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EYEBALL 2012 PREVIEW

[ Rev 26 April 2012 ]

OVERVIEW

Eyeball 2012, hosted by Glen Felt, WT0A, will be held in Corn Husker country, eastern Nebraska to be exact, from Thursday July 26 to Sunday July 29, 2012.  The event location will be the Eugene T. Mahoney State Park in Ashland, NE and the ticket price will be $60 pre-paid and children under 16 are free.

You can register for Eyeball 2012 via our On-line Registration Page, see Who's Already Registered or see a Schedule of Events.

You may pay via PayPal (bottom of registration page), or you may mail a check for your registration fee to:

GLEN K. FELT, WT0A
416 COUNTY ROAD 600
FRIEND, NE  68359-2400

Lodging inside Mahoney State Park tends to be in high demand.  You should strongly consider reserving sooner rather than later.

Eyeball 2012!

Eugene T. Mahoney State Park is located between Omaha & Lincoln, NE on Interstate I-80, exit 426.  Upon taking exit 426, turn North and go 1/2 mile on Hwy 66, entrance before the Strategic Air & Space Museum.  If traveling from Ashland, from the east or west on Hwy 6 to Ashland, turn onto Hwy 66, go South 3 miles on Hwy 66, entrance after the Strategic Air & Space Museum (before I-80).  Downtown Omaha is about 22 miles as the crow flies to the NE and suburban Omaha with restaurants and shopping extends out about 10 miles.  Lincoln is about 24 miles to the SW.  Ashland is a small community about 3.4 miles to the NW.

Contact information for Mahoney State Park is phone (402) 944-2523, address 28500 W Park Hwy, Ashland, NE 68003.

Eugene T. Mahoney State Park offers year-round accommodations and recreational use.  This ultra modern park offers a spectacular array of lodging, group meeting facilities and activities.  Located near Ashland, just off of I-80 at exit 426, Mahoney nestles on 690 acres along the picturesque Platte River.  The dominant feature of the park, the Peter Kiewit Lodge, offers guest rooms, a restaurant where guests can dine with the scenic Platte River as a backdrop, a gift shop and meeting rooms.

You can View a Video with more information and views of the park.

Mahoney has myrid recreational activities, including a Family Aquatic Center complete with 0-depth swimming, a wave pool and two 200-plus-foot curling water slides.  Admission to the Family Aquatic Center is $8 for adults and $7 for children (ages 3-12).

Other activities include miniature golf, driving range, tennis and basketball courts, softball fields, horseback trail rides, crafts, fishing, picnicking, hiking, 70-foot observation tower, nature conservatory, the Denman and Mary Mallory Kountze Theater, hiking and biking trail and beautiful waterway, and at Owen Marina visitors may rent a paddleboat and checkout recreational equipment.

Nearby attractions include Platte River State Park, which also offers rustic lodging, the Strategic Air and Space Museum, the Lee G. Simmons Conservation Park and Wildlife Safari (See a 3-minute Wildlife Safari Video), the Quarry Oaks Golf Club and Iron Horse Golf Club.

Mahoney has 149 camping pads with 20/30 amp electrical hookups reservable 1 year in advance.  (So reserve NOW!)  Camping is also available at Platte River State Park, about 10 miles away, and at Two Rivers Campground

Little Creek and Lakeside campgrounds offer spacious, hard-surfaced pads, situated among mature shade trees near Owen Marina Lake.  Modern shower/latrine buildings and drinking water are conveniently located in both areas.  There is a coin-operated laundry in the shower building at Little Creek.  Trailer dump stations and water are available near the park entrance.

Weather for the Eyeball should be good with low temperatures of roughly 75 and with highs in the mid 80s to high 90s.  These temperatures are fairly typical of most of the central and eastern USA.

Eugene T. Mahoney State Park has excellent dining facilities on site.  Ashland is mostly a bedroom community with a couple of small local restaurants.  Additional dining can found in the suburbs of Omaha about 10 miles away.

Jump directly to information below on:  Lodging, Camping, Eyeball Site, Activities, Raffle Prizes, Non-Ham Activities, Google Earth Links

LODGING

Lodging inside Mahoney Park is available in the form of rooms and cabins in the Peter Kiewit Lodge and is in very high demand as much as a year in advance.  You are advised to contact Glen Felt, WT0A promptly if you wish to reserve a room or cabin in the park.  This is "NO KIDDING!"  If you want lodging in the Park, contact Glen ASAP.

About 7 miles from the park is the newly built Super 8 Motel.  It will also be in very high demand and you should reserve NOW!  Special rates of $74 plus tax for two queen beds and $66 plus tax for one queen bed - under 17 free - are available.  Refer to "The 3905 Century Club" and confirmation number "50625764" to obtain the special rate.  National Reservations phone is (877) 361-2508, local phone is (402) 332-5188 and address/location is 14355 Highway 31, Gretna, NE 68028 (I-80 at exit 432).  You must reserve by July 12, 2012 to get the special rate, though it's somewhat unlikely that any rooms will be available that late.

About 12 miles with easy access from I-80 is the Holiday Inn Express with rooms at a special 3905CC rate of $95.  Reservations MUST be made by 6/26/12 to get this rate.  For reservations call (402) 504-3716 and refer to the group code of "3905 Century Club."  The address is 16175 Stevens Pointe Circle, Gretna, NE 68028 (I-80 at exit 439).

CAMPING

Lakeside Campground and Little Creek Campground, both operated by Mahoney State Park and both within a mile of the park, offer spacious, hard surfaced pads, situated among mature shade trees near Owen Marina Lake.  Modern shower/latrine buildings and drinking water are conveniently located in both areas.  There is a coin-operated laundry in the shower building at Little Creek.  Trailer dump stations and water are available near the park entrance.  Wireless Internet is free of charge for camping guests at Lakeside Campground.  Lakeside Campground also offers campsites where campers can pitch a tent.  Call 402-944-2523 for reservations at either campground.

EYEBALL SITE

The center of Eyeball 2012 activity will be at the SAPP Riverside Lodge.  The SAPP Riverside Lodge is in Mahoney State Park and is within walking distance of the cabins, but away from other Park activity centers.  It's a good place to put up antennas.  It also has a kitchen and will be the site of our Eyeball Banquet.  Additional information on activities to follow.

PLANNED ACTIVITIES

Lon Martin, K0WJ, will again be hosting the Mobile Shootout and a full Schedule of Events for Eyeball 2012 will be updated as plans develop.

RAFFLE

Raffle plans TBD.

We will hold an auction at the Eyeball for a Eyeball Quilt made by Judy Higgins, the XYL of KB3PU.

NON-HAM ACTIVITIES

GOOGLE EARTH LINKS

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