20 / 13 It's Coming! Be Prepared!

[svxfiles]

Originally Posted by benebob

Obiviously you haven't seen an episode of Trailer Park Boys.




I'm pretty .

Uh, OK, Ben.
Is everything alright at home?

[Green1995SVX]

I'm looking forward to it being more than just standing in a parking lot and drinking.

[benebob]

Originally Posted by Green1995SVX

I'm looking forward to it being more than just standing in a parking lot and drinking.

I'll bring ya all the crack pipes I collect from the parks over the next year.

[svxfiles]

Originally Posted by Green1995SVX

I'm looking forward to it being more than just standing in a parking lot and drinking.

Or, you could bring a chair!

[svxcess]

Originally Posted by Green1995SVX

I'm looking forward to it being more than just standing in a parking lot and drinking.

For that to happen it's going to take a lot of involvement of more than a couple of people. The 10th Anniversary Met in Lafayette and the Reading 10th Anniversary Pace Car event are prime examples. It took a lot of time and planning of many members to be successful. They just didn't "happen".

The time has come and gone for the "just tell me where and when and I'll show up" mentality. You can come if your only expectations are reuniting with your old friends, but don't complain if you are not sufficiently entertained.

As always, the hotel is committed to accommodate us in every way it possibly can and they look forward to having us; this relationship did not just happen but was cultivated over time.


In past years we had activities, such as scenic drives, scavenger hunts, convoys to a particular attraction, tech sessions, parts raffles and even gave away an SVX. A swap meet could be a possibility among other things.

Members need to get involved, and specific committees for a definite task need to be established.


Some of us are having preliminary talks with SOA about their possible involvement in this event. We reminded them of what SIA did for us at Lafayette and that 10 years later our enthusiasm is still strong. We need volunteers to be part of the historic milestone and come forth with some ideas and a commitment if we want this to be successful.


I would hate to be just hangin' around the parking lot and drinking and talking and saying stuff like:

"Welcome to Reading XIII. This is all we pretty much do now. But in the old days it was really a lot better... you should have been there!

Oh yeah, I almost forgot, this is also the 20th anniversary of the SVX

Yeah, I know... But just wait until the 25th...!"


.

[LetItSnow]

And everyone says, "John, how can I help?"

[benebob]

Originally Posted by LetItSnow

And everyone says, "John, how can I help?"

That's where things have gone wrong. It isn't or shouldn't be about one person dictating or being looked to as the leader but rather a group/committee working together, bringing different ideas, backgrounds and desire's to the discussion then deciding what will work and what won't.

Personally, I miss the banquet style dinner etc but also won't be the financial backer again for such an event. I know how cheap and uncommitted many are here. I'd still love to see such a dinner held at the wonderfully designed Antique Automobile Association's Museum in Hershey. It is a great organization. Sure it isn't the closest at about an hour away for a group drive but it is well worth it, would be a private event in the evening so you'd have a great place for pictures, a private tour, etc. Really for any dinner, NOW is the time to start looking as all of the banquet facilities book up quickly well ahead of time.

Another option could be a track day at Pocono Raceway or a Thursday/Friday rental of Maple Grove. Again, this takes money to organize and lay out ahead of time, which goes along with the whole need for a real club which maintains a non-profit legal status, a bank account, liability insurance, ability to post sponsored events to bring others into the fold, etc.

Again, there are plenty of others with ideas out there, talk about them and make the best happen.

[LetItSnow]

Originally Posted by benebob

That's where things have gone wrong.

Trick of it is, there are folks who are more aware of what's been historically successful and what's possible by finances, potential interest, proximity, time and general availability.

It's no matter of ego that when it comes to my local Subaru club, I'm The Man... Where are we going, Rob? What time, Rob? Yeh, it can be a hassle sometimes, and you will never please everybody. Still, for the group I know the answers best, so I wear the hat. My delegation options are limited, but everything gets done.

Pennsylvania, from my eyes, is that state south of mine with three AHL hockey arenas and Morgantown. I can organize a drive from NY to Reading, but that's the extent of my regional knowledge.

Would we be better off with a thread of interests to kick the planning off? Maybe.

This thread shouldn't turn too far from topic, but I think a brainstorming thread could be beneficial. Plain and simple, there needs to be one or a few people on an organizational committee. I don't mind being part of the machine, but I'm a better finger than a lung, so to speak.

[Green1995SVX]

Originally Posted by benebob

That's where things have gone wrong. It isn't or shouldn't be about one person dictating or being looked to as the leader but rather a group/committee working together, bringing different ideas, backgrounds and desire's to the discussion then deciding what will work and what won't.

Personally, I miss the banquet style dinner etc but also won't be the financial backer again for such an event. I know how cheap and uncommitted many are here. I'd still love to see such a dinner held at the wonderfully designed Antique Automobile Association's Museum in Hershey. It is a great organization. Sure it isn't the closest at about an hour away for a group drive but it is well worth it, would be a private event in the evening so you'd have a great place for pictures, a private tour, etc. Really for any dinner, NOW is the time to start looking as all of the banquet facilities book up quickly well ahead of time.

Another option could be a track day at Pocono Raceway or a Thursday/Friday rental of Maple Grove. Again, this takes money to organize and lay out ahead of time, which goes along with the whole need for a real club which maintains a non-profit legal status, a bank account, liability insurance, ability to post sponsored events to bring others into the fold, etc.

Again, there are plenty of others with ideas out there, talk about them and make the best happen.

Ben-

As much as these are wonderful ideas, and would certainly work with a "normal" group of car enthusiasts, the membership of this forum has really shifted to a lower income group. Many of the people that attend Reading can barely afford the hotel room, let alone something like this. It would not be advisable for ANYONE to bankroll this venture. Many members here are unreliable and uncommitted. You'll have 50 people commit to show up and pay for dinner, and only 20 will follow through. Then whoever put up the money will be stuck with the bill.

The value of our cars has bottomed out and made them accessible to nearly everyone. It is certainly not what it used to be. People continue to buy SVXs with no regard to ownership costs. Yes, they're very inexpensive to buy, but they are not inexpensive to own. There is a thread going on right now where a member is struggling to come up with $800 to purchase an SVX. What happens when the transmission unexpectedly goes bad? Undoubtedly, it'll sit in a back yard, or be parted out.

I predict that we will see a dwindling attendance of Reading until all of the cars "maintained" by lower income owners have been taken off the road due to their lack of ability to keep them going.

This group can't be treated like a group of people who own classic Sunday drivers. It's unfortunate, but it's not what this is.

I'd like to also mention that I know this is not the case for everyone here, but it certainly is the trend.

[Hocrest]

I'll offer to help out. I want Reading 20/13 to be better than some of the past ones. While I value the time standing in the parking lot and drinking, we do need to have other things scheduled to help entice people to drive cross country for this event.

I think the other comment's are correct, there should be a committee. In the past I've helped out and plans that I made and posted about conflict with other events.

Admins, Is it possible to get a private forum set up for the committee?

[Green1995SVX]

Originally Posted by svxcess

For that to happen it's going to take a lot of involvement of more than a couple of people. The 10th Anniversary Met in Lafayette and the Reading 10th Anniversary Pace Car event are prime examples. It took a lot of time and planning of many members to be successful. They just didn't "happen".

The time has come and gone for the "just tell me where and when and I'll show up" mentality. You can come if your only expectations are reuniting with your old friends, but don't complain if you are not sufficiently entertained.

As always, the hotel is committed to accommodate us in every way it possibly can and they look forward to having us; this relationship did not just happen but was cultivated over time.


In past years we had activities, such as scenic drives, scavenger hunts, convoys to a particular attraction, tech sessions, parts raffles and even gave away an SVX. A swap meet could be a possibility among other things.

Members need to get involved, and specific committees for a definite task need to be established.


Some of us are having preliminary talks with SOA about their possible involvement in this event. We reminded them of what SIA did for us at Lafayette and that 10 years later our enthusiasm is still strong. We need volunteers to be part of the historic milestone and come forth with some ideas and a commitment if we want this to be successful.


I would hate to be just hangin' around the parking lot and drinking and talking and saying stuff like:

"Welcome to Reading XIII. This is all we pretty much do now. But in the old days it was really a lot better... you should have been there!

Oh yeah, I almost forgot, this is also the 20th anniversary of the SVX

Yeah, I know... But just wait until the 25th...!"


.

For several years, Benebob, Nubs, and I organized the reading meet with very positive outcomes. We planned banquet style dinners, great timed rally style scavenger hunts, and tech sessions. As much as I would love to do this, it's simply not conceivable. My life is entirely different now.

Mike

[svxfiles]

Originally Posted by benebob

Another option could be a track day at Pocono Raceway or a Thursday/Friday rental of Maple Grove. Again, this takes money to organize and lay out ahead of time, which goes along with the whole need for a real club which maintains a non-profit legal status, a bank account, liability insurance, ability to post sponsored events to bring others into the fold, etc.

Again, there are plenty of others with ideas out there, talk about them and make the best happen.

In the past we have checked out renting Maple Grove and the cost was prohibitive.
However, with a three day Reading I am sure that some of us could go to Maple Grove for some drag racing/drag racing watching.
It might coincide with a Test and Tune event.
It is too soon to find out next years schedule, but this year they opened in the first week of April.
The last time we went racing there it was about $25.00 to enter a car, and maybe $10 for each member of your "Pit Crew".

[benebob]

Originally Posted by Green1995SVX

Ben-

As much as these are wonderful ideas, and would certainly work with a "normal" group of car enthusiasts, the membership of this forum has really shifted to a lower income group. Many of the people that attend Reading can barely afford the hotel room, let alone something like this. It would not be advisable for ANYONE to bankroll this venture. Many members here are unreliable and uncommitted. You'll have 50 people commit to show up and pay for dinner, and only 20 will follow through. Then whoever put up the money will be stuck with the bill.

The value of our cars has bottomed out and made them accessible to nearly everyone. It is certainly not what it used to be. People continue to buy SVXs with no regard to ownership costs. Yes, they're very inexpensive to buy, but they are not inexpensive to own. There is a thread going on right now where a member is struggling to come up with $800 to purchase an SVX. What happens when the transmission unexpectedly goes bad? Undoubtedly, it'll sit in a back yard, or be parted out.

I predict that we will see a dwindling attendance of Reading until all of the cars "maintained" by lower income owners have been taken off the road due to their lack of ability to keep them going.

This group can't be treated like a group of people who own classic Sunday drivers. It's unfortunate, but it's not what this is.

I'd like to also mention that I know this is not the case for everyone here, but it certainly is the trend.

Honestly Mike, that's a crock of sh$%. The average member you speak of can afford their $100 a month cell phone bill, afford $100 a month digital cable, $400 ipods, pads and phones, things I could have never dreamed of affording when I was in their shoes. It is much more a matter of priorities and williness than money. This is coming from the same person who couldn't justify the hotel at the 10th anniversary so I found a campground and saved enough money to pay for all the food and gas there and back. The rest of the trip too about a year to pay off on my cc.

I for one would be embarassed to encourage SOA to become involved to see a bunch of cars that the owner should have spent that money on wax then even the gas to drive to an event in a parking lot strewn with beer cans and wine boxes.

Since you opened pandora's box on affordability. The hotel prices are higher than that of the meets for the TVR car club's annual out of the Woodwork not including the fact that the amenities are pretty much nil. Last year was at the Bucks County C.P. (directly across the street from Seasame Place), this year it has moved to a private resort in Princeton, which includes golf, tennis, spa, indoor and outdoor pools, etc. and the price has remained $15-25 a night cheaper than Morgantown. Over 3 nights looks to be about the same a couples dinner at a high quality banquet!

Personally, I'd be perfectly content with a park pavillion rental, a pig roast, neon crushing contest (if we can still find one) and a bon fire at the camp ground but it is the "build it and they will come" approach. Figure out what we're doing, figure out the costs associated with it and post in now. If someone makes the decision that their cell phone is more important that is on them, cheaping it down will only result in cheaping down the car.

[Huskymaniac]

I will bring this up one more time as I know how people are attached to the Reading area.

While Reading is nice, it isn't a major tourist area with tons of stuff to do. Some of the biggest Subaru dealerships and Subaru towns are in upstate NY. Watkins Glen is at the south side of Seneca Lake. We may be able to rent out that track inexpensively or, at least, get sponsorship to help. Seneca Lake is loaded with good wineries. You want a fun team ride? How about touring the wineries while driving through some really scenic areas along the side of a major lake? The area is loaded with state parks that have lots of facilities and usually a gorge or two and waterfall or two. Some of these parks allow alcohol. There are also some really good and really unique museums in the area. My wife is a docent at the glass museum in Corning. I could get us a personal tour of the glass art and artifacts going back to ancient Egypt. It really is a stunning museum. For restaurants, Watkins Glen has OK restaurants but nearby Ithaca (home of Cornell Univeristy) has GREAT restaurants that are reasonably priced. Ithaca and Corning also have nice shopping areas full of little boutique stores. There is a major Subaru dealership in Ithaca which is a major Subaru town. There is another major Subaru dealership near the north end of Seneca Lake. There is a smaller dealership near Corning and I know the sales manager there. I was planning on asking all of them for donations of money or common replacement parts as sponsors of the event. I am sure they would be more willing to do so if the event is local. I was also planning on contacting Wegman's Supermarkets for sponsorship support. It is based in Rochester and is scattered all arounf upstate NY which is a major Subaru hotbed.

While upstate NY is a hotbed, I also know that our salty winter roads cause cars to die younger and so there may not be as many SVX owners here as there are in PA, MD, NJ, and WV. So this means that people would need to travel farther. But I can personally do a ton of stuff on the planning side if this were local to myself. I just know so many more dealerships, state parks, potential sponsors, cool stuff to do, museums and such in this area.

If people are interested, great. If not, I understand that the location is not as convenient. I figured I would throw that out there one more time.....

[Green1995SVX]

Originally Posted by benebob

Honestly Mike, that's a crock of sh$%. The average member you speak of can afford their $100 a month cell phone bill, afford $100 a month digital cable, $400 ipods, pads and phones, things I could have never dreamed of affording when I was in their shoes. It is much more a matter of priorities and williness than money. This is coming from the same person who couldn't justify the hotel at the 10th anniversary so I found a campground and saved enough money to pay for all the food and gas there and back. The rest of the trip too about a year to pay off on my cc.

I for one would be embarassed to encourage SOA to become involved to see a bunch of cars that the owner should have spent that money on wax then even the gas to drive to an event in a parking lot strewn with beer cans and wine boxes.

Since you opened pandora's box on affordability. The hotel prices are higher than that of the meets for the TVR car club's annual out of the Woodwork not including the fact that the amenities are pretty much nil. Last year was at the Bucks County C.P. (directly across the street from Seasame Place), this year it has moved to a private resort in Princeton, which includes golf, tennis, spa, indoor and outdoor pools, etc. and the price has remained $15-25 a night cheaper than Morgantown. Over 3 nights looks to be about the same a couples dinner at a high quality banquet!

Personally, I'd be perfectly content with a park pavillion rental, a pig roast, neon crushing contest (if we can still find one) and a bon fire at the camp ground but it is the "build it and they will come" approach. Figure out what we're doing, figure out the costs associated with it and post in now. If someone makes the decision that their cell phone is more important that is on them, cheaping it down will only result in cheaping down the car.

You make some excellent points. In fact, I agree with everything you said.

Mike