is 1 Line Drive. (Get it?)
Q. Will Kevin Costner be there?
A. Stop it. This is not that ballpark. That one’s in Dyersville, which is three hours away.
Q. How do I get to Principal Park?
A. Uber/Lyft or walk. The park is within a mile of all three of our hotels. The closest is the Hampton Inn, the farthest the Des Lux.
Q. What time should I get there?
A. The ballpark gates open at 5:38 p.m. (A strangely specific time, no? Those Iowans.) Gene will take the mound at about 6:25 p.m. The game starts at 6:38. (What is it with these times?)
Q. Where do I pick up my ticket?
A. At will call.
Q. Is the ticket free?
A. No. $8.
Q. Are all our seats together?
A. Yes. We have a block of seats.
Q. Will there be food and drinks at the game?
A. It is a ballpark. They are known for hot dogs and other delicacies from passing vendors and stadium eateries.
Q. Will we gather someplace before the game?’
A. Only at the ballpark. Why not show up around 5 p.m.? We’ll mingle outside until the gates open, then head in.
Q. What happens if the game is rained out?
A. We’ve requested a clear, dry, warm night, so no worries. (We are told rainouts in June are very rare, and any cloud burst is usually short, and then the game resumes.)
Q. Will Covid vaccinations be required?
A. We’d very much like everyone to be vaccinated. But we’re not checking."

"Q. What happens if there’s a major Covid outbreak in Iowa in June?
A. We can’t speak to what the Iowa Cubs or Des Moines might do in that case, but we intend to go forward no matter what. Each of us will have to decide how much risk is too much.
Q. Will we head some place after the game?
A. Gatherings back at the hotels are certainly legal under Iowa law.
Q. The next morning, is there a group breakfast?
A. Only whatever group you create on your own.
Q. Where is the picnic the next day?
A. Pete Crivaro Park, 1012 SE 14th St. (Fun Fact: This particular Mayor Pete was “known for his tirades at City Council meetings,” according to The New York Times account of his passing, in 1986.)
Q. How do I get to Pete Crivaro?
A. The park is about two miles from downtown. Think of it as a vigorous walk. Or think of a taxi.
Q. Couldn’t you find something closer?
A. We had a key requirement: A picnic location with a roof, in case it rains. Pete Crivaro Park has a large, roofed, open-sided shelter with picnic tables.
Q. What time does the picnic start?
A. Noon.
Q. Will food and drink be provided?
A. We’ve got a place lined up that will provide sandwiches, soft drinks, lemonade, and iced tea.
Q. You left out beer and wine.
A. Alcohol in Des Moines parks is illegal. So don’t bring your own. We won’t bail you out.
Q. Will I have to pay for my picnic food and drinks?
A. We hope so.
Q. Will there be food choices?
A.. We’ll do our best to have a selection that satisfies everyone, and closer to the event will send a list of choices to get a sense of what to order. That likely will include a vegetarian, not a vegan choice.
Q. Will there be activities at the picnic?"

"A. Getting to it is the main one. And at some point we’ll connect electronically to Gene Roberts, to wish him a happy 90th birthday! But neither a three-legged race nor egg toss is planned.
Q. When will the picnic end?
A. Officially, around four. No one, of course, needs to stay for the entire time.
Q. What happens after the picnic?
A. You go your merry way. Some people are staying over and will be free, of course, to make plans to carry on. Others will be rushing to get out of town as quickly as possible. There is no right answer.
Q. Will people think I look older?"

08/04/2022

If you are joining us for the June reunion featuring Gene Foreman throwing out the first pitch for the Iowa Cubs, and we hope you are, then please:
-- Make sure you've arranged lodging
-- Let us know how many baseball tickets you need for the June 14 game, which probably will involve being at the ballpark (where we'll have a special section) by about 6:30 on June 14.
On June 15: We will picnic at a park from 12 to 4, enabling those who need to leave after one night the ability to get out at a reasonable time. Many of us will be staying over until the 16th, and undoubtedly there will,l be plenty of opportunity to see old colleagues throughout the evening.
It's so Inquirer-esque: Let's all go to Des Moines.

18/03/2022

Updated invite: Please let us know by rsvp if you can attend.

You're invited to Des Moines reunion - Click here to RSVP

18/03/2022

AN IMPORTANT UPDATE: We're going forward with a revised event. On June 14, just as planned, Gene Foreman will throw out the first pitch of an Iowa Cub game in Des Moines. And the next day, we'll all gather with Gene for a catered lunch in a city park, to celebrate and reunite. Long overdue!

But because of a variety of reasons, including the difficulty of people getting to Iowa, we're preliminarily discussing another event likely in NYC, perhaps in October, which could be timed to 50 years since Gene Roberts took over as editor.

For now, here's what we can say about Des Moines: We have blocks of rooms available at two hotels, the Savoy and the Des Lux, and a discount is available under Gene90.

What we really need is to get a firm head count for Iowa so we can both ensure we have enough hotel rooms and plan out the picnic.

An Evite to your known email address will be coming shortly. If you haven't provided your email, or if you don't get the evite, please make sure we know!

22/02/2022

We are intending a celebration in Des Moines, Iowa (of all places) June 14-15. The 14th Gene Foreman will be throwing out the first pitch for the Iowa Cubs, a moment we won't want to miss. The following day, June 15, is the 90th birthday of Gene Roberts. Forty years since the party on Clinton. We're working on details, but really need, first, to get a sense of whether you intend to join us? So what we'd really like: You to plan on coming, and making sure we spread the word to our former colleagues. And please if you would let us know your email contact!