When we investigated costs to rent a room for QJ dinners, we discovered we could rent a meeting room at a motel for about the same money. We could rent it for a longer time, which allows for a variety of uses. So, that is what we are trying this year. Everyone can attend the various gatherings, without being a guest of the motel, though being a guest at the Country Inn & Suites will make it much handier. No driving, parking, weather issues. Here is our schedule:

Friday: 3-6 pm Meet N Greet Happy Hour. Beer, pop, water, & snacks available. Get acquainted or catch up with a few QJ folks.

6 pm: QJ Pizza dinner. Come early to order. Details soon.

7:30 pm: QJ Alaska River Trip Planning Meeting. For all interested in this 2017 trip.

Saturday: 12-4:30 pm. Room is OPEN for you and your group to plan your trips. Bring maps, etc.

5 PM: "Alaska River Fishing" Seminar presented by Old Salt. Come learn about tactics, tips, tackle, and gear to fish Alaska. Open to ALL. 8-)

6 PM: Annual QJ BBQ Dinner, details soon. 8-)

We will have a donation bucket to assist with expenses incurred with room rental and refreshments. ;) We hope to see many QJers again this year.

We also would like to hear your feedback on the arrangements. 8-)

We'll have a couple of nice surprises! Come see! 8-)

The manager of the Country Inn & Suites just called me and apologized because they double-booked our meeting room for Friday only. I agreed to let them move us to a smaller parlor that sounds like it should accommodate us. They are comping the room to us for our inconvenience. Bottom line:

On Friday only the QJ room will be in the parlor. 8-) We will use it for our meet n greet happy hour, pizza dinner, and Alaska planning meeting. Thanks for being flexible. 8-)

For those, like myself, not living close to any great outdoors gear stores, Madison is a bit of a shopping hub. They have:
Cabelas,
Gander Mountain
REI
Dick's Sporting Goods.

These stores have sales and some have fishing seminars. 8-)

So, if Copia crowds are not your thing, and you don't like paying to enter the store, consider these options. I plan to to do some shopping before/after Copia. ;) 8-)

Perhaps some Madtown locals are aware of stores I may have missed. ;)