Name:  Luke A. O’Boyle

Club:  Chevy Chase Club

Description:  The idea of having a Father/Child Mother’s Day Gift Workshop allwed us to combine two important Chevy Chase Club values: our remarkable gardens and our celebration of family.  This Idea Fair entry created a parent/child experience while meeting a last-minute gift need.  It allowed fathers and their sons and daughters to share quality time at the Club as they created, by hand, a gift that mom could enjoy.

Implementation:  The idea was implemented by our Garden & Grounds Manager Michael Gildea.  An ad was placed in the Club Bulletin and on the web site promoting the activity.  A reminder postcard was sent to members on e week after the Bulletin mailing; and a mass email was sent three days prior to the event.  Reservations began slowly.  However, by the day of the event over 30 fathers had signed up.  This will definitely be a repeat event.

Name:  Loraine Ellis Vienne

Club:  The Peninsula Yacht Club

Description:  We wanted to create an event to bring our social membership and yacht membership together for a fun activity in a family atmosphere gratis.  We throw a family fun day followed by live concert on the lawn with open air dance floor to celebrate the fourth of July.  This has become a huge added member benefit.

Implementation:  We throw a family fun day with jump houses, rock climbing, sketch artist, lawn games and face painting with a red, white and blue buffet.  This is followed by a concert gratis on the lawn.  Members plan their summer vacations around this event.  Chairs are set up on the lawn beginning at 9 am.

Name:  Eben Molloy, CCM

Club:  Farmington Country Club

Description:  The Children’s Place at Farmington engaged members’ kids in fun projects that benefit the community and teach empathy.  The kids were given an opportunity to volunteer at the Club to help stuff toys for the University of Virginia Children’s Hospital.

Implementation:  The Club purchased fifty un-stuffed animals and stuffing.  Farmington’s young members helped stuff the toys while childcare staff explained the importance of giving back to the community.  The toys were given to patients at the Kluge Children’s Rehabilitation Center during the holiday season.  The kid’s had fun with the project and parents like that their children were participating in a community service activity.

Name:  Vincent J.C. Tracy

Club:  Town & Country Club

Description:  Our annual haunted hayride and buffet is fun for all ages.  We set up spooky and scary vignettes on our golf course and over a two hour period we provide members and their guests with hayrides along a trail lined with 200 carved and lighted jack-o-lanterns.  The trail and vignettes are populated with a mix of employees and professional actors, who make the vignettes scarier as the night progresses and darkness falls.  Members and their guests are welcome to ride the hay wagons as many times as they wish.  While waiting for their hayrides, members and their guests are able to enjoy hot apple cider, hot chocolate and fresh hot mini donuts to ward off the chill of a Minnesota October evening.  After they have completed their hayrides, members and their guests may choose to dine in either our River Room or in our heated outdoor entertainment tent, which have both been decorated for Halloween.  Children receive Halloween bags with fun toys and candy. 

Implementation:  Over the years, the Halloween Hayride evolved form meager beginnings to a large scale event.  Six years ago, we were decided to bring in a production company, Metro Connections (one of the top five in the country) and this greatly enhances the occasion.

The planning of this production starts three months prior to the event, with bi-weekly meetings that include planning out the vignettes, discussing menus with the Chef, staff scheduling, ordering items needed and hoping for good weather.

Name:  Yvan Lampron

Club:  The Country Club of Virginia

Description:  It’s a Wrap! – We offered a complimentary gift wrapping service during the holidays for the members while they enjoyed lunch.  Dining participation increased and members were able to enjoy a stress-free visit to the clubhouse.

Name:  Tim Doyle

Club:  Manasquan River Golf Club

Description:  The Pickwick allows members to gather together and sing.  The have fun and meet other members.  It is a popular night on a relatively slow time of the month.

Implementation:  The Pickwick is a long standing tradition at MRGC.  Throughout the years we have tweaked it to be an exciting night.  The members enjoy this opening to the Christmas Season.

Name:  Frederick Nixon, Amanda Salazar, and Greg Sheara

Club:  Chevy Chase Club

Description:  The winter center, which is the casual dining outlet of the club, is home to a bowling alley and ice rink as part of its operations.  The new years eve event transforms the 210 seat dining area into a dance floor, multiple buffets, cosmic bowling, a magician, and other entertainment.  Family activities and events continue to grow at the winter center, with this event needing a waitlist nearly on month in advance.

Implementation:  The idea was implemented based on the changing demographics at the club and the expansion of the winter center.  With only a black tie event in the main clubhouse, a majority of the membership needed an alternate family oriented event.  We currently cap the event at 250 people with future plans to expand.

Name:  Mary Elizabeth Sullivan

Club:  Granite Club

Description:  Recognizing that membership in the club is growing in its diversity, it is important to plan new events to celebrate the different ethnicities at the club.  The Chinese New Year holiday is commemorated extensively in Toronto and provided the inspiration for celebrating at the club.  This event offered other members an opportunity to learn about the Chinese culture and the ways to honor the holiday.

Implementation:  As a promotion, custom fortune cookies were offered to members a month prior leading to the event.  The fortune inside each cookie advertised Chinese New Year Brunch.  During the event, managers and hostesses wore traditional Chinese costumes.  The room was decorated with red Chinese lamps hanging form the ceiling along with red and gold Chinese fabrics on buffets and tables.  The elaborate brunch served was on par with high-end clubs and hotels found in Hong Kong.  The grand buffet included traditional Chinese favorites such as dim sum, hot and sour soup, suckling baby pork, BBQ duck, seafood, sticky rice cakes and egg tarts.  A high energy show was scheduled during brunch to include dragon pearl acrobats, fan dancers, martial arts and traditional lion dance.  In addition, a Chinese calligrapher translated member’s names into Chinese characters.

Name:  Annette Gregori

Club:  Hermitage Country Club

Description:  Memorial Day at Hermitage Country Club created a patriotic atmosphere club wide.  Members were reminded about the meaning of the holiday.

Implementation:  This event included a pool party, pool games, buffet, flag raising ceremony, 21 gun salute and donations to veterans.  These things created a day filled with honor and respect for our country.

Name:  William C. Harris

Club:  The Country Club of Virginia

Description:  Trot to the Music – We included a DJ at our annual Turkey Trot 5k run.  The music go the runners pumped up and ready to run on a dreary morning.

Name:  Tommy Janney

Club:  The Country Club of Virginia

Description:  Easter Egg Swap – After a decade of using marshmallow eggs for our Easter egg hunt, we instituted an “egg swap”.  When the hunt for candy eggs was completed, children could keep the eggs they found or trade them for a prize.  The swap added a whole new level of excitement to this annual event.

Name:  (none)

Club:  Arcola Country Club

Description:  Adopt-a-Soldier idea:  the children were bursting with excitement and enthusiasm about attending a Valentine’s Day Party to make cards to send to soldiers.  The older children helped the younger ones and the camaraderie was awesome!  We pledged allegiance to the flag and spoke about the program which made the children feel like they were very important to be completing this assignment and they took it very seriously. 

Implementation:  We held the Valentine Day Party and made both Valentine and Spring cards.  The enthusiasm of the children has been contagious!  The Valentines went in the mail and we emailed our members for donations of goods to fill our baskets.  The response has been absolutely overwhelming. 

Name:  Annette Gregori

Club:  Hermitage Country Club

Description:  Haunted Hermitage promoted a fun, relaxed and creative environment for both members and staff.  This event implemented teamwork form all departments and showcased our employees’ creativity.

Implementation:  This events success was primarily due to teamwork form all departments.  Staff members were in full costumes, decorated the grounds and clubhouse and enhanced the buffet.  We received positive feedback and overwhelming support form our membership.

Name: Tommy Janney

Club:  The Country Club of Virginia

Description:  Trick-or-Treat – Parents bring their children to the club dressed in Halloween costumes and we walk as a group through the clubhouse.  They receive treats and toys form staff members.  This gives employees from a variety of departments the opportunity to interact with the club “family”.

Name:  Michael Clindaniel

Club:  Sand Creek Country Club

Description:  Sand Creek Country Club continually seeks ways to increase our member participation.  The Gingerbread House Event has been a growing tradition for ten years with one hundred and seventy individuals for the first year growing to two hundred and sixty eight individuals in 2006, our club calendar is scheduled for the Gingerbread Event on the first Friday after Thanksgiving with the preparations beginning months in advance to insure continued success.  The details are noted yearly to maintain consistency and needed improvements or new ideas for the following year. 

Implementation:  The Gingerbread House Event began with Funtastic Fridays, hosting various activities and family themed events on Friday Evenings, hoping to boost our member participation and revenue on the Friday after Thanksgiving.  The Gingerbread House Event was implemented and has become a tradition at Sand Creek Country Club that continues to flourish.