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National Meet in 2004?

Cool Rod

Full Member
Joined
Jul 7, 2003
Messages
348
Location
Miami FLA
Is there any hope for a National Meet in 2004 (Next Summer)? The last National effort was a very good idea, but it fell apart.

The Southern Regional Meet could become the National Meet. If not, maybe there is a good alternative. But we can't have these things every month or people will get bored with the whole idea. I say go for a lollapalooza of a get together that will gather the most AVs ever in one place north of Mexico!

My problem with these things is that they are always so far from Miami that I don't have enough time to get there and back. People from Washington State and thereabouts probably feel the same way.

Also I have a 14 year old who has to go to school, so the only time I can go is during her summer vacation, which starts towards the end of June. July is a good time for people with kids, it can become the summer family vacation, and that's when the National Meet was scheduled for last year.

The Colorado mountains that Dave02Z66 spoke of in his "Ideas For The Southern Regional 2004" post would be a great place to go in the summertime, tons of interesting outdoors activities and fabulous scenery for those who would like to take out their rear window and store the covers, just like a very cool convertible. Off roading possibilties abound.

Colorado is pretty much toward the midline of the country so it's do-able for a lot of people.

I have to confess I had not heard of Lake City until Dave mentioned it, but if you check his link I think you'll agree it's a very perfect spot.Those who have the time afterward can go to New Mexico or Arizona or other interesting places. Anyhow, this is just a thought to start peoples minds working.

Dave02Z66, I couldn't reply to your Southern Regional post because it is locked. I'm not trying to intrude on your plans, but maybe this would appeal to you.

Lots of work, but you were probably planning on doing lots of work anyway, and maybe the people who were putting the National Meet together last year could help, or maybe Tinman and his crew from STI.

This might make your get together the Big Event Of All Time!! If you're going to be a bear, be a grizzly bear! (y)
 
To be fair to all, I found this on about.com

"The geographic center of the contiguous (lower) 48 states is about four miles west of Lebanon, Kansas, at 98?35' West 39?50' North."
 
Not to be a party pooper, and no offense to Kansans, but if a national meet is held 4 miles west of Labanon, KS I likely won't be there ;D
 
RichUF said:
Not to be a party pooper, and no offense to Kansans, but if a national meet is held 4 miles west of Labanon, KS I likely won't be there ;D
I say we have the nationals in Orlando!!! >:D >:D >:D (y) (y) (y)

J/K

I think TexasAVfan is working on a national event in Tennessee. Do a search for it.

Wiki
 
OK, Wiki, I took a look. All I can find is a get together in Memphis in March. Is that what you were thinking of? It'll be fun for sure and it's what started me thinking about a National get together, but it's too far for me and not in the summer vacation period. It will be great for people who live on this side of the country, but it's too far for westerners. Wish I could go, though... :-[
 
coolrod .... look for Myrtle Beach ... it was a toss up between there and somewhere near Memphis, I think ... I saw it early last week ....

I think they were talkin it would be the next ECRM and not a national event ....
 
Cool Rod,
I think it is a great idea for the summer. :0: If you are willing to go to Colorado from Miami, then I have no problem going from Jacksonville, FL! I am selfishly thinking of somewhere closer to Denver, though, and I realize Lake City is like 7-8 hrs away from Denver, forgive me! I have some ideas/event ideas, and since it is summer, and I am a sports nut...

One of the days, we could:
1. go to a Colorado Rockies baseball game - group discount, CAFCNA on the scoreboard, the works! Preferably, a Yankees game, but any team will do!
2. meet some of either the Colorado Avalanche hockey players (1st preference for obvious reasons), Denver Broncos (right before training camp), or the Rockies, and maybe do some charity work with them, preferably hauling food/supplies in our trucks to various places in Denver!

Forgive the touristy flavor of these ideas, but hey, it would be my 1st time to Colorado... :D

Be cool,
Speed

 
Yo Speed! 39 hours from Miami, 33 hours from Jax! :eek: Driving hours! About 5000 miles on the odometer round trip. It's gotta be my summer vacation, unless I get fired first.

Well, I don't want to get the cart before the horse. This would be a very cool trip and could be one heck of a convoy, but so far it's just a question put before the membership. If there was interest, it could be developed.

I thought it might dovetail with the Southern Regional 2004 meet, but in that regard Dave02Z66 was just putting out a request for suggestions. So for now, it's just my suggestion. I have to say, though, it would be a get together for the books.

The Black Hills meet planned for last year was an even longer drive for most people, but it still drew a crowd until the wheels fell off.

Wiki and Intimidatoruag, I found the info that you were talking about. It's the East Coast meet in June 11-12. I don't want to interfere with anything that is planned or in the planning stage.

I'm just a Johnny Comelately, and no way in the world would I step on anyones toes. Again, I'm just trying to make a suggestion to Dave02Z66, and he has at this point absolutely no idea about what I am saying, and when he finds out he may ask me to take a hike. I hope not, though.

I guess nothing like a National get together happens until the Big Dog barks, so Green Dog Do has to express an interest.

So what has to happen now is some preliminary idea has to be obtained about how many people would consider this sort of event, and would be willing to drive half-way across the country to attend. I think after reading about the great time at Savannah, a lot of us want to have some of the fun, and a National could be Savannah to the power of 10!

If you think you might want to do this, say so. If you have a better idea, such as time or place or whatever, say so. If I'm suggesting something that conflicts with another get together you were planning and you would rather do yours than a National, say so.

If you're sick of me and wish I'd just drop dead, remember the virtue of silence! ;D
 
30+ hours...

maybe the Orlando idea above wasn't such a bad idea after all. ;)
 
Yeah, RichUF, I've thought a few times about a Florida get together. Orlando is more fun than a barrel of monkeys, you've got the Old Town street rod event (Every weekend, or once a month?), all the theme parks, a million hotels and restaurants and there are a few top modders here in FLA who could make the drive and maybe help an elderly dope such as myself trick out his rod. The time for a get together there is in the Winter, because it's Africa hot in the summer. But hey, this is October, right? Some of that Arctic blast is probably heading our way soon, and the temperature might plummet into the lower 70's. If there is a Florida chapter, I haven't heard of it. Getting one going would be a fun project for someone-other-than-me. :cool:
 
I got nominated at STI (in my own absence, of course) to start up something in Orlando, but shhhhh! don't tell anyone. I've heard that OviedoAv or Hoss really want to do it instead ;)

Anyways, something will happen sooner or later, I'm sure. Before Christmas? Doubful, but we'll see.

Rich
 
How about somewhere like Eureka Springs, Ark? Very nice scenery, lots of places to stay; lots to do, trolley buses stop at the Motels and take you everywhere. Conway can probably eloborate. It would also be kinda central to most.
 
it would take an excuse like that for me to visit Arkansas (just kiddin', Conway...I'm sure it's just lovely there...and muddy ;D)

Maybe we could look up the center of the US based on population...I bet it'd be closer to the East Coast then. Or maybe by population of CAFCNA members ???
 
I know for many this is a sore topic for me to jump into.

If someone is going to step forward and do a 2004 National Meet you really need to take in consideration ALL of our members - that inlcudes those in Alaska and Canada.

We did a lot of heavy research on this and Colorado, South Dakota, and Missouri were very interesting locations for a National Meet due to their relative "center" location in North America and for the volume of recreational activities.

I know that if there was a "National Meet" in Tennessee or South Carolina that you would not have a large number of west coasters, Alaska, or Canadian attendees due to the great distance involved.

You need to take into consideration that most people will have only one to two weeks vacation to get there, have fun, and get back.

In a case of deja vu - if you want to have a National Meet for 2004 then someone needs to step forward now to do the planning and the planning needs to start now. You need to bid out properties, etc. etc. etc. before the best locations are snapped up.

I'll throw in my recommendation for Rapid City, South Dakota. The Impala, Corvette, Toyota 4Runner, Jeep, and PT Cruiser folks all have very large meets in the area - as well as the Sturgis bike rally. My point is the area is VERY experienced at dealing with large car clubs, and the cost is going to be lower for members than Colorado.

A good "urban" setting is Kansas City, Missouri. Also a pretty darn central location, easy initerstate access and a lot to do with a lot of history to explore.

Anyway that's my two cents - I'm putting my cast iron underwear on and ducking now...
 
OK, there's a good suggestion. Eureka Springs Arkansas. I had to go to Mapqwest to find it, because I'm not very familiar with Arkansas. I have only heard good things about Arkansas, and now that I've looked it up I see Eureka Springs is about as far from the Very Famous Lebanon Kansas as Lake City is. It probably is closer to more people than Lake City is, so it is one to keep in mind. But there has to be something magnetic about a place to attract people from around the country, something that offers a lot of interesting things for diverse people or else something a lot of people always wanted to see, such as The Grand Canyon or Las Vegas or Sedona or something. (y)
 
Hey hold on Dog Do. Your input is very important. You have experience no one else has, at least I think you do.

Were you the key man in setting up the National last year? I think it was very well organized until fate stepped in. Who worked with you on that?

As far as members from Canada and Alaska, you're right they have to be considered. Do you remember how many from those places said they were going to attend? If I was running this, I would try to recruit them, too. It depends where in Canada the members live, because it is probably further from Florida to North Dakota than it is from Alberta.

Anyway, this is at a very fragile and preliminary stage now (like I just thought about it this morning), and the underlying premise here is that a Southern Regional is probably already cooking for the Southern Rockies and could be the catalyst for a get together that would be fun and interesting enough for people to make the trip.

I am only making a suggestion to Dave02Z66 here. If he thought it could work with his plans, then that would be a good way to go, because of the abundance of things that it appears exist in Lake City. He is also thinking about the Big Bend in Texas and that might not do it for a National get together.

If that was how it played out, and there was a sense that a National would work somewhere, other things could be considered. Anyway, your experience could be critical.
 
The geographic center of North America is in Rugby, North Dakota - population 2,909.

About Rugby

It is located right on US Highway 2 between Minot to the west and Grand Forks to the east. Translation, it's in the middle of nowhere and one of two "major towns" between these two cities - with Devils Lake being the other.

Lebanon, Kansas is considered the geographic center of the lower 48 - not all 50 states. Lebanon is roughly 70 miles north of Bunker Hill, Kansas on State Highway 181. The town has a population of just 364 people and is even more in the middle of nowhere then Rugby. Grand Island, Nebraska is the closest "major" city and is about 50 miles to the north.

About Lebanon

Believe it or not, the good folks at the census bureau have figured out the geographic center of the United States based on where people live. This center has been steadily moving west since the census started and as of 1990 it was about 10 miles away from Steelville, Missouri. This center takes into account the population that lives in Alaska and Hawaii.

Census Bureau PDF

Steelville is eight miles south of Interstate Highway 44, and roughly 35 to 40 miles as the crow flies southwest of Saint Louis, Missouri.

If we treat Rugby as the center of the universe, and look for 150 miles in all directions, this is what you get:

Rugby Map

So if you adjust for 1/4 day drive from Rugby you get into wide areas of Canada, Minnesota, South Dakota, a bit of Montana, amd a sliver of Wyoming.

If we give Lebanon, Kansas the same treatment this is what you get:

Lebanon Map

You get all of Kansas and Nebraska, a big chunk of Iowa, a sliver of South Dakota, a sliver of Colorado, a sliver of Missouri, a sliver of Oaklahoma and a tiny corner of New Mexico and a bit of the Texas panhandle.

If we give Steelville, Missouri the same treatment:

Steelville Map

You get all of Missouri and almost all of Indiana. You also get a large chunk of Arkansas, and small pieces of Nebraska, Kansas, Oaklahoma, Indiana, Kentucky and Tennessee.

So if you're looking for an ideal location looking at the "heart" of the country or the "heart" of North America, and you look at simple geography, the following locals come to mind:

Arkansas: Little Rock
Missouri: Saint Louis, Springfield*, Kansas City*
North Dakota: Grand Forks*, Fargo, Minot
South Dakota: Rapid City*, Sioux Falls*
Nebraska: Omaha, Lincoln*
Iowa: Sioux City, Des Moines*, Cedar Rapids, Davenport
Tennessee: Memphis
Illinois: Peoria, Chicago, Springfield
Kansas: Topeka*, Kansas City*, Wichita
Indiana: Evansville

Cities with a "*" next to them mean they appear on more than one geographic center. Although Rapid City does not appear on either map, it is just off the edge on two sections and inside the 150 mile circle for Rugby and Lebanon.

Now keep in mind that as I list these "major" population centers I am stretching the limit on that 150 mile circle - so be careful that you don't look at cities on the fringe like Chicago, Evansville, or Memphis and go that a city north, south, east, west, etc. further "wouldn't be that bad."

Anyway that's what I could turn up - open for lots of discussion I'm sure.
 
Good input from everyone!

Do you think the meet needs to be somewhere different than other meets, such as Sturgis, even though I have heard it is a great place to go? Do we need to have our own identity? :p

I am feeling a poll coming on, with the cities that Green Dog has listed previously!

$.02 => I would prefer somewhere that isn't flat (I live in flat Florida!) - mountains sound more attractive...

Thanks everyone!
Speed ;D


 
First off, I apologize for calling you Dog Do. It came out wrong. :-X From now on I'll call you Green Dog. That's a lot better.

I don't have a point of view here, I'm still just waiting to hear from Dave02Z66. I better email him and let him know that he needs to check this thread.

That said, you have done a lot of work just to find out all this about these centers of one thing or another. But honestly, I never heard any of these places called "The Sun 'N Fun Capital" of anything at all.

Memphis is a great place, The King used to live there when he used to live, but how could it be central enough to attract people from Alaska? Or even a lot of other places west of Big Muddy? But that's OK, we can see the process that is required to select a site that is attractive to a lot of people.

Rich had a good idea: map out where members live and look into the center of that map and see what's the most interesting place in that area. Might not be anything at all, though. ;D
 
Little Rock, Rapid City, and Sioux City would not be flat. Sioux City is located along the Loess [sic] of the Missouri and has some pretty darn hilly terrain - although the surrounding area outside of the Missouri valley is as flat as a pancake, ESPECIALLY to the west.

The Black Hills is where the highest point in South Dakota is located, Harney Peak at over 7,300 feet - I know that Little Rock is surrounded by hills and wouldn't be as flat as the Sioux City area. If my geography serves me correctly the other destinations are from a hill stand point pretty darn featureless.
 
Cool Rod, I will find out why my thread was locked and have it unlocked. I think Lake City and the surrounding cities have a lot to offer with the mountains and ghost towns, Mountain bike and niking trails, a few hours drive from many major areas in Colorado and New Mexico. Utah, Ariz etc.
 
Hi Dave. Glad we could hook up with you. I have been thinking about a possible National meet in conjunction with your Southern regional meet for a few days now, and no matter what other locations I think about, yours is the best. There might be a similar venue, with similar attractions, further north but right now I don't know of it.

Southern Colorado is actually fairly central to the lower two thirds of the country and within reasonable driving time (say two days or less) of a lot of people. I just don't know how many members live in that two thirds. For all I know, the great majority live along the East Coast. Maybe Green Dog has some demographics we could call upon.

Your meet, though, is going to be in your region no matter where the majority of members live, so that's the event to consider for now.

I haven't seen much response to your thread yet, I know it was just unlocked, but it's got me wondering about what size turnout you were expecting. These regional events are usually not very large, because the pool of CAFCNA/ClubAvalanche members in any given region is not really huge. The more localized the regions become, for example a South Florida region, the smaller the pool becomes and of course not everyone in a particular pool can come anyway.

So to have an impressive turnout, the size of an event that might attract vendors and commercial sponsors, such as STI, there has to be cross-pollination with other groups, for example Texans driving to Savannah Georgia, which did happen. For a National event, it is fair to conclude that Georgians would drive just as far, which would include Southern Colorado more or less. It's not much further to the Carolinas and the Mid-Atlantic states, or California and Oregon for that matter, so if the magnetism was strong enough I think people from that far would at least mull it over.

The magnetism is obviously still limited by distance, the further you live from an event the less likely you are to want to make the effort, so the event has to be MEGA to pull people from halfway across the country.

From your info about Lake City, I believe the variety of interesting things to see and do there could encourage people to make it their vacation choice for this year and schedule their vacations to overlap a National get together for at least a day or two.

The proposed National last year was not in a place with matching qualities, based on my recollection. It was interesting enough, a lot of people drive to Mount Rushmore anyway, but the surrounding area is not that interesting to most people. Please Green Dog don't shoot me!

I'm going to contact a few people who have expressed an interest in a National in other strings and ask them to join in on this one.

But again I really want to stress to you that this is just a conversation, nothing three dimensional, and after reading through the posts here it makes me feel very awkward, as if I am trying to get you to do something you never wanted. So if this whole thing is beginning to chafe you I would understand completely. You could just tell us no thanks and that would be that.

But you know what? I think I'm coming to your regional meet anyway, if you have it in Lake City. It looks like it will be that much fun!! ;D
 
My 2 cents... Why not the obvious... Las Vegas area? Everything is there and as long as there's no prize fight or electronic convention the prices are fair. A thought.

goose
 
First of all, I love the Vegas/Southern Nevada area. Don't even mention it in front of me. I'm drawn like a magnet to it . . . . if I'm flying out. Driving is a different story. At that distance from the east coast, it might make better sense to have our Avs shipped out, and maybe drive back. But maybe that's just a pie-in-the-sky idea. Or worst case, we'd fly out and rent a 4x4 in Vegas, which is what we normally do when we go out anyway.

There are some fantastic scenic offroad byways that we've cruised that have some great photo ops. There's also the Desert National Wildlife Preserve which borders Nellis.

I'd like to see a string of Avs headed down the dirt road at Rachel to the perimeter of Area 51! I think we might shake a few people up! :eek:

If I could even go to a Nat meet, which I really don't know, my vote is for Colorado Springs and the mountains and areas west of there, including Pike's Peak, Manitou Spring, Vail, Breckenridge, etc. Maybe a trip across Royal Gorge. What a photo op that would be with the bridge loaded up with Avs. I'm really not for the Denver area, due to the congestion, crowds, etc. It wouldn't seem like much of a vacation. Just my 2 cents.
 
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