Issue link: http://www.wacmagazine.com/i/90851
Jubilee excitement includes live bands, casino gambling, delicious food, and a chance to mix and mingle with friends new and old. A MEMORABLE NIGHT Nicole Ancich thought boyfriend Brian Bumpers just wanted to take a holiday photo to share with family and friends. While Nicole dressed and primped in their room at the Inn, Brian moved furniture out of the way and readied his camera. "He had this tripod all set up and I thought, 'Wow, he's really serious about this Christmas card photo,'" says Nicole, a WAC member since 2004. "The next thing I know he's down on one knee. I wasn't expecting that at all." "It's a night of wonder, of excitement, that's outside of the norm. It's the art of possibility." year's Jubilee. "It's so magical, that night," says Brian, who joined the Club last year. "I thought it would be the perfect time to do it." Indeed, it was. Nicole said yes, and the two plan to marry at the Club in February. The date was Friday, December 2—last CEO Chuck Nelson. "In addition to being a celebration of the anniversary of the very beginnings of the Club, it is annually our biggest blowout. It's the biggest, grandest in-house event that we do." In fact, notes Chuck, many WAC members use Jubilee as an opportunity to celebrate a birthday or usher in the holidays with family and friends. Tom Osmon, who sits on the Program Board, is one of those members. For the past five years, the Capitol Hill resident has attended Jubilee with 15 to 20 friends. "For me, it's the kickoff to the holiday season," says Tom. "It's friends, friends of friends, and whatever guests they bring. It reminds you of how much of a family the WAC is." "It's always been a memorable night," Nicole says. "But getting engaged at Jubilee took the memorable night to the nth degree. It will always have special meaning for us as a couple." Jubilee isn't just for young lovers. "This is the one event that is for every demographic, every membership category, young and old, and has the longest and grandest tradition," says WAC President & 28 | Washington Athletic Club Magazine | NOVEMBER / DECEMBER 2012 HONORING HISTORY WAC members Patricia and Ted Scoville met while volunteering as casino dealers for the 1993 Jubilee. "They had a sit-down dinner for the volunteers, and he asked me ahead of time if I would join him," recalls Patricia. "So that's how it all started." Patricia and Ted married at the Club in 1996 and have continued to attend Jubilee each year. "We make a big night out of it," Patricia says. "It's a second anniversary for us."