Since the holiday season is usually so busy for us all, the DMA officers decided that it would be best to host the 2009 holiday party after all the hustle and bustle of December had faded from our memories.
The holiday party this year was a real treat for the members. It was decided that since we have the time traveling cars, that we should partake in an event set back in MEDIEVAL TIMES! (Yeah... it's a corny joke, but we all had fun with the concept) This event also marked a new DMA record with 42 people in attendance! The largest holiday party EVER for the club!
Upon arriving at Medieval Times, you knew right away that this dinner event was going to be different. The whole place looks like a giant castle with towers and walls that would hold back any army who would dare to attack!
Slowly the members of the DMA trickled into the establishment where we were met by all kinds of peasants and royalty alike who welcomed us to their kingdom and ushered us into the large hall to await our dinner and show.
While we waited, we enjoyed a few drinks, laughs, and did a bit of shopping at the gift boutiques. There was even a tour of the dungeon should you dare to see what tortures were administered back in the dark ages.
We were assigned our tables in the arena which were designated by colors of the various knights. During the show you are encouraged to cheer for the knight who represents your kingdom. The DMA was proudly represented by the red and yellow knight.
Our knight made us proud as he won challenge after challenge against the other knights. Each time he won an event, he would bestow flowers to the ladies in the audience. Several of the DMA ladies (and daughters) received a flower from our knight.
The evening continued with a mixture of horse shows, knights competing, and even an underlying story of the prince being kidnapped and the princess hoping to find a champion amongst the brave knights of the land to rescue him.

Kevin Abato and Rachel Mettee are giving some 'Attitude'. Nobody better mess with their Red and Yellow Knight!

'Are you ready!!?' The group is riled up and ready head into the arena and sit down for the start of the show

Samantha Lobosco, Tyler Butler, and Brent Lundgren speculate on exactly what they will see tonight.

Justin and Rachel Mettee are psyched for the show too!

Tom Mancino proudly shows off his DMA pride
To the surprise of the DMA members, we had a VIP style seating RIGHT UP FRONT to the arena! This proved to be a real treat since we were on top of the action and could see the entire show unfold just several feet from where we sat.
With nothing but a small plexiglas wall between us and the knights, it was white knuckle action during the tournaments and fighting sequences. Sparks flew from heavy metal weapons, horses darted around at lightning speeds before our very eyes, and the excitement continued to build as the events unfolded.

Tyler Butler gives a wave before having his soup.

James Espey, Tiffany Olejnik, Jordan Lynch, Charlyn Magat, Hank Eskin, and Rachel Mettee are all amazed that we are sitting right in the front row of the arena! This is gonna be AWESOME!

Brent Lundgren, Felecia Lundgren, and Stephen Card take their eyes off the action in the arena for a few seconds and pose for a photo.

Marc Levy, Shari Deutsch, and Rob Grady get ready for the show to start.

OK... NOW THE ACTION IS GETTING GOOD! The prince is being taken captive by an evil horseman disguised in black!
If you have never been to Medieval Times, it is very true that there is no utensils used to eat your dinner. All of the food served is meant to be eaten with you fingers!
Dinner consisted of a bowl of soup, spare ribs, chicken, potato, bread, and some danishes for dessert. The experience proved to be very interesting for those of our party who did not believe that you really must eat with your hands!
In the end, we all had a fantastic dinner and adapted well to eating our meals.

The DMA was cheering for our Red and Yellow Knight

Our knight gets ready to joust against the evil green knight. Will he win?!

Casey Macklin gets a flower from our knight after he wins one of the contests against the other knights

While it IS true that they do not provide utensils at Medieval Times and you have to eat strictly with your hands... Kevin Abato got a bit TOO much into the spirit of the idea!

Kevin and Cheryl Abato take a moment to pose for the camera

Jim Macklin with his wife Stacey, and their daughter 'Princess' 'Casey
Sadly, the red and yellow knight we loved so much was defeated by the evil green knight. (Bummer!)
Despite our loss, we all still took pride in booing the evil green knight until his demise. The show ended with the prince being returned to his princess and everyone living happily ever after.
It was then time for us to all travel through time again back to present day and bid Medieval Times fare well.
But... the evening's events did not end there! There was still more in store for the DMA members...
There seems to be a new tradition in the club that is catching on like wildfire at every event we have had lately and the night of the holiday party was no exception to this new rule.
Once more, we found a local Sonic Drive-In just a few minutes away and decided to head there for some more fun!
We arrived at Sonic late in the evening and despite the cold weather for that time of the year, it was still packed with people!
With warm jackets zipped up, we ventured into the cold evening air to order ice cream and milkshakes. (Yeah, go figure...)

The usual... hanging out at a local Sonic drive-in for some after dinner milkshakes, Ice cream, and snacks!

Charlyn Magat has a huge Sonic smile. So what if it is 32 degrees and we are outside eating ice cream!?

Tyler Butler gets a big hug from his girlfriend Samantha Lobosco to help keep him warm.

Tim and Matt McMullan enjoy some Sonic treats while they chat with other club members
Although the weather was cold, we kept warm with laughter, stories, and friendship.
Eventually frost bite, chilled ears, and cold noses started to set in among the group, it was clear that even sometimes (just sometimes) mother nature wins in the end.
We said our fond farewells before hopping into our nice warm cars and headed our separate ways for the evening.
Another great DMA holiday party had come to an end but we are looking forward to an even better list of events in 2010! See you all at the 2010 Spring Social!