Now to be honest, my health is not as it used to be.. I get a little tired now and then, which at this point, goes with the territory.  I have pondered about having a reunion in Cody, Wyoming for next year. I did not want to use a lot of time on arranging events and collecting money and guessing on who would come.  I figured that I may lack the energy.  After you finish reading this, you will understand that these will not be an issue for this reunion.

Where:

Cody is about 45 miles due east of Yellowstone Park.  If you have not been through Yellowstone, now is your chance.  Cody is a cowboy town…well maybe now a tourist/cowboy (and cowgirl) town.  It is a lovely little spot and is very Western American.

I decided the reunion would take place on 4 July 2020  (actual dates 2 July to 5 July).  It will be crowded on that Saturday. Well “crowded” for Wyoming standards, but a fantastic parade will take place downtown and that night is a “full moon”  (All Saigon Kids Reunions have taken place on a full moon) with fireworks in the evening.
Getting to Cody:

Yellowstone Regional Airport is about 5 miles out from downtown.  Rental cars are available at the airport and there are various shuttle buses. This airport is served by Salt Lake City and Denver.

There are airports in Idaho Falls, Bozeman and Billings, but then you will certainly need a car.  Billings Airport is about 110 Miles from Cody, which is about a two-hour drive.

Driving through Wyoming is spectacular.  You will see antelope roaming a lot of open land. If you drive up through southwestern Wyoming, drive by the Grand Teton near Jenny’s Lake at Sunset.  Unbelievable! From the West, drive through Yellowstone (I believe you will be charged about $35 for an entrance fee) and the experience is well worth it.  Most of Wyoming has very little traffic, so you will make good time driving down their highways.  Yellowstone Park is the exception.  It is very slow and tons of traffic.

Things to do:

Go to Yellowstone and there are various tours available.  I recommend this before the reunion or after.

Buffalo Bill Center of the West with the cost being about $20 (I recommend seeing the whole museum).

Shops, cafes and bars in Old Cody.

Heart Mountain Interpretive Center. It is about 12 miles north of Cody and was one of 10 Japanese Relocation Centers back in WW II. (About $7.00).  We could car pool together for those interested.  It is worth seeing!

The one thing I would put on our agenda is the “Cody Cattle Company”.  It would consist of a buffet dinner followed by country singing group. If you had the desire, walk over to the rodeo (well worth seeing this world class event) after dinner and the music, it would cost $49 a person.  For just the dinner and music it would be $32.  I will call the Company and get it set up where we sit together.  You would then call and make your own reservation..  Don’t do it yet.  Also, the rodeo over that weekend may be a little different then normal.  It is then called the Cody Stampede Rodeo so I need to see if the cost is different. I will get back with you on this.

Places to stay:

Google Cody, Wyoming and look up Hotels/Motels.  They have many good ones.
All hotels have their unique qualities and vary in the star ratings.  Downtown hotels have the advantage of where you just walk out the door to shops and cafes that line the street.  The “Buffalo Bill’s Irma Hotel” is famous and old (1902) and right downtown.  The town of Cody does have Taxis and Ubers.

Activity Room:

Getting a place with an “Activity (Party) Room” where we can all meet up and visit whenever we want is so nice.  Finding a place with that room is always the hard part.  Do they have such a room, the cost, where is it, etc. is a challenge for the organizer.  Well for Cody, I’ve already rented an AirBnB. It is about 1 ½ miles north east of downtown.  The AirBnB will be open 24/7 if you want to meet folks, or have a drink or have Munchies.

Tentative Schedule:

2 July …Get-together in the evening at the AirBnB for drinks, munchies and conversation

3 July …Visit Heart Mountain (The Interpretive Center cost $7) in the Morning and those with energy, visit the Buffalo Bill Center ($20) in the afternoon.  That evening at 5:30 sharp we would all meet at the Cody Cattle Company for dinner, music and maybe the rodeo as an option.  The Cody Cattle Company is on the west end of town.

4 July  … meet on Sheridan Ave and watch the parade.  In the afternoon come to the AirBnB and we will all join in and cook our own Barbecue…cook hot dogs, burgers, etc.???  More about this later!  I still have to find out where the fireworks are that evening.

5 July would be nice to have a breakfast somewhere.  I have to work on that.  Again, the little town will be packed that week. Perhaps we can get some food and have it at the Airbnb.

I do not plan to collect activity fees for this reunion.  That makes it easy.  Get your own rooms in the place you wish to stay.

Cody is a hot spot in the summer and especially on July 4th.  I rented the AirBnB today.  Hotels/motels will start getting booked relatively early.

Bob Layson will post updates periodically on Saigon Kids American Community School web site.

I will also send out emails if I have your address.

The only thing requested from you is to send Bob and I an email if you plan to attend.  We can then update this list to let everyone else know who is coming.

Please give thoughts about the reunion plan.

Also, if you have a question, please ask me at
stoddardfrank@hotmail.com

P.S. If Bob shows up, I will ride a bull.

The Cody Cattle Company

Buffalo Bill Museum

Heart Mountain

Cody Stampede Rodeo