We just held what will likely be the “First Annual SARA/CERT Family Picnic”.  The venue was great, the food was yummy, the weather was pleasant, the activities were interesting and folks seemed to have a good time.  

We want to recognize those that performed significant tasks in preparation for the event or at the picnic to make sure things went smoothly and everybody had a good time.  

Though the “Above and Beyond the Call of Duty” list is at the bottom, they are the picnic heroes to me. Make sure you read to the end and forgive me if I missed anyone.

What:              SARA/CERT Family Picnic

                        Santa Clara County 3Q2019 Emergency Drill for City of Saratoga

Who:               Saratoga Area hams, their families and friends
                        Saratoga Area CERTs, their families and friends

Date:               Saturday, August 17, 2019

Time:               12:00 noon – 4:00 pm

Venue:             Warner-Hutton House (next to City Hall), 13777 Fruitvale Avenue, Saratoga, CA 95070


Price:               Adults – $5.00, Kids 18 and under – Free
                        
Photos:           http://k6sa.net/wp/2019/08/2019-joint-sara-cert-picnic-photos/

Tours:             

  • Warner Hutton House
  • Saratoga Emergency Operations Center (EOC)
  • CERT Emergency Trailer – portable emergency warehouse
  • CERT CorpYard Base – 40’ Container – fixed emergency warehouse
  • SARA K6SA 2 meter repeater in the City Yard

Demos:           

  • 2m mobile rig – Peter
  • 2m mobile rig – Jeff
  • HF rig – Morris

County Drill:   Twenty (20) ham attendees checked into the Resource Travel Net as they were ready to depart home for the event.

  • Travel was tracked and, as appropriate, Health and Welfare checks were conducted in route.
  • Participants also checked into the Travel Net when they arrived at the site. Data was recorded.
  • After arrival, 12 hams performed and documented a simulated emergency task on site.  Data was recorded.
  • Drill will be reported to Santa Clara County to fulfill Saratoga’s 3Q requirement for a quarterly drill.

Food:               Hamburgers, turkey burgers, veggie burgers, cheese slices and buns, Hot dogs and buns,                         Mustard, catsup, relish, Tomatoes, lettuce, pickles, Assorted bags of chips, Potato salad, 8 different topping large pizzas, Appetizer trays, Cookies, Soft drinks, water, ice

WH House     

  • Quaint 1890’s Queen Anne style house
  • Air conditioned
  • Modernized kitchen with fridge/freezer, stove, microwave, generous counter space, convenient serving area
  • Dining room with large table and chairs
  • Multiple indoor restrooms
  • Surrounded by mature shade trees
  • Large grassy back lawn and patio
  • Outside tables and benches for dining                    
  • Gazebo was used as an outdoor ham shack
  • Electrical outlets for AC power
  • Nearby free parking

Attendance:   

  • 56 adults total
  • 30 ham only & family 
  • 15 CERT only & Family 
  • 11 ham/CERT combo & family 

Reservations:  58 RSVP’s prior to event

                        56 actual attendees . . . most RSVPs showed up.  Had a few walk-ins

Above & Beyond the Call of Duty

  • Peter               Net Control for the Resource Travel Net County drill, set up 2 meter mobile demo, purchased food 
  • Jeff                  Net Control for the onsite Event Net, trailered his barbecue to the site and provided cooking tools and propane
  • Morris             Set up HF mobile demo with low power (QRP) rig, listened to contact in Hawaii and spoke to contacts in other states 
  • Brent               Tour guide
  • Jack                 Barbeque wrangler
  • Rick                 Barbeque wrangler
  • Davina             Check-in Queen, brought ice chests and ice
  • Paul                 Check-in King
  • Robina            Last cleanup person at WHH
  • Rebecca          Photos
  • Jessica             Food prep and photos
  • Chuck              Food prep
  • Others             Food prep and cleanup
  • RJ                     General overseer

City of Saratoga Support

  • Crystal             Pizza
  • Nina                Facilities booking and support
  • Thomas           Facilities manager
  • Matt                Facilities onsite support

Thanks to everybody for attending and a special thank you to folks that spent some of their picnic time serving others.

See ya’ next year . . . probably before.  

rj

Ron Jones, AJ6EG

SARA President

14355 D Saratoga Avenue |  Saratoga, CA  95070

408 872-1301  land  |  408 316-0854  cell

ron.jones@n-ablegroup.com