Activities

Sunday, September 27, 2009:

Golf Outing - Tentative

Ice Breaker Reception - An Ice Breaker Reception will be held Sunday evening at the Hacienda Santa Maria. The hacienda is a short drive (less than 10 minutes) from the hotel as we pass by San Antonio’s landmarks, including the Alamo, you will be reminded of the history of the River City.
The reception features a customized cultural event planned at a beautiful hacienda with Spanish influenced architecture, courtyards and fountains, the perfect location for a pachanga! Costumed Folklorico Dancers will welcome you, Mariachis will serenade you. Expect authentic atmosphere, good food, music, and even a lively game of Limbo!

Texas Hospitality Suite - Delegates and guests enjoy evening hospitality sponsored by the conference committee.

Monday, September 28, 2009:

Guest Activity: San Antonio Mission Trail - The San Antonio Mission Tour offers a fun and informative look at San Antonio's history as you visit many of the popular missions of San Antonio, including Concepcion, San Jose, San Juan, and Espada. Mission Concepcion will offer insight into the Texas Revolution, as the site of the first battle of the fight for independence. Mission San Jose will provide you with better understand the living conditions of San Antonio area Indians during the 19th century. And with Missions San Juan and Espada you'll explore San Antonio as it once was, from walking down the undeveloped portions of the San Antonio River to merely taking in the unique architecture of Mission Espada, one of the oldest missions in Texas.

The day will end at the historic mission, San Antonio de Valero, commonly called the Alamo. Established in 1718 as a way station between missions already existing in East Texas and other base missions in Mexico, it was well over 100 years old when it became the focal point for the Battle of the Alamo, fought March 6, 1836. The Alamo will always be remembered and associated with that battle.

Technology Hall - Delegates and guests, please join our Technology Partners for entertainment, hors d’oeuvres and door prizes in Technology Hall on Monday evening.

Texas Hospitality Suite - Delegates and guests enjoy evening hospitality sponsored by the conference committee.

Tuesday, September 29, 2009:

Guest Activity: Hill Country Magic – No visit to Central Texas would be complete without a tour of the beautiful Texas Hill Country. The day will begin with a short ride to Johnson City for a tour of the Lyndon Baines Johnson Ranch located on the peaceful Pedernales River. Here you will visit the “Texas White House” and hear tales of one of Texas’ favorite sons, Lyndon Baines Johnson and former First Lady, Lady Bird Johnson.

The Hill Country tour will then continue along scenic Hill Country roads to the charming German community of Fredericksburg, once the edge of the frontier and home to brave German pioneers, beginning in the mid-1800’s. Fredericksburg has many fine restaurants which feature authentic German culinary specialties. You will have the opportunity to enjoy shopping and browsing in the quaint antique shops and gift boutiques along the Hauptstrasse (Main Street). There will be time to explore the Admiral Nimitz Museum and Historic Center, as well as the History Walk of the Pacific War and the Japanese Garden of Peace.

Texas Hospitality Suite – Delegates and guests enjoy evening hospitality sponsored by the conference committee.

Wednesday, September 30, 2009:

Morning Guest Activity: Institute of Texan Cultures – The Institute of Texan Cultures is a cultural experience museum located downtown San Antonio on the UTSA HemisFair Park Campus, a short walk from the Alamo and the Riverwalk. The 182,000-square-foot complex features 65,000 square feet of interactive exhibits and displays that tell the stories of Texans.

The mission of the museum is to engage lifelong learners in the understanding and celebration of Texas cultural heritage. The museum develops quality, accessible resources for educators and lifelong learners on topics of cultural heritage and strives to develop a rich and vibrant culture in the arts and humanities that will expand the community’s awareness and appreciation of Texas through an engaging series of exhibits, programs, and special events.

Afternoon Group Outing: Strange Ranch, Boerne, Texas – Tucked within the beautiful Cedar & Live Oak covered rolling hills in Boerne, Texas is the Historic Don Strange Ranch. This Texas Hill Country venue, dotted with picturesque green valleys and spring fed streams, is among the first true Texas event locales catering to the unique needs of event planning. This Hill Country gem has been the home to hundreds of fabulous parties, glorious weddings and extraordinary special events since 1982. The Historic Don Strange Ranch is a collection of authentic Texas architecture, including the main party barn and headquarters, huge pavilion and a true Texas ranch house. The surrounding 125 acres of the real working ranch is lush and tastefully designed with authentic historic and antique furnishings. We will enjoy an evening of food, entertainment, music and down home Texas Hospitality.

Texas Hospitality Suite – Delegates and guests enjoy evening hospitality sponsored by the conference committee.

Thursday, October 1, 2009:

Morning Guest Activity: Market Square / El Mercado – A visit to historic Market Square is a unique and exciting experience. Market Square plays an important role in this “uniqueness” of San Antonio and is a favorite place for visitors and natives alike. A variety of shops and restaurants line the pedestrian plazas within the three-square block area.

Included in these shops was the Botica Gudalupana, until recently, the oldest continually operated pharmacy in San Antonio. Mi Tierra Café & Bakery anchors the excellent assortment of restaurants in the area. History surrounds both of these businesses. The building that houses Botica Guadalupana dates back to 1820. It was the first permanent structure on Produce Row. Prior to becoming a drug store in 1893, the building was used as a mercantile-dry goods store, a theater-entertainment house with liquor and cockfights, and as a house for ladies of questionable character. The first pharmacy on this site was Cowen Drug, which opened in 1893. Juan Leal bought the store in 1912 and changed its name to Botica Guadalupana. In 1921 Daniel San Miguel began working for Leal and in 1933 bought the store and retained the name. Daniel San Miguel was known as the grandfather of Market Square. His family operated the store until recently.

Mi Tierra Café and Bakery, which means “my land” in English, is also a family business. Pete Cortez first opened the doors of Mi Tierra in 1943 and it has never closed – it is open 24 hours a day, every day of the year. Spicy Mexican food an authentic Mexican bakery and peppy mariachi music have been the mainstays here ever since. The Cortez family tradition is now being carried out by Pete Cortez’s children and grandchildren.

In addition to shops and restaurants along the main pedestrian walkways, Market Square also features a large indoor area with 32 shops called El Mercado. Visitors to this historic square avail themselves to a myriad of activities. They sip margaritas in outdoor cafes, savor the finest Mexican foods including tasty fajitas, listen to the music of strolling musicians and visit shops filled to overflow with pinatas, Mexican dresses, curios, candies, jewelry, art, and an infinite variety of other items. There is also the Farmers Market where farmers brought fresh produce from the fields and offered it for sale. Due to the growth of Market Square as a tourist attraction, fresh produce became an item not in demand. Today, the new Farmers Market Plaza, renovated in January of 1994, contains small to large shops and a food court. A blend of merchandise that is representative of the cultural, artistic and ethnic influences of Texas and Mexico.

Afternoon Technical Tours –

San Antonio River Improvements Project – Mission Reach Tour
The San Antonio Channel Improvements Project (SACIP) was originally authorized by Congress as a flood control project in 1954. Since then, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), with the San Antonio River Authority (SARA) as local sponsor, constructed various flood control improvements on the San Antonio River and its tributaries, including channelization of nine miles of the San Antonio River and two flood diversion tunnels that work as a system to protect the watershed including downtown San Antonio from flooding. Although the SACIP resulted in much needed flood protection, the engineering techniques of the time created a degraded river ecosystem which severed the river's connection to its natural, historic and cultural roots. To repair the damaged ecosystem and respond to the community vision for the restoration of the San Antonio River, the USACE and SARA worked together to expand the original project purpose of the SACIP to include environmental restoration and recreation in the Water Resources Development Act (WRDA) of 2000.
 

In 2006 the USACE approved the General Reevaluation Report for the eight-mile Mission Reach Ecosystem Restoration and Recreation Project (Mission Reach) and executed a Project Cooperation Agreement to complete the design and construction in 2006. The ecosystem restoration project supports the USACE ecosystem mission to transform previously degraded river channels in order to replicate the original function and habitat of the river. The project will reduce erosion, reintroduce native vegetation, restore riparian and aquatic habitat, reestablish cultural connections to the San Antonio Missions National Historical Park and create educational and recreational opportunities to promote appreciation and stewardship of the river's environment. The Mission Reach project will restore riffles, runs, pools and the two river remnants) and add grassland, savannah, woodland and forest habitats, including the reestablishment of 24,000 native trees. USACE has initiated construction on Phase I of the project and design is nearing completion on the three remaining phases. The project enjoys significant local community support.
 

The eight-mile Mission Reach project is part of the larger 13-mile San Antonio River Improvements Project which includes the Museum Reach portion of the project that opened in May 2009. The tour will afford conference attendees with an opportunity to see first-hand how the USACE constructed the trapezoidal flood control channel degraded the natural river and experience the ecosystem restoration that will be achieved.

Alternate Tour – San Antonio TransGuide Intelligent Transportation System Tour
On July 26, 1995, the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) San Antonio District opened TransGuide, the San Antonio Regional Traffic Management Center (TMC). TransGuide serves the 12-county region in and around San Antonio, Texas. Through center-to-center communications, TransGuide links with other TxDOT TMCs. TransGuide provides information to motorists about traffic conditions, such as accidents, congestion, and construction. Using cameras, message signs, and fiberoptic communications, TransGuide detects travel times and responds rapidly to accidents and emergencies. TransGuide also uses this information to inform motorists of lane closures due to construction, maintenance, and traffic incidents.
 

One of the keys to effective incident management for TransGuide is the co-location of the San Antonio Police Department (SAPD) within the TMC. The SAPD provides coordination for incident management between TxDOT and emergency responders in the field. Other partners in the TransGuide project include TxDOT, the City of San Antonio (police/fire/EMS/traffic), and VIA Metropolitan Transit (the region's transit authority). The personal interaction between the police and transportation responders is invaluable in promoting on-scene coordination, as well as understanding the roles of each agency, and the issues and constraints they face.
 

San Antonio is growing in leaps and bounds which creates congestion as the Texas Department of Transportation works diligently to expand our roads to keep up with the increase in traffic. Reducing response time to accidents reduces the overall delay time for travelers which, in turn, reduces fuel consumption and air pollution. This tour will afford conference attendees with an opportunity to see the inter-workings of this state of the art traffic center.

Conference Banquet – The closing banquet will be held Thursday evening in the Navarro Ballroom of the Westin Riverwalk Hotel for all participants, a fitting end to a week of education and excitement.

Texas Hospitality Suite – Delegates and guests enjoy evening hospitality sponsored by the conference committee.

Additional Information:

Our conference staff is ready and willing to assist. If you have any questions or special needs, please visit the registration area or ask any conference staff member for assistance. The Hospitality Room will have snack foods and beverages available throughout the conference. Please see the agenda for location and times of operation.