THIRD Eastern Regional Meet

[MM03MOK]

Nipping on the heels of a stellar weekend in Cleveland, we now start hatching ideas for our next gathering. Fall will be upon us before we know it. It's been suggested that it's New England's turn. Post your ideas, especially with web links. (I can consolidate all suggestions into this one post.)

Let's get this show on the road!!

CT Steam Train & River Boat Ride: http://www.essexsteamtrain.com/steam.html
CT Mystic Seaport: http://www.mysticseaport.org/
NH Foliage Trains: http://www.hoborr.com/fallTour.html
NH Conway Scenic Railroad: http://www.conwayscenic.com/
NH Mount Washington Cog Railway: http://www.thecog.com/
NH Highland Games (Sept. 24-26): http://www.nhscot.org/default_next.htm
NH New England Dragway Sept/Oct Events: http://www.newenglanddragway.com/schedule/calendar/2004/09_2004.shtml ; http://www.newenglanddragway.com/schedule/calendar/2004/10_2004.shtml
If I could get y'all to come ALL the way East, this is what I would suggest:

MA Plimoth Plantation, Mayflower II, Plymouth Rock: http://www.plimoth.org/
MA Heritage Museums & Gardens: http://www.heritagemuseumsandgardens. org/collections_auto.asp
MA Whale Watching: http://www.whalewatchingplymouth.com/ ; http://www.whales.net/
MA Factory Five Racing Factory Tour: http://www.factoryfive.com/index.html

[Haggis]

Hmmmm.....Mt. Washington? It would be a nice photo layout of a dozen or more Marauders on the top of Mt. Washington, the only problem would be the drive down and we would have to do it early enough to beat the snow.

There is always Weirs Beach at Lake Winnipesaukee an old time favorite when I was a kid. Another Scotch drinking, haggis eating, kilt wearing occassion is there is a major Celtic Festival in NH in the fall. I have the info at work will post it tomorrow.

...but, I do like a lot of Mary's ideas.

[MM03MOK]

Another Scotch drinking, haggis eating, kilt wearing occassion is there is a major Celtic Festival in NH in the fall.I like that idea!! There's an "O" in my name for a reason!!

[CRUZTAKER]

I'm in as long as it's not snowing.

I have never been to any of those places...actually...I have never even heard of any of those places!:stupid:

[Krytin]

I lived in Bethlehem NH for eight years! Highland games in Lincoln in fall - at least it used to be! Clarks Trading Post (located in Lincoln) is a road side attraction right out of the past! Fall in New England is way cool! Need to be done before snow flies - first week in October the latest.

[SergntMac]

I'm in as long as it's not snowing. I have never been to any of those places...actually...I have never even heard of any of those places!
As brave as you have been this past weekend, Barry, this is a piece of cake...

[Jessica]

Please, please, please lets not make it the first weekend in October. We have a wedding we have to be at. Otherwise as Barry said, we're up for whatever.

[MM03MOK]

Please, please, please lets not make it the first weekend in October. We have a wedding we have to be at. Otherwise as Barry said, we're up for whatever.I'm tied up that first Oct. weekend too and most likely the third weekend in Oct.

[jgc61sr2002]

Mary - That sure sounds great. :up: Still reeling from the Hershey meet last year. :D

[MM03MOK]

Another Scotch drinking, haggis eating, kilt wearing occassion is there is a major Celtic Festival in NH in the fall.Is this it? http://www.nhscot.org/default_next.htm

Perfect!!
Whisky Tastings
Fri, September 24th, 2004 3:00 PM
Sat, September 25th, 2004 1:00 PM & 3:00 PM
Presented by William Grant & Sons (Glenfiddich).

[Haggis]

Is this it? http://www.nhscot.org/default_next.htm

Perfect!!
Whisky Tastings
Fri, September 24th, 2004 3:00 PM
Sat, September 25th, 2004 1:00 PM & 3:00 PM
Presented by William Grant & Sons (Glenfiddich).

Yep, that's the one! ;)

[MARAUDER S/C #5]

Fun Ford Weekend--New England Dragway--August 21-22 (Sat.& Sun.) :P

[MM03MOK]

Fun Ford Weekend--New England Dragway--August 21-22 (Sat.& Sun.) :P Rick? Did you change your name again?? :lol: How was the wedding and honeymoon? Congrats again!

[MARAUDER S/C #5]

Rick? Did you change your name again?? :lol: How was the wedding and honeymoon? Congrats again!Hello Mary, how are you? Yes, I made a slight change, added my kit number. Thanks, the wedding went great and from what I remember the honeymoon was awesome. :beer: :bandit: :censor: :coolman: What do you think of FFW in Aug.? Btw, thanks for all you do around here. ;)

[MM03MOK]

Hello Mary, how are you? ........ Btw, thanks for all you do around here. ;)Fine!! Awwww......http://smileys.smileycentral.com/cat/4/4_18_2.gif http://smileys.smileycentral.com/cat/4/4_1_203.gif

[Ladyhawke]

Please, please, please lets not make it the first weekend in October. We have a wedding we have to be at. Otherwise as Barry said, we're up for whatever.

Gordon and I also have a wedding to go to in October. We will not be available the weekend of October 29th. But otherwise, all of the said ideas sound good.

[martyo]

I am seriously considering going to Epping for FFW.

[MARAUDER S/C #5]

I am seriously considering going to Epping for FFW.
:burnout: :banana2:

[martyo]

:burnout: :banana2:


And apparently I will be joined by a certain site member who has gone through "several" identity crisises. Right Rick?

[MARAUDER S/C #5]

And apparently I will be joined by a certain aite member who has gone through "several" identity crisises. Right Rick?
Hopefully I will be there, and stop making me pull out my dictionary which does not even show "aite". :confused: :P

[martyo]

Hopefully I will be there, and stop making me pull out my dictionary which does not even show "aite". :confused: :P

I have no idea what you are talking about. :confused: :confused:

:P

[RF Overlord]

The weather in southern New England is pretty good until around Halloween...days are fairly comfortable, but the nights get chilly...up in New Hamster, things happen a little earlier, so perhaps late August to mid-September would be better...

[Dan]

The third weekend in October is very traditionally the peak week for the Sturbridge to Boston line in MA and then south to central CT.

My suggestion would be that we do something in western, MA and pick that wekend. (NOTE: I don't know if I will be free that weekend but it is inevitable that someone won't make it so we should look at other parameters for the weekend besides whether we all can make it or not)

Another reason for the western, MA area is that it is under a 3 hour drive for most of the population concentraions in the north east. Springield, Sturbridge, Northampton and towns in that area are all great potential towns for what we want to do.

Just my 2/100's of a dollar. :)

Best,

Dan

[MARAUDER S/C #5]

(NOTE: I don't know if I will be free that weekend but it is inevitable that someone won't make it so we should look at other parameters for the weekend besides whether we all can make it or not)
I agree, if members keep asking to not have it on certain weekends cuz they can't make it then before you know it we will have no weekends to pick from. I could not make Barry's event or Indy but I did not ask to have those another weekend. Lets just set a date, if you can make it fine if not theres always next year.:P

[Dan]

Well, the third Saturday in October is Oct. 16th. I say that we just set that date and get on with planning the details.

I have found that there are two ways to do these. One is by democracy and the other is by committee. The democracy route rarely works because of how many voices there are to listen to. The committtee route works great because 3 guys/gals get together, plan it, make it special and roll it out.

We can then invited all who can make it to do so and invite all who can't make it to sign up for the next committee.

I am willing to be on the committee and, if no one else would like to, chair it. We would need to set things up quickly so geting together in the near future would be crucial. If anyone else wants to join the committee and/or chair it speak up.

Due to geography it would be ideal if the other committee members are from MA or CT, the southernly parts of ME, VT, and NH, or the easternly parts of NY.

So, let's hear from you folks. It will only take two more to sign on and then we can get planning.

Honestly, I am getting tired of all of the fun times I hear from other regions and think it is time that we show them why the north east is THE place to be. :)

Best,

Dan

[MM03MOK]

Dan - I know you're relatively new here, but for the last two Eastern Regional meets (Hershey & Cleveland), we set up a poll with suggested dates. It worked quite well, and I don't see the need to change our approach - especially since I can't make the weekend of Oct. 16-17. :lol: No flames intended. We did reach a concensus each time. There are some that made both meets and of course we can't accommodate everyone. It also depends on what we want to do. If the NH Highland Games are a probable choice, that picks the weekend.

I'm more than happy to help plan, as I have for every other regional/national meet I've attended.

Any more ideas for things to do, folks? Chime in here!

[Dan]

No offense taken. Please allow me to explain my thoughts on it in the hopes that you can have a better understanding of where I am coming from.

I had observed how things have been done in the past by reviewing the thread history here. I hope that doing events a certain way in the past does not preclude anyone from trying to do things a different way in the future. Further, I hope that if one or more persons try to plan one event a certain way it will not inhibit anyone else from trying to plan other events in their own way.

As the new guy here, just give the word and I will gladly ease back a bit. My desire to help out is greater than any attachments to a particular methodology that I may have.

I haven't seen the plans for a fall meet gain much traction so I figured I would try to give it a bit of a kick start. At this point, I am willing to work within a committee structure to plan an event. It doesn't have to be a fall event but I do want to plan one. I think that we could plan something pretty organized if we got a bit more serious about it. By serious, I mean a little more structured.

With that said, if the group thinks that a committee based method of planning an MM event is pointless then I am fine with that. On the other hand, if a couple of people want to sign on to a committee to plan an event with me then, by all means, let's leverage whatever volunteerism that we have avaialable to us.

After all, no matter what the process the end result is that the community benefits over all.

:)

Best,

Dan

[Dan]

Perhaps I should not have begun in this thread. I am looking to set up a NEW ENGLAND meet and not an Eastern Regional meet.

Should I have started a new thread?

Best,

Dan

[MM03MOK]

Dan - we only launched the first discussions of a Fall regional meet this week , on the heels of a very successful Cleveland meet this past weekend. We haven't gained much ground yet.

Planning is definitely not a One Person job, believe me! There's always a comfort level in following successful practices, but it doesn't mean we'll reject new ideas and input. I'm thrilled you want to participate and help out.

As far as "Eastern Regional" and "New England," it could be two separate meets or combined into one. Since this thread is only a few days old, we should see what kind of response we get from Northeast Marauderers. New York is also a possibility for the Eastern meet. If folks from the Midwest and Mid Atlantic are willing to come up this way, let's make it one big meet!

Come on, folks! Bring us your ideas! Dan, if in a short amount of time, it looks like NE isn't going to work for the Eastern Regional Meet, then start a NE thread. Just my suggestion.

[Dan]

Kool!

Let's roll!

:)

[Ladyhawke]

If folks from the Midwest and Mid Atlantic are willing to come up this way, let's make it one big meet!

Gordon and I are more than willing to drive to New England for our next meet. We enjoyed both Hershey and Cleveland. And we will be attending Indy too.

[mpearce]

Heather and I are up for new England! All of those ideas sounded great! Let us know what the final decision is.

-Mat

[Dan]

I got to thinking about this and I really like the New England foliage. :) And, it does not seem to me like anyone would mind it if I tried to set up a New England meet.

That being the case, (and I am really not trying to be a rebel here), I think I will begin a thread about a New England meet and see what happens.

And as far as an Eastern Regional Meet goes, count me in for help in whateer way I can! I'll gladly work on both even if I can't make both. :)

Best,

Dan

[MM03MOK]

Go for it! I'm all ears.

[TripleTransAm]

let's make it one big meet!

Heh heh... she said "big meet"... :baaa:

Oops... nevermind.
:shake:

[Dan]

Go for it! I'm all ears.

Cool. Thanks. :) :up:

BTW- What is MOK?

Best,

Dan

[mpearce]

Aahh...I forgot about the foliage up there that time of year. I have seen it, and it's quite impressive. If anyone is a dedicated "Leaf Peeper" the New England area that time of year is fantastic. I'm up for peeping leaves!

-Mat

[Dan]

OK, so as to let this thread get back on track I have started a thread in the Northeast forum on the topic of aNew England fall foliage meet. (http://www.mercurymarauder.net/forums/showthread.php?p=136528#post13 6528)

Best,

Dan

[MM03MOK]

Time for a refresh. What other ideas might you have? Anything for western Mass., CT or eastern NY? What drag strips are out that way? :o Once we get a few more ideas, we can start a poll for weekend selection. The only thing tied to a date at this point is the NH Highland Games (Sept. 24-26.)

You know we'll have fun no matter when or what we do!! But, you have to be there to have fun!!

[Haggis]

Time for a refresh. What other ideas might you have? Anything for western Mass., CT or eastern NY? What drag strips are out that way? :o Once we get a few more ideas, we can start a poll for weekend selection. The only thing tied to a date at this point is the NH Highland Games (Sept. 24-26.)

You know we'll have fun no matter when or what we do!! But, you have to be there to have fun!!


I'm still all fore the skirts, Scotch and Caber tossing and that is around peak foliage color up there. Let me know soon so I can start training.

[MM03MOK]

Another refresh. I love the idea of the Highland Games but have to be on Nantucket on Sun., Sept. 26. Though it seems we don't do anything that last Sunday morning, so we could leave after dinner on Sat.

MikeENH, MN6 and other NH Members: how about some other ideas up your way.

Before we actually do a public poll for available dates, if it's easier, send me a PM/email so I can narrow down the field (both dates you can't make it or preferred dates.) No sense in talking about the Highland Games if that weekend isn't good for most.

Bunny!!

[CRUZTAKER]

Anxiously waiting....:rolleyes:


Jessy already posted OUR dead date. I beleive a few others have as well.

[MarauderMark]

[QUOTE=CRUZTAKER]Anxiously waiting....:rolleyes: QUOTE]


Mee too... :up:

[O's Fan Rich]

Mid October is out for Michelle and me. We are scheduled for Miami the 13-17 and will be visting :cry: the in laws :alone: prior then FISHING IN THE FREAKIN' EVERGLADES til the end of the month!!! :rock: :rock: :rock:

[martyo]

Big Ford drag race in Englishtown on October 15th (my birthday in case anyone is curious!). Sure would give us a nice anchoring event around which to schedule.

[merc]

Big Ford drag race in Englishtown on October 15th (my birthday in case anyone is curious!). Sure would give us a nice anchoring event around which to schedule.

October 28 is my b-day, hummm a battle of the heavy wieghts sure sounds good to me. Count me in. :beer:

[MARAUDER S/C #5]

Fun Ford Weekend--New England Dragway--August 21-22 (Sat.& Sun.) :P
:burnout: :banana2: :beer: :up: :P

[martyo]

:burnout: :banana2: :beer: :up: :P


I plan on being in Epping that weekend too! What a coincedence!!

I am probably bringing my brother and nephew. If you are going to be there, we should hook up.

Will you have your indentity crisis resolved by then?