Sedalia was my first international rally. I've been to Potosi (FAlling Leaf) once and the Missouri State Rally several years and even been the rally chair in the past, so it wasn't my first rally, just my first international. Here are my observations:
Sedalia was my first rally because its the first time its been close enough for me to get to easily. I'm self employed, if I'm not working, I'm not making money. Vacations costs me double - what I pay and what I'm not making. The idea of a rotational selection means there's hope sometime in the future it will be close enough to minimize my time out of office.
Sedalia was hot. Yeah, so is the whole country. As a native Missourian I can say we lucked out. Normally our humidity is much higher. We had shade and we had a breeze and if that wasn't enough, we had air conditioning. I notice that most negative posts are from people complaining about heat and refusing to show up. I understand summer vacations, my wife was a school librarian so until she retired and our children were grown all our vacations, short as they may have been, were done in the summer. If we want families and younger attendees, that's the option.
Attendance was down. I've noticed a decrease in attendance in our Missouri State Rally almost every year. This seems to be a trend everywhere. It may be heat, it may be fuel costs, it may be the age of membership, it may be the economy. Let me know what the MOA controls and maybe it can be fixed.
Am I glad I went, yes. Fun to look at vendor stuff. Beer Tent, Music. I didn't win anything but it was fun hoping. But what makes it worth it are the people, beer flowed yet no fights. Stuff was everywhere but no rumors of theft. Just good people having a good time. Old bikes are appreciated as much as new bikes are admired. Old friends are seen and new friend are made.
Mark
Sedalia was my first rally because its the first time its been close enough for me to get to easily. I'm self employed, if I'm not working, I'm not making money. Vacations costs me double - what I pay and what I'm not making. The idea of a rotational selection means there's hope sometime in the future it will be close enough to minimize my time out of office.
Sedalia was hot. Yeah, so is the whole country. As a native Missourian I can say we lucked out. Normally our humidity is much higher. We had shade and we had a breeze and if that wasn't enough, we had air conditioning. I notice that most negative posts are from people complaining about heat and refusing to show up. I understand summer vacations, my wife was a school librarian so until she retired and our children were grown all our vacations, short as they may have been, were done in the summer. If we want families and younger attendees, that's the option.
Attendance was down. I've noticed a decrease in attendance in our Missouri State Rally almost every year. This seems to be a trend everywhere. It may be heat, it may be fuel costs, it may be the age of membership, it may be the economy. Let me know what the MOA controls and maybe it can be fixed.
Am I glad I went, yes. Fun to look at vendor stuff. Beer Tent, Music. I didn't win anything but it was fun hoping. But what makes it worth it are the people, beer flowed yet no fights. Stuff was everywhere but no rumors of theft. Just good people having a good time. Old bikes are appreciated as much as new bikes are admired. Old friends are seen and new friend are made.
Mark