Folks, I know this is last minute, but Mike needs your support. Over 100 folks have indicated they will register. To date, he has about one third that many registrations. With that level of committed funding he has had to scale back on some financial commitments. The campground and caterer are working with him, but he can't commit to rally expenses when he does not have registrations.
We are in Chattanooga and have been trying to help Mike set up for the rally and workshops. He has done a huge amount of work and has set the foundation for a great rally. The food and entertainment are unbelievable! Our friend Dale Houston has arranged the entertainment. There are several groups and individual entertainers scheduled to perform - including Dale. I will post the details on this thread a bit later today.
Mike has agreed to let you deduct the cost of express mail (up to $18) if you will send your registration so that it arrives here by Thursday noon. If he gets sufficient additional registrations, he can utilize the full amenities that the park has to offer.
If you know of someone who is coming, please contact them to make sure they get the registration expedited.
The following is a note that Mike sent to folks who registered. In that note he discusses the issues that have resulted from low registration:
QuoteHi folks!
We have an important topic to discuss – Desert! Actually a little more to discuss, but that is one that hits many of us close to the heart and I'll discuss it in a moment.
There is still a great deal of uncertainty as to the final count of people we will have. As some of you have seen on the forums, we have a very large discrepancy between the number of people who have said they are coming and the number of registrations we have received. If you are getting this, I have yours and I deeply thank you for getting it in to me.
After the mailing of the flyers & registration forms (along with the letter), I fielded hundreds of calls and kept a sheet with tick marks so I would know how many to expect, that sheet tells me to expect 107 buses. In retrospect, I should have written down names and phone numbers because I don't have close to that many registrations in hand. I am still hopeful that these people will simply show up not realizing the importance of pre-registration. (my fault, I should have said that on the form)
But we can't count on that until we have them in hand, and most of the expenses have to be prepaid. So I have made some adjustments just in case to fit the revenues and still preserve the quality. The biggie is that instead of the large arena building, we will be using a smaller pavilion building that will handle what we have registrations for, plus about 50% more. Downside is that it is open sided (weather forecast is looking great though). The music will be at the Amphitheater. Which means sound quality will be even better, but again we will be outside. Early evening, expect temperatures in the low 70's, then into the 60's as the evening turns to night.
Ok, now for the big topic – Dessert! At the Arcadia rally, Jack always got folks to bring their favorite desserts, which resulted in a wide variety of delicious home-made and store bought desserts. As I wanted to make this rally one where everything was included, I had planned on some restaurant produced deserts. But with the uncertainty I explained above and the resulting scaling, I am wondering if some of you might be willing to bring some desert dish everyone can enjoy as was done at Arcadia?
Things that haven't changed:
· Swap meet with great bus stuff – several people (who are registered) have said they are bringing cool stuff to sell/trade.
· Great buses and bus nuts – That's you guys and that is what makes a rally truly great!
· Great seminars – We have a total of 8 seminars currently scheduled covering a gamut of bus tech, bus life, & crafts.
· Incredible BBQ food by Marc and Jo Nickelson. As I think I have mentioned some places, they are bus nuts who own a BBQ restaurant and have won awards at bbq cook-offs for their great food.
· Outstanding Entertainment. Dale Houston has done an incredible job of lining up performers that will cause you to fondly remember Saturday and Sunday night for a very long time. Here is a preview:
· Alana Wiley (opening act Saturday) – Country/various - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fbf8DFfC03Q (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fbf8DFfC03Q)
· Raven Bro – Modern Country - http://www.reverbnation.com/ravenbro (http://www.reverbnation.com/ravenbro)
· Alisa Asbury & Cross Plains – 70's rock/country - http://www.myspace.com/crossplainsband (http://www.myspace.com/crossplainsband)
· The Rick Byers Band – Country - http://www.myspace.com/therickbyersband/music/songs?filter=popular (http://www.myspace.com/therickbyersband/music/songs?filter=popular)
· Allen Frizell – Traditional country - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_V7vbJpHGqE (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_V7vbJpHGqE)
· Abigail Blake (Opening act Sunday night) – Bluegrass/Country - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5BB2R0d-FtQ (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5BB2R0d-FtQ) - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-rzBTbhgvUY (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-rzBTbhgvUY)
· Vicki Roberts – Soft Pop/Contemporary - http://www.facebook.com/pages/Vicki-Roberts-Music/106266179400991 (http://www.facebook.com/pages/Vicki-Roberts-Music/106266179400991)
· Tim Chastain & Eight Days After – Southern Rock/Country/Christian - http://www.facebook.com/pages/Tim-Chastain-Eight-Days-After/115170158511508 (http://www.facebook.com/pages/Tim-Chastain-Eight-Days-After/115170158511508) - These guys are amazing! You gotta listen to "Old Man Joe", especially if you are a grandparent or had a close relationship with your grandpa.
· Buckner Brothers – Country/Blues - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aHsksMgEf50 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aHsksMgEf50) - http://www.chattanoogan.com/articles/article_197836.asp (http://www.chattanoogan.com/articles/article_197836.asp)
· Dale Houston – Traditional Country - http://www.reverbnation.com/dalehouston (http://www.reverbnation.com/dalehouston)
· Featuring the country comedy of Peggy Lou during transitions.
· MC'd by Dale Houston
As mentioned, the weather forecast is Sunny & Clear, highs around 72 and lows 48-50, expecting 60's to at least midnight (it is midnight now as I write this and is 63 degrees, low of 50 expected). Some of our trees are starting to turn resulting in bursts of brilliant color, yet grass is still green and soft. Paradise folks!
We are now one week away from an amazing weekend we will all remember with fondness! I can hardly wait.
Thanks,
Mike
As you can see, this ought to be one heck of a rally!!!
Jim
I'd love to be there with you guys but it just doesn't work - we're pretty well in the opposite damn corner of your country, Yerington, Nevada to be precise. I know - you've never heard of it - I hadn't either. Somebody have a glass of scotch for me & we'll think of you. And post pictures.
Jim, it really is a shame but this is fairly typical of event planning. I have done events in CA for the past nine years and events in TN prior to that. People want the events and tell you 'if you build it they will come'. I have gone through the same frustration Mike is going through for each and every event I have ever planned. I have to deal with lodging, caterers, restaurants, entertainers, etc. All of these need good solid numbers for planning, not to mention that in most cases that want PAID, or at least deposits. I have been fortunate that in my events I have been able to front the money and even though people waited till the last minute to register, they did show up so it always worked out. I hope that is what happens here as well. This rally has too much promise for a yearly event for it to die the first year because people didn't show up after indicating they would.
Of course, things happen in life and circumstances chance... but we should always think before we say we will do something when people are going out of their way to try to make a nice event for us. If only a handful or people said they would come then Mike wouldn't have bothered with this rally. But over 100 indicated that they would so he got to work. We all know that Mike has worked his buns off to keep Bus Conversion Magazine afloat when he has had a lot of personal tragedy going on in his life. I am hoping that lots of people who said they would come will go ahead and show up at the last minute and he a part of the rally. Otherwise, this is exactly the kind of thing that could kill Bus Conversion Magazine forever. At this point, the money has to be paid to these vendors regardless.
Yeah, I'm just ranting.. Sorry, about that. But for the sake of future bus rallies... Please realize how much goes into planning and if someone asks for a count of who would come, only throw your name in if you are actually going to come. There is still time for this rally! It's going to be a great time! There are hundreds of bus nuts within a couple hundred miles that could leave after work Friday and be here in time for the rally. Come on down and help make this rally a success!
bobofthenorth
I know where it is, Just east of South Lake Tahoe sort of eh.
We love to go but it is a tank of fuel away from Sacramento River Delta too. You guys all live in the middle or right coast who seem to have a lot of them. We are jealous.
Dave
Dave, just start making plans for Quartzsite in January 2012!