2015 Holiday Meet-n-Deet! (photos added!)

[OneSpeed]

Hello everyone,

I am the organizer for this year's Holiday Meet-n-Deet, and it's time to make the official announcement of time and place.

Mark your calendars for Sunday, December 13, 5 to 9 p.m.

This year’s Meet ‘n Deet will be held at Mekong Bistro. They specialize in Cambodian, Laotian and Thai cuisine, including vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free options. Soft drinks, beer and mixed drinks can also be purchased. For a preview of food and beverage offerings, here is a link to the Mekong Bistro website.

Mekong Bistro is generously letting us use their banquet room free of charge -- hooray! The room has a capacity of 250 people, plenty of room for our group, allowing for more mingling than the room at Stark Street Pizza. There is even a stage! Plenty of easy, free parking is available in their off-street parking lot.

Mekong Bistro is located at 8200 NE Siskiyou Street in Portland, right at the corner of Siskiyou and 82nd. It is easy to find, and here's a link to a Google Map. The mass transit option would be to take the 82nd stop on MAX, then a short ride on the line 72 bus route. There is a bus stop right in front of the restaurant.

Please Volunteer to Help!

As always, this is very much a group effort, and we need help with setup, cleanup, table staff, calendar sales, gifts for door prizes, and lots of other stuff. Please PM me if you're willing to pitch in.

Special thanks for now to go Jane and Born2BBrad for all their help in seeking a new location. Brad, in particular, found Mekong and wrote most of this announcement.

Stay tuned here and elsewhere for more details on this event. We look forward to partying with you in Meet-n-Deet's new and bigger home!

[Guy]

Just curious, why the switch from Friday to Sunday?

[Splintercat]

Brad did the heavy-lifting on this, Guy - but I think the Sunday time was when they were able to offer the banquet space at no charge.

Tom

[Born2BBrad]

Just curious, why the switch from Friday to Sunday?

Brad did the heavy-lifting on this, Guy - but I think the Sunday time was when they were able to offer the banquet space at no charge. Tom

That is correct. I believe most, if not all, of the Meet N' Deets have been on a Saturday. In order to get this particular room for free, Sunday was the best option. Saturdays are Mekong Bistro's big money day for that room, hosting weddings, parties and other events, so that day of the week was not available. Weekdays were available, but it is more likely to be a better turnout on a Sunday than a weekday.

As someone who is somewhat claustrophobic, I'm excited to have some room for our group to spread out and mingle more.

Hike on man,

Brad

[Chase]

I'm into it-- I can walk there in 20 minutes from my house!

[miah66]

5 mins from my house!

[cincodemayo]

I have a work holiday party at 3pm on the same day. So I can't help the event as usual. But I am happy to do before or when I get there if I can do anything. Let me know.

Chizuru

[Jane]

Thanks everyone, wow only a few days away!!!

Here's more info on how you can help out a bit, and some of the great items you could win
viewtopic.php?f=13&t=22954

Who's planning to join us? Looking forward to seeing you fun folks Sunday!!

[Webfoot]

Is this gathering open to any who are interested? I have been lurking on this site for about a year and a half, and I would like to meet some more experienced hikers and learn from them.

[Born2BBrad]

Is this gathering open to any who are interested? I have been lurking on this site for about a year and a half, and I would like to meet some more experienced hikers and learn from them.

Hello Webfoot. This event is open to all that are interested, whether they are a member of the OH community, or just a lurker.

See you there if you make it!

Brad