Friend and family – good evening. I sent an evite out yesterday around 1:30pm CT, but in case you didn’t get it or if it was hard to read, here is what we have planned for our little turkey’s celebration:
· Mighty Oakes Memorial Mass.
o Saturday, June 16th, 2012 at 10am Central; should take about 60-75 minutes.
o Mass will be held at Holy Redeemer Catholic Church at 341 E. Lockwood Avenue, Webster Groves, MO, 63119.
o Everyone is invited and we urge you not to where black and to not be afraid to dress colorfully – this is a celebration.
o Oakes’ Mama & Papa will eulogize the mighty man.
· Mighty Oakes Celebration Party.
o Saturday, June 16th, 2012 from 12pm Central to 4pm Central.
o Party to be held at the World’s Fair Pavilion in St. Louis’ Forest Park, one of the largest urban parks in the US.
§ Forest Park hosted the 1904 World’s Fair and is home to the St. Louis Zoo, the St. Louis Art Museum (both having fee admittance), the History Museum, the Jewel Box greenhouse, the Science Center Planetarium, The Muny (an outdoor amphitheater), two golf courses, lots of tennis courts, many lakes, a 5.56 mile running/biking path and dozens of pieces of artwork.
§ Forest Park sits just north of the intersection of Interstate 64/40 and the Hampton Ave. exit. There are many signs within the park directing you to the World’s Fair Pavilion. There is plenty of very close parking and it is wheelchair accessible. To learn more about Forest Park, you can visit http://www.forestparkforever.org/.
o As of 6:15pm Central, we have 216 confirmed attendees which includes almost 100 kids! We will likely have 300 attendees and we are ready!!
o We have confirmed the following entertainment:
§ A bounce house
§ Two face painters
§ A bouncy basketball hoop
§ A balloon artist
§ We’re doing a “heart” balloon release
§ Sno-cone truck
§ Special Edition “BE MIGHTY” Mighty Oakes Heart Foundation t-shirts in all sizes and colors for kids and adults
§ Mighty Oakes slideshow capturing a pictorial history of his life set to music
§ Lots of nick-nacks for kids to play with
§ Close to confirming a blood drive
o We have confirmed the following food and beverages:
§ Dewey’s Pizza is donating pizza and salads
§ Llewelyn’s Pub is donating soda, water, hot dogs, chips and more
§ The Block Restaurant Butcher & Bar is donating several tubs of yummy macaroni & cheese
§ InBev Anheuser-Busch is donating lots of beer
§ Siduri & Novy Wineries is donating their fantastic wine
§ We’re working on some other finishing touches
§ We’ll have plenty of ice, cups, plates, napkins, etc.
o We’ll have seating for at least 200 people thinking that lots of people will be playing games or otherwise running around.
o Dress comfortable and, if you want, bring your favorite yard game as there is plenty of space around. And if you want a real comfy chair, feel free to bring it, but not a necessity.
o Hotels – it’s really too late to block a bunch of rooms, but we got three hotels near Forest Park who were nice enough to provide discounted rates. If these don’t work, there are lots of hotels nearby.
§ Spring Hill Suites by Marriott.
· 1231 Strassner Drive, St. Louis, MO, 63144, 314-647-8400
§ Hampton Inn.
· 5650 Oakland Avenue, St. Louis, MO, 63110, 314-655-3993
§ Homewood Suites by Hilton.
· 8040 Clayton Road, St. Louis, MO, 63117, 314-863-7700
Please RSVP to the evite either way and we hope to see you all there. Check out our foundation website for more information on how you can help – www.mightyoakes.org.
Love, G&B&I&O
From: Greg Ortyl
Sent: Saturday, June 09, 2012 1:33 PM
To: 'becky fox ortyl'; 'gortyl@yahoo.com'
Subject: Mighty Oakes Celebration Details - 6/16/12
Friends and family – good afternoon. We wanted to pass along details as soon as possible regarding the Oakes’ celebration next Saturday, June 16th. We are planning a Catholic Mass at our church, Holy Redeemer, here in Webster Groves, Missouri at 10am Central. Holy Redeemer’s address is 341 East Lockwood Avenue, Webster Groves, MO, 63119. Becky and I will both be eulogizing Oakes during the Mass. We figure the Mass will last about 60 minutes or so. Then the fun begins……and we really want to see ALL of you who can possibly make it!
Although we have not finalized the venue, we expect the Celebration Party to be held at a St. Louis landmark and will likely take place from around 12pm Central throughout the rest of the day. It will be the best party your family attends this year!! It will be super-kid focused and fun for everyone else too. Although there are many helpers in the midst of planning and finalizing these details, here are the highlights we are hoping to provide:
· Fun, outdoor setting with plenty of room to run around (maybe even a pond nearby)
o Cover in case of rain
o Plenty of shade to get out of the sun
o Breezy area that we can supplement with fans or misters
· A bubble truck
· Face painter
· Balloon artist
· Bounce house
· Tasty food & delicious drinks for young and old alike
· Blood drive & organ donation sign up
· Special Edition Mighty Oakes Heart Foundation shirts for kids and adults of all sizes
We are in the process of getting blocks of rooms at three area hotels, but we have not finalized the rates just yet:
1. Spring Hill Suites by Marriott.
a. 1231 Strassner Drive, St. Louis, MO, 63144, 314-647-8400
2. Hampton Inn.
a. 5650 Oakland Avenue, St. Louis, MO, 63110, 314-655-3993
3. Homewood Suites by Hilton.
a. 8040 Clayton Road, St. Louis, MO, 63117, 314-863-7700
For immediate family, you may want to check with your airline for any type of bereavement fares they offer. If they ask for proof of death, we expect the obituary to run in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch Monday or Tuesday or we can fax the death certificate to you.
As you can see, we are blowing it out and REALLY, REALLY hope to see you all. So book a ticket, call a hotel, gas up the car, pack fun clothes and we will see you and your families one week from today. We will be able to accommodate hundreds, so that is what we are planning.
We hope to have final confirmation of times and venue no later than Monday mid-day and we will send an evite to each of you, so please respond to that evite one way or the other at your earliest convenience.
Love to you all,
Greg, Becky, Isla P. & Mighty Oakes
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