Six Months Out.... Boomfest 2011

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jaetee

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So...., I was watching the screensaver flash sunshine meet pictures on my laptop last night and started thinking about our gatherings....

I'm thinking that if we follow past form and have another meet in March, we are entering that "six months out" time frame where it becomes timely for us to start discussing logistics and such.

Are we even planning on having a meet in 2011? If so, are we going to try to do another Sunshine Mix in Sorrento, or change up the location / venue??? I remember thoughts circulating about a meet in the Kentucky / Tennessee area. Whaddupwiddat?

For that matter, does anyone have any thoughts on timing and location???

Before I go any further with what's been on my mind, I do feel that I should say that Tony and Linda have spoiled us rotten with the Sorrento location... They were great hosts who provided great food, no cost for using the awesome space and there was plenty of light from the windows and plenty of tables for our boomers... If they are willing to host again, that should definitely be considered as an option. Those have been outstanding gatherings and I'd support doing another one if that is what the group wants!

But, do we want to keep it as a relatively closed group as it's been in the past, or open it up to the public a bit and tie-in some music to the event kinda like the Dessau meet went down? I seem to remember there was a lot of "we should do our next meet kinda like that" discussion in the wake of the German gathering.

So, I've been giving that some thought and If we try to go that route I may have a location option in the Dunedin Florida area at my parent's beer & wine bar. It's not as large as the clubhouse in Sorrento, but my old man has a bunch of those 10' x 10' collapsible tents he uses for outdoor events and there is a 30-plus car parking lot where we could setup some of those tents and tables. There is no real time limit and we could conceivably hang out until 3am, which is the latest possible official closing time for the bar.... The weather is usually pretty mild in March, so setting up boomers outside should be a viable option. I can confidently say that it wouldn't cost us anything to rent the space. The store/bar would be open to the public in the evening and they usually have some form of music going on, but it's not a rowdy clientele at all and I could arrange it so that we control the music. Maybe even set up a DJ lineup and tie it in to our event??? Might even be able to get some of my house-head buddies to come check out the boomers.

I know budgets are always an issue, but if wives are traveling along, we could also discuss the possibility of engaging a hotel with a more appropriate banquet facility and making it more fun for our "better halves?" More of you may actually be able to attend that way.. I have some ideas in that regard which may make it appealing for the other half, such that the trip might even be considered a mini-winter vacation that just happens to have a boombox meeting at the same time.

I wouldn't mind a road trip up North, either....

Anyway.... those are just some of my thoughts I thought I'd throw out there for consideration.

:-D
 

oldskool69

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You are absolutely right John on getting this going again. :thumbsup: I would agree on the location moving but for two things...

1. It's kind of become the tradition to have it in Florida.

2. Weather can be dicey at best in the Mid-South as it is either stormy or too cool for outdoor events.

Regarding the Mid-South, we can do a regional event. And we NEED to. Plenty of folks apparently in the TN/KY/IN area and of course lonley 'ol me in "Bama. We havent had a Mid-South Tour since Bobby and I (The only two in attendance! :lol: ) met up then.

I'll add this and Florida to the myriad of thoughts running in the windmill of my mind... :hmmm:
 

Fatdog

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JT, you must have been reading my mind. I had meant to post something yesterday regarding the next Boomfest, but obviously didn't. :-/ My thoughts tend to go with a relocation more north of Florida, whether it be in Alabama, Tennessee, or Kentucky. I think we could get more of the guys who live up that way to attend. Members like 71spud, Skippy, Book Shamu Lima, erniejade, JVC Floyd, TRC911, Ghettoboom767, reptoid, and any others I might have forgotten. However, if none of those guys are interested in attending, I'll gladly drive back to Florida with my pilot dawg, Freddie.

If we had it here local to me, we could use this facility:

http://www.townofsmyrna.org/parks-rec/hilltop-park.htm

The main house is plenty large for the group with lots of tables (round and rectangular - and actually more than listed on the website). It also has a small kitchen area and restrooms for men and women. Any kids that come can play in the park. We've had lots of family gatherings and birthday parties there. Also, there are lots of restaurants (Famous Daves, Logan's Roadhouse, Cheddar's, The Catfish House, Hickory Falls, etc.), a new movie theater, plenty of shopping for the ladies :-D , and we might could even throw in a private pool party at the Town Centre pool for the Friday festivities. :yes: :yes:

Once we get some kind of ideas on the table and some possible attendees, I'll start an "official" planning thread for everybody.
 

blu_fuz

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I already do yearly Ford Contour meets in the midwest, now a boombox meet :w00t: . Yikes, gotta see if the wife wants to come or if I can even go.
 

reptoid

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I would love to meet up. I live on the coast of NC so anywhere is a far drive for me, so its all the same.
Smyrna, Tennessee and Dunedin, Florida would both be around 10 1/2 hours.
:vespa:
 

restocat

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I can try to get there from New Mexico. :hmmm:

"or open it up to the public a bit and tie-in some music to the event "
About inviting the public, that may be a problem. Do you really want people who may or may not have an interest in boomboxes, and who may or may not be careful with them, wandering around the tables?
this could lead to:
missing boomboxes
lost knobs/switches/tape deck doors and or tapes
fingerprints/spilled drinks/chewing gum issues.

If you really want to invite the public,
1. have 2 areas. An outside 'get to know boomboxery' tent area, with some common (ie non expensive boomboxes). The other area should be members-only. For contests, members could carry each one out to the public area 'stage' as needed.

or
2. Load all boomboxes into locked glass cases. Anyone have a spare 20-30 gun cases we could use? Or an empty store? :blush:
 

blu_fuz

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skippy1969 said:
I might be able to make the meet in Tennesee,I might........... :hmmm: :w00t:
Maybe Erniejade,Spud and Blu Fuz and I could ride down together......... :lol: :lol:

^ We might be able to work something out. It would be an interesting trip for sure, but splitting travel cost 1-2-3 ways would be great! I have friends in Tennesee so I would be set for room and board :thumbsup:
 

Fatdog

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Wow. :-/ This sure fizzled out fast. Looks like it will be the regulars in Florida again. :-)
 

jaetee

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Fatdog said:
Wow. :-/ This sure fizzled out fast. Looks like it will be the regulars in Florida again. :-)
I agree with RBJ, there isn't anything wrong with another Florida repeat. And if we do change location, to move it to April or early May, so weather is not as much of a potential factor.

But, maybe it was too early to start talking about this... ?
 

blu_fuz

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If I travel with my wife or the other members here to florida, do we stay at someone's house or are we on our own to find a place to stay?
 

jaetee

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blu_fuz said:
If I travel with my wife or the other members here to florida, do we stay at someone's house or are we on our own to find a place to stay?
We didn't organize a "this member can stay at that member's house" kind of thing, if that's what you're getting at. The general expectation is that you'd want to organize overnight accommodations for yourself. Florida being the transient state that it is.... is probably the most likely state that most people seem to have a friend or family who moved here, especially if you are in the eastern half of the US.

For the previous Florida meets, members have stayed with their family members, non-boombox collector friends they knew from childhood, or simply book a room in a nearby hotel or motel. Some even turned the trip into an Orlando vacation for their whole family, and while they were at the meet, their family went shopping or to a theme park for the day. I believe one member may have had another member stay over at his place for a night or two during the meet, but that was definitely the exception rather than the norm. Most Florida members lived over 2 hours from the meeting location, too..
 
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