RSO Bus to the Symphony

Updater on the SMAC/RSO bus to the Symphony

  • March 28, Beethoven's "Ode to Joy", at the Civic Center
  • May 2nd season finale "Out of this World" at the Shaftman Performance Hall

To all RSO attendees,

Many of you who regularly attend the RSO's MasterWorks concerts at the Civic Center and Shaftman Hall, may be interested in a special dinner deal the Hotel Roanoke is offering SML Roanoke Symphony attendees. The SMAC/RSO bus group stops there for an early dinner in the Regency Room, and we've have found that the dinner is delicious, is served in an elegant atmosphere and is relatively inexpensive. The hotel offers RSO attendees a fixed menu with three or four main course selections for $22.00, plus tax and tip (see a sample menu attached), which makes a total of $29.00. Wine and drinks are extra. We bring 25 to 30 diners on the bus, but Declan, the hotel food manager, said he would offer the same fixed menu to symphony goers who choose to carpool or drive on their own. He said he could accommodate up to 50 diners with ease.

If you want to ride the bus, we gather in the Trinity Ecumenical Parish parking lot at 4:00 p.m. and the bus departs at 4:15 p. m. We arrive at the hotel by about 5:00 p. m. and have a leisurely dinner before reboarding the bus at about 6:45 p. m. for the ride to either performance hall in time to attend David Wiley's pre-concert "Keynotes" talk. Those of you coming by other means would probably want to arrive at about the same time. They group our tables in a special area in the Regency Room, which makes for an intimate dinner party atmosphere. Declan works up the menu and sends it to me the week before the concert. I poll the SMAC/RSO "bussies" and e-mail him their main course selections. This facilitates both the food preparation and the service. I could provide the same service to anyone who wants to join us, or you could e-mail your choices directly to Declan.

The next two RSO Monday concerts are March 28, Beethoven's "Ode to Joy", at the Civic Center and the May 2nd season finale "Out of this World" at the Shaftman Performance Hall. Please share this information with anyone else you think might be interested and if you'd like to join us for dinner at the Hotel Roanoke, call Don Fink at 721-2904 or e-mail at donfink@earthlink.net.