Rhonda Keef, NAME President, via Facebook:

The message below is intended for those Members registered to attend the Portland Houseparty.

By now you are aware that last evening the President closed the borders to anyone traveling into the US from Europe making it impossible for some of our attendees to travel having a direct impact on our Houseparty. It is growing more and more difficult to travel as more flights are being cancelled daily and we do not know what further changes to anticipate over the next two weeks. This morning, the Governor of Oregon placed a ban on gatherings of more than 250 throughout the state which would eliminate any public day activities for the Houseparty.

The CDC has issued a statement asking anyone over the age of 60 not to travel. We all know that is the majority of our members.

I have been in contact with the hotel. We have two options. The first is to cancel entirely which is not what most attending want to happen. The second is to reschedule. We are choosing to reschedule the “Come Fly with Me” Houseparty to April 9-11, 2021.

By Monday, all room reservations for the 2019 Houseparty will be cancelled by the Sheraton. If you are still planning to travel and want to keep your reservation, you will need to contact the hotel in order to keep a reservation with them. You will also need to contact any airline you ware traveling with directly regarding any refunds or vouchers.

The Board of Trustees is asking you to stay with us through this process and agree to postpone your plans to next April. If you are registered, you will be receiving a letter from the office with more information and any necessary forms. Please be on the lookout for the letter and form via email. Tomorrow we will begin the process of working with the dealers, instructors and theme luncheon presenters to reschedule so Kim will not be able to let you now the status of any workshops or luncheons for a couple of weeks. Again, it will be several days before we know the status on the workshops and theme luncheons.

We have been looking forward to this convention for so long and I am extremely saddened that we are unable to proceed next month. NAME doesn’t want to put the health of any of our members at risk. We know that everyone has put so much effort into preparation for the Houseparty and we are asking your cooperation in transitioning to a new date.

We are all in this together and are working diligently and as quickly as we can.

Regretfully,

Rhonda Keef
President
National Association of Miniature Enthusiasts

The original Facebook post may be viewed here.

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