OTHER INFORMATION

• 1. Same great location since 2010, the Turf Valley resort in Ellicott City, Maryland.
• 2. Our 2025 retreat officially begins on Friday evening February 14 at 8 pm but you can set up all your equipment starting at 2 pm in the Waterford Ballroom at the Turf Valley Resort. Once again, the rear door to the ballroom will be open for easy unloading. The retreat ends Monday February 17 at 2 pm.
• 3. The retreat includes our classic fantastic agenda, including Friday evening introductions, multiple presentations on Saturday and Sunday, and our marvelous Saturday night banquet which is paid for in your registration fee. And then there’s the great Saturday night auction and our Monday finishing up time.
• 4. We have room for no more than 35 participants in the retreat, each with his or her own 8-foot worktable. You are registered when your check is received; we're urging you to do that right away to ensure that you have a workspace. You do have some time to sign up for our guaranteed reduced hotel rate for the retreat, but we suggest that you sign up before January to avoid extra costs or missing out on a room.
• 5. Ben Huggett is this year’s Retreat Shepherd once again. We really appreciate his help.
• 6. Phil Broder, owner of Fly Market Kite Making Supply company, will be with us, offering a wide range of kite fabric plus other supplies and tools.
• 7. This year’s discounted registration fee is $150 per person, and that gets you your own individual 8’ table workspace, the Saturday night banquet, including wine, and the joys of being with great friends. Additional banquet tickets for non-registered guests can be purchased for $60 each.
• 8. Checks for registration should be made out to the Maryland Kite Society and sent to Jon Burkhardt, Treasurer, Maryland Kite Society, 10113 Lloyd Road, Potomac, Maryland 20854.
  

PROJECTS

 We’re featuring great presentations this year, see above, so you can depart with one or more brand new finished flyable gems and a lot more knowledge.  If you have already decided which of the projects interests you, please let me know ASAP so that we can confirm your choices and start ordering supplies.  More details and instructions will be available as we get closer to our celebration. 

OUR HOTEL

Is once again the Turf Valley resort in Ellicott City, Maryland. It’s just off Route 40 west of Ellicott City on 2700 Turf Valley Rd and the zip code is 21042.

Room rates for rooms at Turf Valley for 2025 are these:

1. Traditional 1 bed $131 / night
2. Traditional 2 beds $131 / night
3. Golf view 2 queens $131 / night
4. Queen Petite Suite $156 / night
5. One bedroom Suite $156 / night
6. Executive King Suite $156 / night.

The currently 6% Maryland tax and 7% Howard County room taxes will be added to the room rates. If you want to come earlier or stay later, these room rates will be honored 3 days before and 3 days after our meeting dates.

You need to make your own room reservations and payment arrangements directly with the hotel. To make reservations at the hotel, call 410-465-1500 or 888-833-8873. You must identify yourself as attending the Maryland Kite Society Retreat to get the group rate. Our Group Code is 28F20D.

GETTING READY EARLY IS A GOOD IDEA FOR OUR 2025 EVENT!

1. HOTEL RESERVATIONS: The cut-off date for reservations is January 24, 2025. Our Group Code is 28F20D. Check-in time is 4 pm and check-out is 11 am.

2. VOLUNTEERS: For those of you who volunteered last year to help out with the 2024 retreat -- auction, hospitality, publicity, registration, set up, or other functions -- please contact Ben Huggett at benhuggett@gmail.com. You can also contact me at takokichi@comcast.net to check on how you can help in 2025.

3. OUR AUCTION: You do know that your auction donations help make this retreat possible, right? Old items, new items, just for fun items, and especially handmade kites and other items ………… We really appreciate everyone's support. This year’s auction will again feature kites and kitemaking supplies from Arnold Simon’s great kite collection that Arnold so graciously donated to MKS, as well as some other very special donations. We will again have loud and silent auctions plus a bag raffle.


We hope that everyone is happy and healthy these days. Thanks very much to everyone who’s expressed an interest in our 45th MKS Winter Retreat. Come join us for a really special event. Looking forward to seeing you there. And tell your friends too!!