William Strother Society Conference
July 17-19, 2008
Holiday Inn Select Conference Center
Richmond, Virginia

CONFERENCE 2008

DETAILS AND INFORMATION
      

RICHMOND, VA - The Board of Directors and Officers of the William Strother Society cordially invite you to attend the biennial conference from Thursday, July 17 through Saturday, July 19, at the Holiday Inn Select/Koger South Conference Center, Richmond, VA. If you plan to arrive one day earlier, you might want to join us for a Dinner Cruise on the James River.

SCHEDULE OF EVENTS

Thursday, July 17:
9:00 AM Registration to 3 PM Genealogy Room, Historian’s Display and Strother Store open
9:30 AM Board of Directors Meeting
6:00 PM Social Hour
7:00 PM Southern Buffet and show: 1862 Confederate Richmond

Friday, July 18:
8:30 AM Registration continues to 9:30 AM
9:45AM The Confederate Capitol Tour to 3:00 PM
Dinner on your own

Saturday, July 19:
8:30 AM Registration continues to 9:30 AM
9:30 AM General Business Meeting
10:30 AM New Board of Directors Meeting
11:30 AM Genealogy Room, Historian’s Display and Strother Store open
1:00 PM Wine Tasting Tour to the Woodland to 4:00 PM Vineyard Farm Winery
5:00 PM Social Hour and picture taking
6:30 PM Dinner, awards, and keynote speaker: John W. Mountcastle, Brigadier General, U.S. Army (retired): Men, Women and War in Virginia, May 1864.

Sunday, July 20:
9:00 AM Richmond Battlefields to 4:00 PM

CONFERENCE COMMITTEES
The Society has the following committees that will be involved in planning and hosting Conference 2008: Genealogy, Historic Display, Honors, Hospitality, Music, Registration, and Sales. If you are interested in serving on any of those committees, please contact Geoffrey Strother (703- 707-9630; e-mail geoffrey.strother@verizon.net)

CONFERENCE 2008 EVENTS

RICHMOND, VA - The following tours and events have been planned for Conference 2008. While some might seem somewhat expensive, we have to consider the fact that bus companies have to pay more for gasoline too, and with the cut in federal funding for many national projects, museums and battlefield parks have had to raise their entrance fees. I hope that this will not deter conference participants from joining us.

On Wednesday evening, July 16, the Board of Directors invites you to join them on a two-and-a-half hour dinner cruise on the scenic James River (cost per person $40.-). We will board the EAGLE I beginning at 4:45 PM. A buffet meal will be served, and beverages can be bought at a cash bar. Rather than renting a bus we will ask volunteers to make their cars available for transportation. Directions will be provided at the hotel. We will meet at 3:00 PM in the hotel lobby.

1862 Confederate Richmond - "You have just arrived in the Capitol of a new nation where you are greeted by historical characters dressed in the attire and discussing events of the day. You are encouraged to join in. You will be swept back to the era of the first truly American music with tunes on banjo, fiddle and button accordion filling the air. Join us for an evening of fun and song as a great addition to your tour of Confederate Richmond."

The above described event will take place Thursday night, July 18, at 6 PM at the Holiday Inn Conference Center. A traditional southern meal, including chicken, Virginia ham, sweet potato casserole, etc., will be served. The cost for the dinner and show is $45.

The Confederate Capitol Tour - Tour historic sites throughout the Southern Capitol where for four years the South attempted to build a new nation. Visit the Richmond National Battlefield Park Headquarters at Tredegar Ironworks, site of the Confederacy’s largest iron foundry. See the Museum of the Confederacy and adjacent White House, restored as it appeared when Jefferson Davis and his family lived there. Drive into Shockoe Valley, where the hospital and prisons were located. Walk through Hollywood Cemetery, final resting place of Davis, 25 Confederate generals, and 18,000 Confederate soldiers.

The tour begins at 9:45AM on Friday, July 18, and ends at 3:00PM. The cost is $64.50 per person which includes the buses, professional guides, entrance fees to the battlefield park, the museum and the cemetery (totaling $26.50), as well as a box lunch.

A tasting of local Virginia wines is planned for Saturday, July 19 . We will then visit the Woodland Vineyard Farm Winery in Midlothian, VA. a small family-owned and operated vineyard and winery. It currently produces approximately two tons of estate-grown grapes and 200 cases of wine annually, qualifying it as one of the state’s smallest farm wineries. You can visit their website at www.woodlandvineyard.com. The vines at Woodland Vineyard were planted in 1997 by owners Melissa and Eric. The vineyard was planted with Chardonnay, Vidal Blanc, Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon grapes. These four varietals are staples at the winery, though they also often produce wines from other popular grape varieties purchased from local vineyards. Eric has been involved in wine making since the beginning of the 70’s. His wife, Melissa, has a PhD in Food Science. Their daughter and son-in-law also help with the operations. They are a delightful couple. Adam, Betty and Neil Stewart sampled the wines and found them to be quite pleasant for such a small operation. They purchased several bottles to enjoy this spring.

The winery is about 20 minutes from the Holiday Inn. It is very easy to locate. We will caravan in our own vehicles from the hotel at approximately 1:00pm and will return by 4pm. This should give plenty of time to those that need to grab lunch after the Board Meeting as well as time to change for the evening festivities upon our return. The cost is $20 per adult. This includes a tour of the quaint winery and grounds, information about how wine is made, tasting of at least six different wines, cheese and crackers. The tasting glasses are available for individual purchase and are not included.

For those conference participants wishing to visit some battlefields, we have an interesting half-day tour planned for Sunday, July 20. We will explore the battlefields of the Seven Days Campaign - Mechanicsville, Beaver Dam Creek, Gaines Mill, Glendale and Malvern Hill. Along the way we will meet an authentically dressed soldier complete with a full display of both military and personal equipment of the common soldier in the 1860's. This tour will start at 9 AM and finish at 1 PM, and will cost $39.

Come join us in historic Richmond for three days of fun, visiting and history!
Rosmarie Strother
Vice President & Conference Chair

STROTHER CONFERENCE 2008 REGISTRATION FORM
July 17 – July 19, 2008, Richmond, VA
Please photo copy for additional registrations. Reservations are due by July 1, 2008
Name: _________________________________________________________________
First Strother Conference? Yes No
Address: __________________________________City:_________________________State/Zip: __________
Telephone: ______________________ E-mail:_________________________________
Other members in party & relationship: _________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________
Your family lineage: ________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________
Note: EVERYONE MUST REGISTER, Children under 16 are free. All meal prices include tax and tips.
Cost # Attending $ Total
Conference Registration @25.00 __________ _______
Wednesday, July 16 Board of Directors Dinner
cruise @40.00 __________ _______
Thursday, July 17 Buffet Dinner & Show @45.00 __________ _______
Friday, July 18 The Confederate Capitol Tour,
includes box lunch @64.50 __________ _______
Saturday, July 19 Banquet
Pork Chops @32.00 __________ _______
Salmon @33.00 __________ _______
Childrens’ Menu (under 12)
- Chicken Fingers @14.00 __________ _______
Sunday, July 20 Richmond Battlefields @39.00 __________ _______
GRAND TOTAL _______
_______
Please send registration form and check (made out to William Strother Society, Inc.) to: Richard Strother,
455 Elbow Creek Road, Mount Vernon, IA 52314-9730
Please contact the hotel directly to make your room reservation (see next page for form): Holiday Inn
Select/Koger South Conference Center; 1-800-397-1034; direct line 1-804-379-3800; fax 1-804-379-2763.
Membership Dues for 2008-2010 are due at this time.

HOLIDAY INN SELECT/KOGER SOUTH CONFERENCE CENTER
1021 Koger Center Blvd., Richmond, VA 23235-4756
Phone 804 -379-3800, Fax 804-379-2763, Toll Free 800-397-1034

REGISTRATION FOR WILLIAM STROTHER SOCIETY, INC., CONFERENCE 2008
( ) SINGLE $105.09; ( )DOUBLE $105.09; ( ) KING $105.09. This rate includes VA tax.
Arrival Date: ___________________ Check-in Time: 3:00 P.M.
Departure Date: _________________ Check-out Time: 12:00 Noon
A one-night deposit or major credit card guarantee is required to hold your room reservation for arrival after
6:00 P.M. All cancellations must be made 48 hours prior to the day of arrival or you will be charged for room
and tax for one night. Reservations must be made by June 25, 2008 to guarantee the above rate.
Credit Card#_______________________________ Exp. Date______________
Name: ___________________________________ Address: _______________________________________
City/State/Zip: ________________________________ Phone: ______________________


The William Strother Society, Inc. Membership Dues for 2008-2010
Membership dues are payable at the beginning of each biennial conference. Family (those living under the
same roof) memberships are $40.00 for the two-year period August 2008 - August 2010. Make your check
payable to The William Strother Society, Inc., and mail, with the completed form, to:
"Houses of Strother", Donna L. Strother, 4550 Elbow Creek Road, Mount Vernon, IA 52314-9730
Name: ______________________________ Spouse’s Name ______________________________
Address: __________________________________________
City:_______________________________________ State/Zip:____________________________
Telephone: ______________________ E-mail:_________________________________________
Name(s) and birth date(s) of minor children: ___________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
Lineage (if new member). Be sure to list both married and maiden names for women:
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________