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Count me in. I'm game and willing to help and/or bring equipment

1 (10%)

I will try to be there both nights come rain or shine

2 (20%)

It could be worth checking out, if there isn’t anything else going on that week

0 (0%)

Sounds good, but one night would be more than enough

0 (0%)

I might be able to stop in for a little while, but wouldn’t be able to stay.

3 (30%)

Sounds fun but too far away.

4 (40%)

Are you out of your mind? Who thought this was a good idea??

0 (0%)

Total Members Voted: 9

[jdmessner]

I am curious to see if there is any interest in a Midwest regional gathering of Pellet Fan members. There are a lot of ways we could do this, so my suggestion is more of a framework to build around rather than a finished product.

A friend of mine, Dan, is a director of a summer camp in Southwest Michigan. Weekdays after Labor Day are very quiet and a great time to visit the camp. I talked with Dan about the possibility of inviting a group to come out and spend some time grilling. He was very receptive to the idea. In the "for what it's worth department" I attended a Christmas party at the camp a few years ago and he smoked prime rib for well over 100 people and did a great job! He also smokes quite a few pork butts each week for the campers. I think he would get a real kick out of hosting this kind of event (even if he uses a sick burner).

The camp is called Crystal Springs. It is a Dowagiac mailing address, but it is located between there and Niles MI. It is less than half an hour north of the 80/90 toll road and almost straight north from South Bend. Chicago is 2 hours away and Detroit about 3 hours.

The cost would be $15 per person per night. They have cabins we can stay in, bring your own bedding or sleeping bag. It is far from the Ritz, but I think it would serve our purpose well. If you come for the day a donation is encouraged, but no set rate. There is a pavilion where we can set up smokers with a nice bonfire pit next to it.

I have September 9 - 11 penciled in as a tentative date. The weather should still be reasonably good and it works for the camp. There was no deposit required and no cancelation fees if it doesn’t work out. I figured it wouldn't hurt to at least get our name in.

My thought would be to not overthink this and keep it simple. If we can get people willing to bring in some pits, we could set up Sunday afternoon and stay till midday Tuesday. I see it as a 36 hour pot luck. People could come and go as their schedule permits. Come for a couple hours or the entire time.
 
Just a little grist for the mill. Let me know what you think in the comments.

[Free Mr. Tony]

I'm less than a couple hours away. I would come for the day maybe on the Sunday. I doubt I would do the whole three days. I would think you would get better participation on a weekend like friday and Saturday , but I realize you said the weekdays were the off times.

[jdmessner]

I'm less than a couple hours away. I would come for the day maybe on the Sunday. I doubt I would do the whole three days. I would think you would get better participation on a weekend like friday and Saturday , but I realize you said the weekdays were the off times.

It would be great to meet up with you whenever you could make it. I was going with what Dan suggested. I figured Sunday afternoon would allow for some weekend participation. I can also check and see how early on Sunday we can check in. As of now I don't know if they have weekend activities happening or not, but that would be a prime weekend for groups that would generate more cash flow. As we get closer, if they don't have anything booked we might be able to check in on Saturday. I work weekends, but that shouldn't make a difference. A lot of this will be a continual work in progress.