· Do I need to register for NCCC212 to attend this party?

o Nope. These are separate events, but we did agree to host NCCC212 this year in hopes that this would be a good excuse to bring together John’s friends from across the country! And all NCCC212 attendees are invited to join us for the party.

· Can I organize a business meeting with UADA fruit breeding while I am in town?

o We’ll be busy with NCCC212 on Wednesday and Thursday, but contact John, Margaret, or Bryan Renk if you would like to discuss anything related to breeding/testing on Friday Oct 28.

· Should I bring a gift?

o We are working on putting together a nice book with letters, stories, pictures, and signature John Clark folksy aphorisms related to cow milking, possums, etc… We’d love it if you’d contribute to this effort by uploading your letters, pictures, witticisms, and so on to our google drive folder! We also are welcoming party guests to make a contribution to the party fund to help us cover costs of the event. Of course you can feel free to bring any other gifts for John as you see fit, but this is not at all expected!

https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1ii68Xj3G085-F4TbBq8RKjhMcu7xXeAC?usp=sharing

· Is this party a surprise?

o John knows that we are throwing him a party and he has helped us to put together the guest list, but we are hoping to keep some aspects of the event as a fun surprise for him! When in doubt, ask Margaret (984.227.9787, mlworthi@uark.edu), but feel free to tell John that you’re coming to town!

· Where should I stay?

o We have reserved a block of rooms at the Graduate Hotel for this party and NCCC212. So that might be a fun place to stay and mingle with other party attendees. It’s close to all the action of downtown Fayetteville, Dickson Street, and campus, but it’s a 2-mile drive to Mermaids Restaurant so you will want to drive or Uber to the party. https://www.graduatehotels.com/fayetteville/

· What should I wear?!

o No specific dress-code, but I'd recommend slacks and button-ups for men and slacks or dresses for ladies.

· When exactly is John Clark retiring?

o Not until end of December! We’ll have another party at the DTAS building for Division of Agriculture and UA staff and faculty, but we figured we’d have this big event earlier since so many people will be visiting for the NCCC212 meeting and it’s harder for folks from out of town to travel around the holidays!