Duke City Hamfest Banquet

The 2009 Duke City Hamfest Banquet will be held at Del Norte Baptist Church (same site as the hamfest) at 7:00pm, Saturday August 15th. A wonderful evening is expected!

2009 DCHF Banquet guest speaker:
Allen Pitts W1AGP, ARRL Public Relations Manager
Topic: Great Moments In Amateur Radio Service

Allen Pitts, W1AGP, is an Amateur Extra class licensee who lives in New Britain, Connecticut. Pitts came aboard September 20, 2004 as the League's Media and Public Relations Manager. As Pitts sees it, he arrived at the League at a critical juncture for Amateur Radio. "I know of no time in history that our service has been under greater threats, nor any other time in which we have so many opportunities to shine," he said. Pitts emphasizes that while he takes his public relations role most seriously, he also wants it understood that he's an active radio amateur and "not just a PR person." A radio amateur since 1999, he's no stranger to the ARRL Field Organization, having served as an ARES District Emergency Coordinator and later as Connecticut's Section Emergency Coordinator and an ARRL Assistant Section Manager. Pitts holds a bachelor's degree from the University of South Carolina and a master's degree from the Lutheran Theological Southern Seminary (he served congregations in Kansas and Connecticut in the 1970s and 1980s) and plays a 12-string electric guitar. He and his wife, Donna, have three grown children and six grandchildren. They're currently "raising" an English mastiff named “Tiggr” who, Pitts says, "believes the radio room couch belongs to her." Pitts is active on HF, VHF and UHF. Although primarily a phone operator, he says he tries to keep up at a "basic level" on CW whenever he can.

Banquet Prizes: There will be many great Ham prize drawings throughout the evening!

The evening's menu, catered by Yo’ Momma’s Home Cookin’:

• Roast Tenderloin of Beef. Spectacular slow roasted beef tenderloin, served by Yo Momma's Chef from carving station. Includes au jus and creamed horse radish.
• Deep Fried Turkey Roast. Southern "broasted" turkey breast, served by Yo’ Momma's Chef from carving station. Mouth watering southern style recipe is moist and flavorful, deep fried to perfection in "Heart Healthy" oil. Includes turkey gravy.
• Grammy's Cornbread Dressing. Momma's secret cornbread dressing made in the Texas tradition. The perfect addition for any beef or turkey dinner.
• Home-style Garden Salad. Mixture of fresh lettuce, tomatoes, onions, carrots, and seasonal greens. Includes choice ranch, vinaigrette and creamy Italian dressing.
• Springtime Asparagus. Fresh asparagus, sautéed to perfection in Heart Healthy olive oil, with grape tomatoes, in a secret fruity sauce, inspired by memories of Pappy's days in the South Pacific.
• Southern Green Beans. Georgia style green beans, seasoned the old fashioned way.
• Roasted New Potatoes. New potatoes, quartered, roasted and seasoned to perfection.
• Chilled Fresh Fruit with Whipped Cream on Homemade Shortcake. Mixture of seasonal fruits and berries, light sugared. Served on homemade shortcake, with a choice of Momma's homemade whipped cream or low-fat creamy yogurt topping.
• Southern-style Biscuits with butter or margarine.
• Coffee, Sweet & Unsweet Tea, and water.