[BRIV] What are your ideas?

[onedef92]

That would also be a good reason to go, but I would prolly just go for the SMACK!




Missed those Krystal burgers this year for sure, too.

[RonC5]

Originally Posted by onedef92

That would also be a good reason to go, but I would prolly just go for the SMACK!




Missed those Krystal burgers this year for sure, too.

And you should try them right out of the smoker!

[Joecooool]

I had over 200 people show up for the Winter Jam I did ten years ago in Daytona. Everyone wanted to drive their car around the speedway. The following year at Disney we had about half that number but because it rained all weekend.

[Mike Mercury]

Originally Posted by BuckyThreadkiller

Why not piggyback it on another event? The Bash in BG, The Lone Star Classic in Fort Worth is great. Vettes on the Rockies or the Black Hills Classic?

seems like a good idea.

But keep in mind the VB/CF'ers are use-to having the place (hotel) practically all to themselves. You walk outside the hotel any everyone in the parking lot is with your group. And; Dixie can purchase the right amount of grub upfront because of advanced notice. Imagine Dixie having to tell (possibly hundreds on non-Barners that approach his tent) that he doesn't have enough food on hand for "walk-ups". It would get irritating... quickly.

As far as the hotel goes... the BR's and CI's have been -to the most part- a captive audience; which personally I prefer (due to my anti-social nature ).

I truly believe the national BR event (where-ever it would be held) needs to be a VB only type event. Regional BR's, though, probably wouldn't need to worry about this..

[Grey Ghost]

Originally Posted by onedef92

Missed those Krystal burgers this year for sure, too.

There was an old Krystal in downtown Rome, GA. that continued this tradition through the '70s. The food was cooked and served from behind the counter on glassware. Kinda' like Steak n Shake setup. Those were the best ! Hot off the grill, steamed bun, eating off glassware. No cardboard or paper junk.

During the 1950s and early 1960s, the chain served much of its food not in take-out containers but on inexpensive porcelain dishware labelled "Krystal." The waiters and waitresses wore white uniforms, and food was offered through counter service. In the 1950s, Krystal opened its first drive through window - which most locations maintain today

[onedef92]

Originally Posted by Grey Ghost

There was an old Krystal in downtown Rome, GA. that continued this tradition through the '70s. The food was cooked and served from behind the counter on glassware. Kinda' like Steak n Shake setup. Those were the best ! Hot off the grill, steamed bun, eating off glassware. No cardboard or paper junk.

[URL=http://media.photobucket.com/user/newalbanian/media/white_castle.jpg.


Those things are dope. I've always preferred Krystal to WC's, personally.

[island14]

Originally Posted by onedef92

That would also be a good reason to go, but I would prolly just go for the SMACK!




Missed those Krystal burgers this year for sure, too.

I have not tried them but they look great.

if they are better than White castle I'm in!

[Blue Flame-less Joe]

A different weekend would let me come.

[Stangkiller]

This being my 9th year visiting bowling green with basically the same group, I have a few thoughts on this, ill have to sit down a get them well thought out.

I've had a lot of life changing events over the last 10 years. Being married probably the biggest, I'd love to find an event with enough to keep Karen engaged and entertained, as well as seeing and bsing with y'all.

In short though, I like the idea of a rotating party, with revisiting BG every few years. But again, let me type out my thoughts and revisit this. I think if we held some official Vette barn events, tied into some already existing events it might give us (the forum) a chance to meet and recruit new members...ie The lone star event, the Bash in BG, and Carlisle....I'm sure there's quite a few others.

On the flip side I thoroughly enjoyed this event, even though it was small, I was able to enjoy the company & conversations with the other members. Unlike CI10 this event was still upbeat and very enjoyable.

Hell, I'm beginning to think even a Bahamas jam type event might be able to gain support, especially if we could create the event in such a manner that could be advertised on other enthusiast websites.

[erickpl]

Texas (Dallas ish), Atlanta, Vegas or LA, and a city up in the Northeast would be good regional spots.

LA and/or Vegas both offer a lot of things to do. While not all necessarily Corvette related, they do have facilities for racing. Coordinating with local car clubs may not be a bad idea and actually bring more people into the fold. While a 'barn raising', it could also be a time to meet up with other car enthusiasts of other makes and models.

Imagine an autocross in Vegas where you have Corvettes and Porsches together... or Vettes and Mustangs...

While different, we're the same. Car enthusiasts. Have fun with the rivalries and team up with other locals to make it fun and interesting.

But those places also have more to offer as far as dining, entertainment, etc.

[cmb396]

I can't really say for sure that one idea would work better than the other, but I think location would be key!!
I do like the idea of piggybacking a larger event that would give more variety of cars to see, activities, and vendors to associate with.
I was all set to go this year, til something came up last minute that held more obligation. The weekend doesn't really matter to me either. Memorial Day weekend here in WV is never usually warm enough to be out on the water yet, so that's not really an issue for me.
Not being biased, but I do like the Gatlinburg/Pidgeon Forge idea. You have the Dragon to cruise, plenty of shopping for the wimmenz, tons of other things to go do, go cart racing, etc. Great restaurants, and bars/brewerys to go to as well. I was in Gatlinburg one time and happened to stumble onto a cruise that was going on, and it was a great time. Luckily, we were in the vette, and jsut joined right in.

As for this year, it wasn't BG, the lack of attendance, or anything else other than something I had to take care of here that kept me from going!! I didn't cancel my hotel res til Wed morning trying to work it out!!

[Truck Guy]

Originally Posted by Blue Flame-less Joe

A different weekend would let me come.

[lspencer534]

Originally Posted by island14

I have not tried them but they look great.

if they are better than White castle I'm in!

They are definitely better than WC. WC has a "sterile" white bun with a cottony feel and taste. Krystal Burger buns are grilled on top of the meat, and have the smoky taste of the meat and onions. Plus, WCs seem to be "smushed" together, while Krystals maintain their integrity. BTW, the Krystal grease will sober you up a lot faster than WC's grease....

[SpdChik]

As Chris and Steve have mentioned...this event is a huge part of my life. I have been to CI 4-11 and BR 2-3. The experiences I have had and the friends I have made have affected every major achievement/event in my life. This is family and I will do whatever is needed to preserve that.

I do like having the event in BG. Not selfishly because it is closer to me but for a nostalgic value. It has always been there. We have stories from every parking space, every room, the awning, the puke bathroom, the dumpster, backlot carwashing, walking to the liquor store and to white castle, every neighboring restaurant, places that are now gone and places we hoped to see come. We have memories about old trees and new trees. We have memories from those that are no longer with us and memories of the way things used to be. We have memories from when we first met each other, when friendships began, relationships began, engagements, weddings, new babies, and anniversaries.

As I said, I am willing to do whatever it takes to preserve this event however I believe this event has a home and that home is Bowling Green, KY. I am scared that by changing the location/date...this event will die. At best it will become a "new" event...it will never be the same. CI/BR is bowling green...it is the hampton...it is I-65...it is the NCM.

On a lighter note: I am in the same boat with the rest of you in regard to being bored with the activities. Here are my thoughts on what happened.

When CI began, I was 16. I met most of my friends now almost 15 years ago. We were the youngest. We have all grown together and continue to be the youngest among CI attendees. Preferred activities when you are 18-30 are slightly different than when you are 30-45. I remember the major reason I wanted to go to CI when I was younger was because "I have to be there when it happens...I cant miss anything". We were full of stupid antics, unsafe antics, blowing things up and/or catching them on fire, getting stupid drunk, being loud, and we didn't have a care in the world. Now 15 years later...we do care, we are respectful of others and aren't as loud, we are more responsible with our cars and well being, we are cautious, some of us have married, some have had kids, we have respectable jobs and licenses to protect, we may have health issues to be mindful of. It is a completely different mentality. The "parking lot antics" dont occur anymore therefore the "parking lot hangout" does not attract new comers or spouses of those already here. Also, repeating the same tours and attractions over and over and over gets really old. I still go in order to see my friends however a fresh set of tours would be great. In the last 10 years, we have not added a younger generation to our event therefore we need to cater to the generations that are here and continue to come every year. Only when we are completely satisfied with it can we be enthusiastic about bringing our friends and family with us. Then...it will begin to grow once again. This is our baby and Im not on the abortion bus.

I would love to see all of us as a family rise up and give this event a huge makeover! Preserve what is important however provide new tours, new activites, have someone in charge of parking lot activities so that more is offered than simply sitting (which is extremely boring for those new or guests). The past few years have lacked enthusiasm from the people attending. We used to be so excited as a group and really bring it...lets do that again!!

I would like to see the location, date, Robs cooking, beer trailer, and NCM involvement continue. Daily activities need a facelift. There are so many places we have never ventured. There is a natural rock park that would follow a 2 hr cruise and offer swimming, tubing, rope swing, etc that could make a great day activity. Louisville and Lexington are close, we always have Nashville, we have tons of outdoor paintball ranges, maybe a lake day? we could rent a pontoon, I loved the golf/spa day where each can do their own. Just a few ideas but I think we need to be drastic! Distillary runs and empty parking lots fall short of a good time unless you are coming for the nostalgic value. Maybe we can scan activities that other groups do and get some ideas. And for what its worth....I really miss the poker/gps runs

Let's do it guys....come on!!

[RonC5]

Well said Kim. Poker runs, destination lunches involving a nice back road tour. Exploring out to areas not explored before. Keep in mind that NCM will also have the track open in the next year or 2.

[GRN ENVY]

Originally Posted by SpdChik

As Chris and Steve have mentioned...this event is a huge part of my life. I have been to CI 4-11 and BR 2-3. The experiences I have had and the friends I have made have affected every major achievement/event in my life. This is family and I will do whatever is needed to preserve that.

I do like having the event in BG. Not selfishly because it is closer to me but for a nostalgic value. It has always been there. We have stories from every parking space, every room, the awning, the puke bathroom, the dumpster, backlot carwashing, walking to the liquor store and to white castle, every neighboring restaurant, places that are now gone and places we hoped to see come. We have memories about old trees and new trees. We have memories from those that are no longer with us and memories of the way things used to be. We have memories from when we first met each other, when friendships began, relationships began, engagements, weddings, new babies, and anniversaries.

As I said, I am willing to do whatever it takes to preserve this event however I believe this event has a home and that home is Bowling Green, KY. I am scared that by changing the location/date...this event will die. At best it will become a "new" event...it will never be the same. CI/BR is bowling green...it is the hampton...it is I-65...it is the NCM.

On a lighter note: I am in the same boat with the rest of you in regard to being bored with the activities. Here are my thoughts on what happened.

When CI began, I was 16. I met most of my friends now almost 15 years ago. We were the youngest. We have all grown together and continue to be the youngest among CI attendees. Preferred activities when you are 18-30 are slightly different than when you are 30-45. I remember the major reason I wanted to go to CI when I was younger was because "I have to be there when it happens...I cant miss anything". We were full of stupid antics, unsafe antics, blowing things up and/or catching them on fire, getting stupid drunk, being loud, and we didn't have a care in the world. Now 15 years later...we do care, we are respectful of others and aren't as loud, we are more responsible with our cars and well being, we are cautious, some of us have married, some have had kids, we have respectable jobs and licenses to protect, we may have health issues to be mindful of. It is a completely different mentality. The "parking lot antics" dont occur anymore therefore the "parking lot hangout" does not attract new comers or spouses of those already here. Also, repeating the same tours and attractions over and over and over gets really old. I still go in order to see my friends however a fresh set of tours would be great. In the last 10 years, we have not added a younger generation to our event therefore we need to cater to the generations that are here and continue to come every year. Only when we are completely satisfied with it can we be enthusiastic about bringing our friends and family with us. Then...it will begin to grow once again. This is our baby and Im not on the abortion bus.

I would love to see all of us as a family rise up and give this event a huge makeover! Preserve what is important however provide new tours, new activites, have someone in charge of parking lot activities so that more is offered than simply sitting (which is extremely boring for those new or guests). The past few years have lacked enthusiasm from the people attending. We used to be so excited as a group and really bring it...lets do that again!!

I would like to see the location, date, Robs cooking, beer trailer, and NCM involvement continue. Daily activities need a facelift. There are so many places we have never ventured. There is a natural rock park that would follow a 2 hr cruise and offer swimming, tubing, rope swing, etc that could make a great day activity. Louisville and Lexington are close, we always have Nashville, we have tons of outdoor paintball ranges, maybe a lake day? we could rent a pontoon, I loved the golf/spa day where each can do their own. Just a few ideas but I think we need to be drastic! Distillary runs and empty parking lots fall short of a good time unless you are coming for the nostalgic value. Maybe we can scan activities that other groups do and get some ideas. And for what its worth....I really miss the poker/gps runs

Let's do it guys....come on!!

Well Said, My first CI was CI10, it was a blast, I wish I had been able to come to more. I have never been a big drinker so all the distillery tours bore me. Going on a poker run, or to a lake to have fun, sounds like more fun in my opinion. Location doesn't bother me, I'll try and go where ever it is. But I must say I like Bowling Green, as its as Corvette as you can get!

[Fasglas]

Poker runs are something I'm on record of mentioning.

Also, the GENERAL JACKSON can be chartered for a lunchtime cruise.

Country music museum. Full size copy of the Parthenon in Centennial Park. Kentucky railroad museum. The Hermitage. Grassmere, etc.

MANY things to see/do in Nashville.

Again... finding a hotel that gives us as much slack as the BG HAMPTON will be unlikely. I think we ALL know that.

My .02

[NEED-A-VETTE]

Originally Posted by RonC5

Well said Kim. Poker runs, destination lunches involving a nice back road tour. Exploring out to areas not explored before. Keep in mind that NCM will also have the track open in the next year or 2.

Originally Posted by Fasglas

Poker runs are something I'm on record of mentioning.

Also, the GENERAL JACKSON can be chartered for a lunchtime cruise.

Country music museum. Full size copy of the Parthenon in Centennial Park. Kentucky railroad museum. The Hermitage. Grassmere, etc.

MANY things to see/do in Nashville.

Again... finding a hotel that gives us as much slack as the BG HAMPTON will be unlikely. I think we ALL know that.

My .02

Poker Run and Civil War Scavenger Hunt were on the original schedule for last year. Not enough interest, so they were cancelled. Remember that we can add things to the schedule, but have to have enough participation to justify pulling them off.

This year's events were taken completely from last years events suggestion thread. All the suggestions were compiled (even curling) and then voted on. The top 7 or so were put on the schedule. The schedule was made up entirely of input from VB.

https://www.thevettebarn.com/forums/o...ctivities.html

I agree that we need some fresh ideas. However, although the cheese and wine tour has been done repeatedly, it was on of the top on the list, in terms of votes. What can you do? Refuse to put something on the list (that everyone wants) just because its been done year after year?

Then there are the issues with counting the participants. We did something new this year, which alleviated miscounts (by asking people to check off even those events costing $0, whih worked well), but it has been a problem in the past.

Example: The spa day was added new last year because I thought the ladies would like it. I think I had 3-4 people RSVP'ed for it. They opened up early on a Saturday just for our group. Well, about 8-10 people showed up. They scrambled for staff to come in and, while they were absolutely gracious and accommodating, they declined to host us his year.

If we want to revamp this schedule, we need a lot more input from everyone here. I have no problems putting together the schedule for 2014, but we need to get more ideas flowing here. Way, way more.

And we are going to have to concede that there are some activities for which payment is going to be needed 3-4 weeks in advance and, if you don't register in time for that event, you'll miss out. There are events require full payment up front and require that full payment well in advance (due to it being a holiday weekend). This is not traditionally how he registration has been set up in the past, with the exception of a few things.

I think we can start by saying that, with the C7 tours starting next year, after the plant has been retooled, the event needs to be in BG for 2014...regardless of futures BRs, regional events, etc.

So, let's start there. I will touch base with the NCM and book Memorial Day Weekend again for 2014. (We can do a vote again this, by it will turn out like that last one. Majority of voters want to want to keep it the same weekend).

So what events would everyone like to see next year? In BG? That are NOT the same as past year's events? Let's get some new ideas going to jump start this event.

[SpdChik]

I think eliminating some of the things on the "check if interested" box that are very overdone and encouraging people to pick something different will help.

In addition, activites that are "show up and do" would be good since alot of people change their mind last minute and/or can't commit months in advance.

[Black94lt1]

Originally Posted by GRN ENVY

Well Said, My first CI was CI10, it was a blast, I wish I had been able to come to more. I have never been a big drinker so all the distillery tours bore me. Going on a poker run, or to a lake to have fun, sounds like more fun in my opinion. Location doesn't bother me, I'll try and go where ever it is. But I must say I like Bowling Green, as its as Corvette as you can get!

CI10 was our first one also and while I love the distilleries, they don't change much. I like the poker run idea, trips to Louisville, Nashville, etc. We just need to be creative and invest some time into the planning. We should all spend the next few months researching activities, places, restaurants, etc in the area to come up with fresh ideas and then put them out there. Lets face it, we had a couple of new things this year (Jim beam was a new tour and mammoth cave was a new thing) but both had unforeseen issues that took away from them in the end.