Senior Connections August 2018
Chuck Thiel, founder of Community Club Tours, is pictured with Norb, the main tour bus driver with Holt-Peterson Bus.
SUBMITTED PHOTO
Center for Senior Behavioral Health
Regional innovative mental health services improving the quality of life for the older adult
( 320) 693-4535
������������������������� �������������������� ����������������������
CHUCK THIEL from Pg 9
“ I enjoy what I’ m doing,” Thiel said.“ I’ ve got my little niche.”
Anyone who would like to sign up for a tour can contact Thiel at home, 320-395-2746( preferred) or by cell 320-224-3462. They can also email him at jollyramblers @ aol. com. Tour dates and details are listed online at jollyramblers. com / tours. Early registration is encouraged, as tours sometimes sell out quickly. No one is added to the list until payment has been received. In addition to the online schedule, Thiel also publicizes tours through community education brochures. He currently works with the districts of Howard Lake-Waverly-Winsted, Sibley East, Gibbon-Fairfax-Winthrop, Norwood Young America, Watertown-Mayer, and Waconia.
One big benefit of Community Club Tours is that participants can avoid driving in the Twin Cities. The motor coach Thiel subcontracts with( Holt- Peterson Bus) picks people up at convenient locations like Cokato, Howard Lake, Winsted, Lester Prairie, Plato, and other communities.
The tours also eliminate the need to deal with parking, plan a schedule, and make reservations. In addition, participants get the advantage of group pricing for shows.
Thiel’ s goal is to have a full motor coach( 57 people) for each tour. The minimum is technically 25, but Thiel has occasionally run tours with as few as 20 participants.
One of the most popular trips is to Fort Snelling National Cemetery just south of Minneapolis.“ I did that tour seven times in one calendar year,” Thiel said. Another favorite is a tour that includes the musical comedy,“ Church Basement Ladies.”
Thiel usually does about one tour per week during the warmer months, sometimes more. Because people don’ t like to go out as much during the winter, he slows to about one tour per month January through March.
Running Community Club Tours requires a high level of planning and attention to detail.
“ I document everything, and I always call a week before to confirm,” Thiel said.
In addition to being extremely organized, Thiel also has learned to“ roll with things” that might make some people panic.
He remembers one tour, for instance, when a restaurant employee said they had run out of food because of a big festival. However, Thiel’ s records – and the restaurant’ s calendar – showed that Thiel had made reservations well in advance for that day.
The employee called the restaurant owner, who offered to come in and find something to make, but Thiel’ s group wasn’ t able to wait that long due to their tour schedule.“ I had a whole bus full of people,” Thiel said. So, Thiel called the nearest McDonald’ s and explained the situation.“ They were super,” Thiel said.“ We got in, and they wrote everyone’ s names on their bags.”
No matter what, Thiel aims to keep a fun atmosphere on his tours. Some trips are geared towards adults, while others are great for children with their parents or grandparents.
Below are two examples of upcoming tours. To see the full schedule, go to jollyramblers. com / tours:
• Tuesday, Aug. 7 – Harriet Island in St. Paul, to sites along a historicallynarrated cruise, which travels through the Ford lock and dam. Suitable for children and adults. There will be a buffet of barbecued chicken, pulled pork with buns, green chili cheddar corn bread, potato salad, coleslaw, watermelon wedges, cookies and coffee.
• Wednesday, Aug. 22 – Ives Auditorium in Bloomington, to see the Barbary Coast Dixieland Show Band. The trip begins with a lunch of oven-fried chicken, barbecued ribs, macaroni and cheese, southern-style green beans, coleslaw, corn bread or biscuits with honey butter, assorted desserts, and coffee or tea.
12
Senior Connections August 2018
SeniorConnectionsHJ H. COM