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How hot was it?

How hot was it in PA?


  • Total voters
    92
I found the temps quite nice Sunday morning..........................Oh wait,I was in the Alps:D

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The fact that it was brutally hot is no one's fault - rally dates and sites are picked two years out from the actual event.

The fact that we as a club were not prepared for such heat, or that we keep holding these rallies same time every year, instead of late May or early September, is cause for some serious head pounding! :banghead
 
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Not prepared?

The fact that we as a club were not prepared for such heat

How can you say they were not prepared? Potable water taps everywhere, jugs of water were they were not, threads on the association site pointing you to ways to get cool and cold beer! (May I add vendors that were NOT gouging for cold drinks!) This is my first rally, but I have been to hundreds of sailing regattas with similar conditions over the years some of which were run by paid staff and NOT volunteers. The volunteers at this rally did a tremendous job! :bow
 
How can you say they were not prepared? Potable water taps everywhere, jugs of water were they were not, threads on the association site pointing you to ways to get cool and cold beer! (May I add vendors that were NOT gouging for cold drinks!) This is my first rally, but I have been to hundreds of sailing regattas with similar conditions over the years some of which were run by paid staff and NOT volunteers. The volunteers at this rally did a tremendous job! :bow

Add the excellent First Aid Chairs & providers with advanced skill sets.

:bow
 
How can you say they were not prepared? Potable water taps everywhere, jugs of water were they were not, threads on the association site pointing you to ways to get cool and cold beer! (May I add vendors that were NOT gouging for cold drinks!) This is my first rally, but I have been to hundreds of sailing regattas with similar conditions over the years some of which were run by paid staff and NOT volunteers. The volunteers at this rally did a tremendous job! :bow

Though this is beginning to look like the proverbial 'horse beaten to death' thread(s), you ask a legimate question, so I won't duck my responsibility to answer.

If the possibility of brutal heat exists at a public venue of this magnitude, there are several things that could have gone better. I have not an ill word to say about the hundreds of volunteers that put this Rally together, in terms of dedication and efforts with the resources they had access to.

But a critique of something like this event cannot just focus on everything that went right (though one would be wise not to forget such things). It improves not by slapping each other on the back over successes, but by admitting what did not go well and how to make it go better in the future.

I too have been to numerous public events in my life (and 4 MOA Rallies), and here are a few 'improvements' to consider, and hopefully answer your question.

1. AC needs to be HIGH enough to quickly cool heat-stressed patrons who come inside a building for relief. Not the case in Bloomsburg.

2. Seminars need to be held in AC facilities, not only as a site of heat-relief that you can schedule into your day, but also to promote a more attentive audience for the presentor.

3. Misting fans at multiple locations do wonders to revive a stressed crowd - not merely the one canopy arrangement I noticed at the Fair Grounds.

4. Hand-held misting fans (similar to a water bottle that sprays a mist thru a battery-operated soft-bladed fan) were common in many hot venues I have attended recently - inexpensive and a true relief!

5. Shade is an inexpensive and yet highly efficient cooling resource. Since not all can simply 'bring your own' to a rally (packing space, expense, etc.), large tents over grassy camping areas can mean up to a 15 degree difference in temps - for some, a lifesaver.

6. Flexibility in scheduled events, timetables and venues need to be part of the 'battle plan' for a massive gathering of people, once either temps or rain stand to significantly alter the experience.

I don't expect my coments to appease you (or many others who seem to view any criticism of Bloomsburg as some sort of personal attack or wimpy bitching), but you deserved some foundation behind my thoughts.

Ride Safe and Often. :german
 
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1. AC needs to be HIGH enough to quickly cool heat-stressed patrons who come inside a building for relief. Not the case in Bloomsburg.

The AC installed in building is sized for the anticipitated temperatures and the number of people in the building. Both the temperature and the number of people in the buildings far exceeded the expected and couldn't keep up. The restaurants in downtown Bloomsburg had the same problem as did the restaurants I was in on the way to and from the rally. I think ACs are typically sized for a 20 degree temperature drop in areas similar to Bloomsburg.
 
The AC installed in building is sized for the anticipitated temperatures and the number of people in the building. Both the temperature and the number of people in the buildings far exceeded the expected and couldn't keep up. The restaurants in downtown Bloomsburg had the same problem as did the restaurants I was in on the way to and from the rally. I think ACs are typically sized for a 20 degree temperature drop in areas similar to Bloomsburg.

Thanks for the intel - no reason to dispute a thing you said.

However, these days AC is typically controlled by 'smart thermostats,' and programmed to 'stand down' to a warmer temp at night, when zero-occupancy is presumed. It then launches a 'recovery cycle' as morning approaches.

I suggest that for those four days in Bloomsburg, over-riding this feature should maybe have been a featured item on the "Holy Crap, it's HOT - Let's think outside the box" clipboard. :banghead
 
There was a recovery cycle. The Education Building was delightfully cool at 8 am. Heated up in a hurry though, when they opened the doors at 9.
 
However, these days AC is typically controlled by 'smart thermostats,' and programmed to 'stand down' to a warmer temp at night, when zero-occupancy is presumed. It then launches a 'recovery cycle' as morning approaches.

I doubt they would have had smart thermostats because they would have no need for them in an occasionally used building. As Holly said, the buildings were cool in the mornings until the sun and people heated them up.
 
I doubt they would have had smart thermostats because they would have no need for them in an occasionally used building. As Holly said, the buildings were cool in the mornings until the sun and people heated them up.

OK - sounds logical.

As I have said before, any criticism of a recently-held event is nothing personal - simply food for thought as to how a similar event in the future can be improved.

See you in Sedalia. :german
 
If you go on the Bloomsburg Fair Site, click on contact us, and then open rent our facility they mention about offering air conditioning in two of their buildings. I am no expert on the subject but I don't think their system could handle the excessive heat coupled with the crowd.

I know MOA doesn't like going back to the same location but the York Fair Grounds would have been a far superior choice. It's better maintain than Bloomsburg plus with their new (I believe its about 3 years old now) huge exibition center we would not have had the indoor cooling problem.
 
It was hot enough that I didn't go to the rally.

It was also hot enough that I have a HVAC contractor coming to my house tomorrow to give me an estimate for installing central air.

Harry
 
I know MOA doesn't like going back to the same location but the York Fair Grounds would have been a far superior choice. It's better maintain than Bloomsburg plus with their new (I believe its about 3 years old now) huge exibition center we would not have had the indoor cooling problem.
One can only spectulate since AC was stretched thin in all Pa locals that week. York is a great venue but terrible RT 30 is the spoiler, too much traffic, strip malls and its exhausting getting away from people.........plus its too flat. I would rather ride my clutch in the Mid West than deal with higher bay humidity.
 
I love to remember hot summer days cause when I'm snowblowing 18 inches of snow the thought keeps me warmer inside.:dance

You know ............. though highly polarized, this thread has remained fairly civil.

But now you've gone and used the 'S' word! :banghead

Shame on you. :nono
 
HOT, HOT, HOT! So much so that I left on Saturday for the "cooler weather in N FL". The Bloomsburg Fairgrounds is a great site for a Rally, lots of venders, good food/beer, and more than ample area for camping. Sometimes Mother Nature has her way despite the best efforts of our Rally planners. There was a concerted effort to provide water, sprinklers, and a misting tent to help all with the heat. My THANKS to all planners and volunteers. The ride to/from the Rally proved to me the value of "wicking under clothing" and using a Camelback while riding.
 
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