Celebrating 20 years of service!

Join us in celebrating Travis & Darin’s Navy Careers. We met while stationed overseas in Naples, Italy, and will be retiring together with a party in Urbana, Illinois on June 3rd, 2023 (at Darin’s brewery).

Schedule of events:
Friday, June 2nd
1700 (Italian start, might not eat until 1900 to allow travellers to arrive) – Dinner at Pizzeria Antica, a Neapolitan Pizzaria in Champaign, to celebrate old times in Napoli
Afterwards…- Pub crawl in downtown Champaign, near Pizzaria Antica
Saturday, June 3rd
0900 – Coffee and doughnuts at Riggs Beer Company; brewery tour available
1100 – Retirement Ceremony at Riggs Beer Company
(Guest Speaker VADM Trussler, Uniform: Summer Whites, Civilian Dress: Casual)
1200 – Catered lunch following ceremony
1500 – After-party at the Riggs Farm! Tractor rides, bonfire, goat petting, ice cream, and maybe some karaoke!
(Shuttle bus will be available from iHotel & the Brewery to the Farm all evening.)
Sunday, June 4th
0900 – Outdoor activity (TBD) in Urbana-Champaign
1200 – Farewell at the brewery (Food Truck available)5

Hotels

Unfortunately, the Hotel Royer isn’t going to be finished in time, but here are some other options for you to book on your own:

  • iHotel: (fully booked on website, but Expedia and other websites have some rooms) This is where the shuttle will pick-up and drop off. This is also the alternate location for the ceremony in the event of bad weather.
  • Illini Union Hotel: Right in the heart of Campus, this historic hotel is a part of a campus building, with student amenities, including a bowling alley! Walkable to the iHotel.
  • Holiday Inn Champaign: Campus adjacent, walkable to iHotel.
  • Home2 Suites by Hilton: Campus adjacent; walkable to iHotel.

Check Google for other hotels in the area. You might need to drive or Uber/Lyft to the brewery or iHotel if you want to use the shuttle.

If you’re having trouble finding a hotel, let me know.
We may have a couch that you can crash on…

Airports

If you’re planning on flying in, here are some options for you:

  • Willard Airport (CMI): The local airport, operated by the University of Illinois. Flight here are a bit expensive, but you can taxi or Uber/Lyft to your hotel if you’re not planning on renting a car. Car rental services are available in the airport, just be sure to reserve ahead of time!
  • Bloomington/Central Illinois Regional (BMI): In the next town over, taxi and Uber wouldn’t be as affordable, but you can rent a car there. Be sure to reserve ahead of time so that someone will be at the counter.
  • Chicago O’Hare (ORD)/Chicago Midway (MDW): Big city airports. All the services. Additionally, you can take the metro from either of these airports to Union Station in downtown Chicago and take the Amtrak train to downtown Champaign! Just make sure you will have time to make it from the airport to the train and vice versa! (As of now, there are three train options per day between Chicago and Champaign). Additionally, Travis will be doing an airport run with a 12 passenger van from O’hare Friday @ 4pm, and back up Sunday @ 3pm. Email travisgentz@gmail.com for details.
  • Indianapolis (IND): Shorter drive than Chicago, but usually a bit more expensive and renting a car is the only option. Don’t forget there’s a time zone shift when you cross the Illinois/Indiana border!
  • St Louis (STL): Similar to Indy, but no time zone shift.