Assam 2003
St. Louis

Dear Friends:

We, the Assamese community of St. Louis, cordially invite you to Assam 2003,the annual get-together of people of Assamese heritage and her well-wishers, to be held on July 4-5, 2003, in St. Louis, MO.

We are particularly thrilled to host this annual event in 2003 as it also coincides with the bicentennial celebration of opening up of the great West with exploration of the Missouri River by Lewis and Clark, which began right here in St. Louis. Traditionally, St. Louis holds the nation's "biggest birthday bash" this weekend, including one of the most well-known and spectacular fireworks displays in the country, under the famous St. Louis Gateway Arch on the Mississippi riverfront. The "Fair St. Louis" celebrations during this weekend also draw some of the topmost entertainers in the country to our city, and will be of considerable interest to our youthful participants.

The Assam 2003 event is sponsored by Assamese organizations of North America, including AANA, ASA, AFNA and ASSNA.

While we are still finalizing the program details, here are a few details for your information and early planning:

Date: Friday, July 4 & Saturday, July 5, 2003
Place: The Doubletree Hotel & Conference Center, 16625
Swingley Ridge Rd., Chesterfield, MO 63017. Telephone: (636) 532-5000.

Rooms: $ 79.00 per night, single or double occupancy, available from July 1 through July 7. Mention "Assam 2003" for the special rates.
Registration fee: The amount is not finalized yet, but will be in line with the registration fees at the recent conventions.

To facilitate planning of the event, we request you to let us know about your plan to attend by filling in the attached form and mailing it back to us as early as possible.

Also, only a limited number of rooms with two double beds are available at the hotel, and will be reserved on a first come first served basis. We expect a large attendance. We urge you to make your hotel reservation early to ensure lodging at the venue of the event.

We will post the program and registration details at our Assam 2003 website as soon as we finalize them. We will also send you mailers with the details. In order to keep our mailing costs down,
we encourage you to visit the website and provide us your e-mail address so that we may send pertinent information as necessary.

Since we are still in the planning stage, and it is an event for us all, we welcome program ideas, logistical suggestions, fund-raising ideas (the modest registration fee will cover only a part of the expenses), etc., from all of you.

We are looking forward to your active participation in all of the activities of the event. Your presence and support will make Assam 2003 a very enjoyable and successful get-together of families and friends.

With our warmest regards,

Assam 2003 Host Committee
St. Louis, Missouri