Sunshine Chapter Meet at Silver Sands

[LouieMCman]

southern national has snakes in the bathroom! and the people are just to damn nice.
ps i have met some of the nicest people at these miserable muddy swap meets. it's a shame if they end but i think most of the people here would be happier with out them...rob

As a director for the Southern National Meet I would like to say.....that even our snakes are nice!
Seriously all the snakes were black snakes and not dangerous. There are so many wood piles around for the steam equipment, just can't keep the snakes out. We try our best to run a meet with no hassles for anyone, if you have a problem find a staff member and we will fix it.

As far as the Sunshine meet, I think it went fairly well for a meet with 2 days of rain, I've seen meets shut down after one day of rain.
Sure there were problems, most were associated with a first year meet, such as:
> Parking! I don't know where spectators were supposed to park, but I do know they were parking in my vending spot. I found out later that the Shriners who were collecting money for parking was telling people to park were ever they could find a spot! Parking needs to be controlled OUTSIDE the meet.
> I didn't see a control point from the Sunshine chapter Outside by the one and only gate.
> Vendor layout could use some fixing, the back field seemed more like a camp field and a lot of people didn't go back there.
> Mud, Nothing to fix here even Eustis almost got rained out a couple of years ago.

With out getting into the politics, I think it could turn into a decent meet with some tweaking.

[duffeycycles]

In my opinion the Club needs to spend more of the money taken in from the vendors on the vending facilitys. The conditions at the horse/slaw pit were horrible.The shower was never clean the toilets were overflowing.My 2 one leg friends were treated poorly--one sent to a booth that was full of parkers so he set up nearby and was forced out and given another unusable space.He spent most of the weekend sitting in his wheelchair wishing he could vend-he could not chaise people down to resolve the problems.The other amputee was given a booth that he left early because of Lake Horsecrap in his space. 2 years ago he got MERSA at the Webster meet [local] and by the end of the Usless meet he went to the hospital and they took off his foot and put it in a freezer while pumping him with antibiotics he lived and was the first cured of MERSA.I got nail fungus on toes and fingers after the showers at Davenport and haven't been cured yet.I'm pissed at our new director for saying that everything is hunky dory.He needs to stop kissing keesters and stand up for the vendors.I'm ready to start web sales instead of meet vending.---one cool thing was this sign,i'm sure Clete liked it[IMG][/IMG]

[rwm]

In my opinion the Club needs to spend more of the money taken in from the vendors on the vending facilitys. The conditions at the horse/slaw pit were horrible.The shower was never clean the toilets were overflowing.My 2 one leg friends were treated poorly--one sent to a booth that was full of parkers so he set up nearby and was forced out and given another unusable space.He spent most of the weekend sitting in his wheelchair wishing he could vend-he could not chaise people down to resolve the problems.The other amputee was given a booth that he left early because of Lake Horsecrap in his space. 2 years ago he got MERSA at the Webster meet [local] and by the end of the Usless meet he went to the hospital and they took off his foot and put it in a freezer while pumping him with antibiotics he lived and was the first cured of MERSA.I got nail fungus on toes and fingers after the showers at Davenport and haven't been cured yet.I'm pissed at our new director for saying that everything is hunky dory.He needs to stop kissing keesters and stand up for the vendors.I'm ready to start web sales instead of meet vending.---one cool thing was this sign,i'm sure Clete liked it[IMG][/IMG]

how is it any part of the amca's fault you got nail fungus?.

[duffeycycles]

I think Rob is offering to stick his head into the cesspool at the bottom of the showers and looking around to see if there is anything bad down there.Thanks Rob for taking one for the club!---At the Davenport meet we had a sewer problem for years .I went to the meeting before the meet and at the end of buisiness everyone was asked if anything needed attention.I suggested the pipes be cleaned and hiring extra help cleaning the johns before our friends from all over the world came to visit.Smitty second the motion Bob Mclean was third and everone else followed.I think Wanda was the one who made it all happen.Major blockage was found and cleared.there was no problem that year and the fairground were really happy when they had no problems for the first time.I try to tip the people cleaning the toilets with a 20 when I see them. Cleaning toilets for minimum wage is no fun.

[fillibuster]

quote: "I try to tip the people cleaning the toilets with a 20 when I see them. Cleaning toilets for minimum wage is no fun." end quote

Good for you, duffey! Glad to know others can be compelled to be so gracious.
Couple years ago I distributed rolls of Charmin, one in each stall, wrote on one with sharpie, "this is your lucky day!"
D-port had their west restroom shower covered with dog doo-doo my first year there, 1990, sad. Toilets still have a little trouble.
On the job site the formula for number of toilets is: 1 toilet per 8 men per 40 man hours, ... or is it 5 men? shucks now!
whatever, they're usually too full, and nobody closes the lid!

I've seen portable showers, half a dozen on a trailer with its own water heater. I think I'd pay $5 for a shower if I was desperate. I might even pay that to meditate, again, if I were desperate.
I've been to meets and gotten desperate. Makes me think of the little kids who can't stop for anything when they're having fun.

[shelbyinparadise]

Phil, you are completely correct about the portable shower trailers, We had tried to use them at some JamOn meets with limited sucess, and the water supply and drainage must be of a size to properly work. While meeting with Eustis Fairgrounds personel we discussed this for next year and they were pretty sure they had the hookups for that at the Clements building plumbing and we are looking into the cost of the rentals. We know the ladies will like the idea. It is a question of do we add this cost to space fee and everyone has access during the meet? This issue has always been the negitive part of Eustis but it can be overcome and make the best venue. Shelby

[shelbyinparadise]

The Sunshine Chapter sent out a memo Friday night on their spring run and meeting. There was no information on what the meeting was about, but we know. Richard Spagnolli requests any paid up chapter member contact him or me that did not get the memo from Carl.

Wonder why Joe and Carl do not want it known what the main topic of the meeting is? Is there anything the National Board wants the Sunshine Chapter members to vote on at this meeting?

As a Sunshine chapter member I have requested why did they move the meeting place so far away from half the Board members who live in the south Florida area and must drive 7 hours to attend a 11:00 am meeting or any club member that might have a question or two about the Silver Sands move. If they move the meetings any farther north they will be in Georgia.

I have also requested the agenda, as Richard suggests we chapter members send out our own email to everyone that has a right to vote. Might be worth a try. My Proxy vote will be there, Shelby

[Spag]

Shelby,
Just a point of clarification. I said that any Sunshine Chapter member who did not receive notice of the Chapter meeting on April 21 should contact the Chapter Secretary to determine if that member's current dues are paid and the Chapter has a current e mail address. I did not say they should contact me. This is a local Chapter matter.
The location of the Chapter meeting is a Chapter decision. If a member has a problem with the location, it should be brought up at the meeting and if necessary, a vote taken. The same is true for the location of the Sunshine Chapter National Meet in 2013. If a Chapter member wants to change the location, he or she should attend the meeting, make the appropriate motion, have a second, discussion and then a vote. Once a decision is made by the membership, the National Board will accept the Sunshine Chapter decision and support it. Hopefully, the side which is not successful will also accept the Chapter's decision and move on so there can be one AMCA National Meet in Florida in 2013. Shelby, we are all in this together. The issues you raise are well taken and should be addressed by the Sunshine Chapter membership at the scheduled meeting. There are two weeks before the meeting takes place. That should be sufficient time to address all notice to membership issues. Please work through the Sunshine Chapter Secretary. Thanks for your interest.
Richard

[shelbyinparadise]

Richard is 100% correct about contacting the Chapter Secretary about not recieving notice, I was just to report to him any irregularitys I knew about.

I thank Richard for posting this information for all Florida Members could see what the meeting was about and that this is their last chance to be heard on the issue of the move last year, the manner in which it was done, your views on how all this was handled. This meeting is requested by the National Board to have the membership decide the location of the 2013 Sunshine National Meet.

Richard is also aware that I have the required deposit and first right of refusal for the Eustis Fairgrounds for the 2013 International Trade Show and Swapmeet, and some talks are under way on how the VMA can host the Sunshine chapter meet at Eustis, allowing for the Banquet, Judging , field games, a road run all to be run by the Sunshine Chapter as a Social Event, selling event pins and tee shirts, puting the fun back in the meet while we run a Vendor orented Trade show and swap meet.

We invite all intrested parties to contact us with questions, and we will be at the meeting.

Richard has reached out to everyone to be part of the solution, and I thank him for that.

Shelby

[rwm]

This meeting is requested by the National Board to have the membership decide the location of the 2013 Sunshine National Meet.

Richard is also aware that I have the required deposit and first right of refusal for the Eustis Fairgrounds for the 2013 International Trade Show and Swapmeet, and some talks are under way on how the VMA can host the Sunshine chapter meet at Eustis, allowing for the Banquet, Judging , field games, a road run all to be run by the Sunshine Chapter as a Social Event, selling event pins and tee shirts, puting the fun back in the meet while we run a Vendor orented Trade show and swap meet.

We invite all intrested parties to contact us with questions, and we will be at the meeting.

Richard has reached out to everyone to be part of the solution, and I thank him for that.

Shelby

what if the members vote to have the meet a week earlier? those dates may still be available.

[shelbyinparadise]

There are a lot of possible ways of this resolving itself. We will hold our meet the first weekend of bike week as always, our out of area Vendors depend on the visitors from all over the world that attend bike week.

The Sunshine Officers left no friends in Eustis, city or fairgrounds, who were not told they would loose all the tourist money the had grown to expect, when the club left them with an open date so late in the year, till we approached them.

We can offer the Sunshine Chapter a greatly reduced cost to be with us.

The Sunshine chapter lost a lot of creditability with the Vendors with their move out of Eustis. We are looking for a way to unite not divide.

All needs to be brought out in the open and let the club members decide what they want to do. We know what we are going to do, see you at the meeting.

[shelbyinparadise]

It has been a week since the April 21 meeting, and so far no one has said anything about what happened at the meeting. some highlights are that there were 17 members present, one of whom was an official with the Vintage Motorcycle Alliance. Joe Gimpel ran a very civil meeting following the normal format. When there was discussion from the floor on the offer from the VMA to work with the Sunshine Chapter to return to Eustis it was plain that the officers and members were determined to go back to the Silver Sands, try to rent parking space to the south for the meet, and see if the Judging can be done at Volusia County Fairgrounds, as no good place was available at Silver Sands for proper Judging conditions.

If the club does split the swapmeet and Judging into two locations, Vendors will have a clear choice as to which swapmeet to set up at, Silver Sands or the Eustis Fairgrounds for Friday and Saturday, and still be able to be part of the Judging on Sunday

There was also two donations voted on in support of entrants in this up comming Cannonball run (I think the donations were $1500 each, but will have to wait till the official minuites are published to be sure). Anyone want to bet which officers got one of them?

Out of 150 members these important issues were decided by 16 votes (our member abstained from voting due to possible conflict of intrest). There has been some talk of the southern Florida members breaking off and forming a chapter closer to where they live due to fuel and other costs preventing them from attending meetings in the Jacksonville area, just as a practial matter.

Watch for the official meeting report for exact details, and again I stress that the meeting was civil and proper, and we were able to be part of the discussion for which we are thankful.

See you at Eustis 2013 if that is your choice as a vendor, Shelby

[nance]

As the editor of the Sunshine Chapter newsletter, I would like to inform all that the minutes from this meeting were posted as soon as was possible, and they are on our website: sunshineamca.org.