Akron: The Rubber City
/Calling all FOCA members,
Come to Akron, Ohio for the 97th FOCA Convention July 26-29, 2024! Hosted by Akron 20/32, all meetings and services will be held at St. Nicholas Orthodox Church in Mogadore, Ohio. This year’s convention is a family friendly event for all ages in both activity and cost. Plans for kids of all ages include the Akron Zoo, Akron Rubber Ducks Baseball (with fireworks), and the ProFootball Hall of Fame. Of course, adults will meet for convention business all day Saturday and Monday morning. Opportunities to socialize will be plentiful. Other local activities will be available. We will gather together for Great Vespers early on Saturday evening and Sunday morning for Hierarchical Divine Liturgy at St. Nicholas.
Most importantly, reservations for hotel stay should be made as immediately as possible. We have secured the Comfort Suites Hartville for our accommodations at an incredible $99.00 per night. This hotel recently was named the #6 ranked hotel in the Choice Hotel Chain. Thankfully, it is only a ten minute drive to the church. We will work on transportation as needed. Reservations can be secured by booking through choicehotels.com (mention FOCA for your rate) or call 330-587-4347.
Hartville is our quaint little village that boasts the largest hardware store in America. It is nearly 7 acres under one roof. It has a nearly 2,000 square foot idea house in the store! Hartville Flea Market has everything from a butcher shop, fresh vegetables and fruits, upscale clothing, sports memorabilia, toys, games, to outdoor flea markets with every yard sale item imaginable several days per week. Hartville Kitchen is the local restaurant with home cooking that brings people from great distances for the food and the hospitality. Look it up, you may be pleasantly surprised. Young adults may enjoy a later Sunday evening at Maize Valley, a local microbrewery and winery.
We will start things off on Friday night with an early Board of Trustees meeting and continue with an icebreaker and social for the evening. Saturday for the adults will consist of morning meetings, lunch, and afternoon sessions. Great Vespers will be in the early evening and then it’s off to have a great time with the Akron Rubber Ducks AA Baseball. It is a very accommodating ballpark with a fun atmosphere for all ages. And fireworks!
Sunday will begin with Hierarchical Divine Liturgy and be followed by the Grand Banquet next door at our Banquet Center. The afternoon will give us the chance to enjoy the ProFootball Hall of Fame. The evening will be a time to get back together at the hotel for the evening and socialize. Monday morning will wrap up the convention with closing sessions.
Ticket packages for all events are being compiled and will be sent out shortly. We are getting group rates at every venue with substantial price reductions. The two most important things to do right now are to mark your calendars to come for the weekend and book your hotel rooms. There are only 81 rooms at this site. We have worked to hold 60. Speaking with the local management, if we move quickly to reserve rooms, we may extend past the 60 rooms without issue.
If you have any questions, please call Basil at 330-418-4584. We really want to have you and your families here in O-H-I-O.
In Christ,
Basil Kochan
Chairman FOCA 97th Convention
Akron 20/32