With one week to go we are at 21 coaches registered, and another two or three likely to show up.
It's not too late to register using PayPay on the button on our website:
www.southeastbusnuts.org (http://www.southeastbusnuts.org)
Just look on the right side of the home page for "Valentine's Rally Info and Sign-up".
All are welcome, Nuts and Wannabees!
To recap:
Southeast Bus Nuts Annual Valentines Rally
Dates: February 9-12
Place: M RV Resort, Moore Haven, FL (near Lake Okeechobee)
Special activities available ($): Air boat rides, tandem skydiving
Last year we had 27 coaches in Titusville at this time.
Thanks!
Mike in GA
Mike are drive ins welcome? Not sure if we can make it or not so don't really want to register in case we can't make it! Depends on airbag replacement and work schedule!
Ditto on the question above.. we're hovering around central Florida right now attending to a family medical situation. But we might be able to pop down there towards the end of the rally if things are going well here. But won't know until last minute.
- Cherie
With regard to showing without preregistering, this is discouraged because we have to guarantee catering for two meals and those deadlines are upon us.
However, we'll keep the PayPal registration facility open until this Sunday night, Feb. 5th.
Trust you understand.
To register, go to our website and follow the instructions to use PayPal for the Valentine's Rally:
www.southeastbusnuts.org (http://www.southeastbusnuts.org)
Mike in GA
Well that's a bummer because ever since pay pal stuck me for $500.00 I don't use them any longer!
Oh well, it is what it is!
Hey Mike,
How many takers do you have for the tandem skydiving? Sorry we can't be there to enjoy the fun.
Mal in Griffin
Hey there Mal! As for the sky-diving, I know it's on at least two of our attendees' 'bucket-lists', but I don't have a firm count. Could be a spur of the moment thing. I have the feeling the air boat rides will be more patronized!
More as it develops!
Mike in GA
Mike,
We would love to come say hi, we are only a few hours away. Our coach is in the beginning stages of conversion, is it alright if we just take a car out?
Would love to see some of your all's coaches.
- Preston
By all means, Preston!
That's how many of us started.
See you there!
Mike in GA
Mike, I'm fairly close to Moore Haven and if my schedule allows, and I won't know till friday, I would like to run up saturday. Would you be able to fit me in... Joe
We're looking forward to getting there on Thursday..... Mike, if the catering cut-off is a problem, maybe folks who don't know till the last minute if they're able to go, can just bring their own food and join in the fun, maybe an adjustment in the rally fee. there's more to enjoying a rally than worrying about meals, though anyone can see the problem of expecting the caterer and rally hosts to come up with more food for unexpected people. As you know, at least one couple could have our breakfasts, LOL...... Linda
This is one reason why people don't join these clubs much! The attendance count will be lower obviously if you worry too much about who registers and who doesn't and exactly the point Linda made about meals! Some attendees might not want the catered food! We (NRG's) "non rally gatherings" feel that more people show up if it isn't forced as in HAVING A DEADLINE to register and the meals are usually all cookouts or shuttles to a nearby resturant with everyone involved. That way everyone has and gets what THEY like! As for catered meals? Yea they are nice but you have THIS problem of how much every time not to mention the added cost!
I know of 4 coaches/MH's that would have made this rally had they not HAD a deadline to pay!
Maybe while the board members are at this rally they can huddle in a 2 hour long meeting as they did in Titusville to discuss this and OTHER club issues so next Valentines rally you all can do it all over again because obviously nothing was settled from THAT worthless meeting! I can see no better time to waste since the weather will be great as it was in Titusville!
All you old fogey's have fun! :)
WOW ;D
Gee ,,I wonder how many skoolies are planning on showing up ,,,maybe they won't get turned away because they are a fire hazard,,for us ,,we won't be able to make it ,,guess we just missed the deadline to register and pay ,,have fun,,pete and polly
Joe/Thunderstruck:
All of our catering is set, but if you wanted to stop by Saturday and check us out, feel free. I am certain the campground has space. The Saturday dinner is being provided to all the campground and the rally by the M RV Resort people, so you will have to take your chances at squeezing in, or as Linda mentioned, bring your own food, etc.
Ace:
Just for the record, a recent Chapter survey confirmed that most members will abide with one pot luck as long as we provide one or more fully catered dinners. I think the women had a strong say in that! Therefore, catered meals means catering counts and cutoff dates. Sorry. Just trying to meet a majority of the membership's stated needs.
Mike in GA
Sorry to disappoint, Ace, but I wasn't "making a point" -- I was suggesting an accommodation/compromise (which might or might not be feasible) for people who might want to attend the rally but can't make a definite commitment due to work or other considerations. Mike in GA posts our rally information on the bulletin board so that bus nuts who are not members of SEBN can feel welcome to attend.
Some people like living in condos or homeowner associations, some people choose to live with no close neighbors at all. There are lots of organizations in this world to choose from, if one chooses to join an organization to begin with. It's all a matter of personal choice. Not all bus conversion owners like the same thing or choose to be involved with identical activities, just like some people like bluegrass music and others don't like it at all. Some people are "old fogey's", some are curmudgeons.
It is the rally host who decides where to hold a rally, what activities can be planned, what sort of meal arrangements are to be offered, etc. They do the best that they can. If someone doesn't care for the location, the activities, the meals, or whatever, they have the freedom to choose not to attend. Someone could also step up and volunteer to host a future rally, where they can "do it their way". I don't envy the job of a rally host, so I tend not to criticize the arrangements. Jerry & Rosemary Campbell found a campground in the southern half of Florida that can accommodate a largish group (not an easy task in the winter) and made arrangements to satisfy those who complain about having to cook, found some activities that might appeal to the more adventurous, and did a lot of other planning as well. I applaud and commend them for volunteering as hosts!
The Southeast Bus Nuts chapter of FMCA (and yes, you actually have to join FMCA to be a member of the chapter, imagine that, though we gladly welcome visitors) has over 100 coach memberships. Good luck keeping more than 200 people all happy about the same thing at the same time. But, we manage to preserve and enjoy the acquaintances and friendships that have formed over the years, recognizing that it is a group and the direction of the group is the result of group discussions and decisions. Yes, sometimes the discussions get lengthy, because everyone in the group cares about it. If they didn't, they'd just show up at the rallies (or not), skip the meetings, and do their own thing. To each, his own.
So I guess this goes to show that these clubs and their rallies are centered mostly around the retired group that can just make plans well in advance over those of us that still hold down a job and can't make plans to attend until we know what our schedule holds!
It's all good! This is the way it was and I see no changes in sight! As Linda said, you can't make everyone happy and having twenty + coaches out of 200+ members proves that!
I guess that's one reason why we started the NRG'S so EVERYONE attending is happy!
Thanks for your replies!
Again I have to disagree with your characterization of what I was saying, Ace. Kirby and I had our bus and attended many rallies for more than 10 years before we retired. The rallies are not planned just for retirees. Not all rallies have catered meals, that is a decision made by each individual host. Plus, you are mixing apples and oranges by comparing 20 coaches to 200 persons -- I was generally assuming 2 persons per coach. And yes, 40 people out of 200 people is a relatively small turn-out of the total membership, but our membership includes people from down in the Florida Keys up to Virginia and the Washington DC area. Rarely will a single rally attract a majority of the membership, if for no other than geographical reasons, as well as personal considerations. Under your reasoning, one could say that those who don't attend your NRG's are unhappy with them, which doesn't make any sense at all. If you don't like the SEBN rallies, don't go to them. Why bitch them out?
Linda mike whoever, it's MY opinion about NOT allowing people to arrive if they haven't PRE registered and I'm sticking to it but just like in Titusville when the club asked for my opinion/s, they didn't listen then and I'm not surprised they are listening now! Like I said, it's no biggie! Im just making a point that there should NOT be a deadline for those that want to arrive not knowing if they could or couldn't! If people want to show up as some have mentioned just to look around and it's your dinner time, are you going to say " hey, hang tight for a while until we're thru eating" or would you invite them to stay and eat? Then there's those like yourself that don't want the meals! Why PRE register other than to let the host know your coming in? Look at Arcadia! There were PRE registered and those that just showed up! We're they turned away? That would be rude wouldn't it? But then again, I consider the source too!
Listen, you all have a great time! I wish you great weather and most of all a great meal! I mean it's not like any of you missed any meals before!
When mike said no to my reply, we made other plans! We're still going to have a good time, just not eating a meal prepared by some unknown and were Definitly not going to waste our time off away from work sitting in some useless meeting discussing mute issues such as this that never get resolved!
Bye and please say hello to Kirby for me!