admission at Rhienbeck?

[bmh]

We started making plans to attend the Rhienbeck meet the other day and it appears there will be an admission fee. No one has confirmed this as yet, but that is what the web site says. I was wondering what others may think of this? To me it appears to be the edge of a slippery slope. Right now our hobby is just that, our hobby. A bunch of gentlemen gathered at the fairgrounds swaping stories and old junk, most of wich is of no value or real concern to the outside world. The vendors are for the most part enthusiasts themselves, not profitiers or purveyors of flea-market crap. The meets are generally out of the way, without to much traffic around as to prevent one from taking a really old motorcycle out for a ride in realitive peace and safety.
I remember when all the swapmeets were free. The things sold there and the people that sold them. then they started charging admission fees, and everything started to change. As the Harley "mistique" and then the chopper craze took hold, it became less and less about motorcycles and all about money. That is why I haven't attended a regular swapmeet in at least 7 years. I don't want to see our hobby become the next "chopper craze" and it's alreadyy heading that way. The buzzword in all the mags the last 2 years has been bobber this and bobber that. Is that the direction we want our club to head? WE sur seem to be encouraging it , don't we?
By charging admission, we imply that we have something worth paying to see. P T Barnum observed that people will gladly pay to see that wich they would not walk into for free. Consider the type of people we may start to attract at our meets. The profitiers and crap sellers. The rowdy types that we had to run-off some years ago. The average member, such as us,could soon find themselves priced right out of our hobby. If the folks who gladly and blindly spend $50K or more on totally unridable garage art (choppers) start to think we have something they may want. There could be so many peoplein and around the meets that riding our old machines around , even on the grounds , could become quite dangerous. Perhaps not even allowed, in the name of public safety.
I watched the antique car game change in the late 70's. From something very similar to what we have now into the worlds largest flea-market. In some isles there isn't even a single person selling parts, just the stuff you can find any saturday at any flea-market. Why? because they let it happen. At times even encouraged it. And what of all the money charged for the vendor spaces? Wasn't that the money to cover renting the grounds? What was wrong with requesting donations for parking? or do we still intend to do that also?
Well I've gone on long enough for now. I see no good coming from this for our hobby, or us as members, although the club may profit. So what is more important? What do you think of all this? I look forward to seeing how others feel about this.
Brian

[Ohio-Rider]

Brian... I think most of us also remember when swap meets where free. Sadly in these days of "I'll sue you for anything I can get." the owners of the property where these events are held are required to insure them selves from all sorts of things that can go wrong. Not to mention the cost of heating a building and hiring the needed securiuty for an event. They are simply passing along the cost.

I agree completely with you that at some point it will begin to affect the number of people who show up at these events.
I can't remember the last "gun show" I have attended for this exact reason. -Steve

[Smarty]

In the UK we have had to pay to gain admission to swapmeets (called autojumbles over here) since they became popular some 30 years ago.

I'd readily expect to pay £10 ($20 ??) to gain admission to a meet. The largest one here in the UK at Beaulieu charges £14/day ($28/day ??) and its thriving and full of the vendors with parts that people want to finish their restorations.

Its up to the organisers of the swapmeets to weed out the flea market sellers and vendors who want to sell their non-motorcycle related junk.

I agree with Steve, the organisers are simply passing on the overhead costs and possibly a bit more to make a profit (it is a business for most meet/show organisers after all).

What I do object to however is when you are charged a fee to enter and show a bike that is being used as an attraction to lure the paying general public in to a venue to look at them, thats just greed on the part of the show organiser.

Regards from th UK

Martin

[flthead]

show your amca card

get in for free ? let the non members pay , but have a members tent set up outside the gate for joining amca . an if that don't work what abot the aths [ antique truck historical society ] members 'cause i got membership there to .... hhmm , paying 2 memberships and still gotta pay to get in .....

[Hrdly-Dangrs]

If you go to the website for the Rhinebeck Meet is shows all the fees at gate.

From what I read its:

1. No Gate Fee (Free Admission) if your showing a Bike.

2. No Gate Fee if your Vending (You do have to pay $50.00 for an outside space.) Indoor space fees will be posted later on the website.

3. No Gate Fee if you are 'Working' the event.

Apparently you get 'Free' Parking with the gate fee.

Guess we need to keep checking the website for more updates.

One would think that 'Members' wouldn't have to pay a Gate Fee.
Hrdly

[Old - Rust]

http://rhinebecknationalmeet.com/the...meet/id13.html

I think the member should be free

[exeric]

I have mixed feelings about admission fees to meets. On one hand I think it may keep the causal observers out which is fine with me. One the other hand, it's a bit disrespectful to the AMCA members and could set a standard for all of our national meets. One the first point, I think there are way to many non-motorcycle people at out meets. I have seen these people break vendor's goods, let their kids and dogs run wild, drive cars into confined vendor areas, steal money and goods from vendors, and come into our world and look at our passion like it some kind of disease. I would be dielighted to see an admission fee keep them out because I want to associate with antique motorcycle people at out meets.

One the second point, I go back to the fact that we have a healthy and wealthy National club that should be giving services back to the rank and file members. National meets are the best part of this club, so I think they should be admission free to AMCA members.

[Ross]

Back in 1991 I vended at Davenport and the Farmington meet. Both were free admission of course and the most amasing thing happened at both meets within throwng distance of both my spots at both meets. At Farmington a guy came in with a half ton full of old Indian parts and was cleaning out his Uncle's estate. All parts were 1$ each. There were already 2 guys by the truck when I feverishly began to unload a pile as fast as I could.When the smoke cleared I handed over some $25 and moved everything over to my vendor spot. That was a good meet. Then later on in the year at Davenpot a guy pulled up with a garden trailor on the back of his car with it full of 1911 to 1916 Indian engine parts. On this one you simply made a pile and he said things like give $50 bucks. I got cylinders cases etc. I kept all that stuff for my own projects. That garden trailor was emptied in about 5 minutes and the guy disappeared with his mission accomplished. I have heard many stories of LOCALS simply driving to a meet to unload stuff. Is it just me? My point is, would this type of thing continue to happen with fees that are being suggested? Those were definitely 2 exciting meets for me.

[INLINE4NUT]

I believe it should be free for all members in good standing but that does not seem to be the way things are going these days sounds like a money grab how else would the club be able to afford officers to go hob-nobin all over the place at members expense???

[HD48FL]

Originally posted by Old - Rust
http://rhinebecknationalmeet.com/the...meet/id13.html

I think the member should be free

I agree, members should be admitted free, not $10.00. That's rediculous. Last year it was free, what gives to charge all of a sudden? And so much?

[hogluvr]

I finally made my first AMCA meet last year at Wauseon, and I was SHOCKED that I didn't have to pay admission!! That was definitely a pleasant surprise, a nice little perk to belonging to this club...

Mike

[bmh]

Ok, so it seems that alot of you so far tend to think along similar lines on this as I do. I think we agree it's not the money, it's the principal. So I guess my next question is what right do we have as members? Who should we complain to? I don't belong to a chapter , I don't live that close to any. Most of the members I know are just that, Members like me. I don't think I've ever even met anyone in charge of anything. But I too fear that if we don't do something now, we'll wind up paying $10 aday for every meet. My accountant ( the Mrs.) won't be pleased. Just kidding about that, the extra $ won't kill me. It's the principle.
Brian

[c.o.]

Wow Ross that's a great story......... Having said that, here's my two cents........ I don't think that members should pay. I was asked at Davenport last summer to make a contribution toward parking that was good for the entire time I was there, which I was more than happy to do. There was no mention of paying for admission. I think that members with a valid card or can at least provide their club number should hoof on in for free. I also think that local folks with huge truck loads of cheap parts should also get in free!!!!! But let the disrespectful folks that exeric mentioned pay double!!!!!

[tst]

Hi to everybody who made comments about the rhinebeck national meet.my name is tim and i am the meet coordinator for rhinebeck.i will try not to ramble on to long but will try to give everybody a better understanding about the fees at rhinebeck for 2008.
the meet is being run by 6 different chapters working together to bring the antique motorcycle world something new but still sticks to all the reasons that we go to the amca meets,i am sure many of you have noticed that many of the meets you went to in the past are gone, or, after you got to the meet driving 4 hours or more you were dissappointed by only finding a few vendors to buy parts from.
the idea of rhinebeck is to present to the spectators a massive 2 day bike show,in 2007 we did that with the motorcycle timeline with hundreds of bikes from1972 to 1896 and let the people see machines in front of them running not just stuck in a museum or in a magazine, this timeline will again repeated in 2008 in a much larger scale, along with the bikes the rhinebeck meet will have an antique machinery show and antique truck show, and many vintage/antique motorcycle clubs outside of the amca will be joining us with their machines.also included for 2008 there will be motorcycle thrill shows.
As far as the cost at rhinebeck the dutchess county fairgrounds where the meet takes place is one of the largest and best maintained facilitys in the country and the cost is high for us to use it, i cannot go into the #s but the fee is to cover the cost of the fairgrounds itself which includes a lot,it pays for electric,insurance,the parking lot help,they clean up all the garbage,security etc. they have massive food courts and plenty of clean bathrooms and showers ,full rv hook ups, and camping for amca members,we have 5 huge indoor buildings in case of bad weather and the list goes on, but as i saw in one of the posts it is the cost of doing business.
the fees break down like this,if you are displaying a bike,working the meet, there is NO charge,if you are a vendor you already paid a vending fee so there is NO additional Charge. If you are just walking in the gate the cost is $10 a day or a 3 Day Pass for $15,kids under 13 are FREE.we also hope that the fee will encourage more members to take part in the show,how many of us go to this meet in a car and have a pile of bikes and parts that no one will ever see again except on ebay! lets get them out for everyone to enjoy,remember if you bring a bike to show its still FREE
the fee also includes free parking,a 3 day pass breaks down to $5 a day,i attended the mid ohio vintage days in 2007 and it cost me $35 with my membership discounts! the price at the gate is equal today to about 3 gallons of gas or 2 beers at the bar.
now so you do not think the amca members are being asked to the cost of the meet the general public pays more!
it will cost joe public $15 a day or $25 for a 3 day pass again kids under 13 are FREE.
Now we are hoping with so much happening at one place that we can attract new members, i am sure many of you have noticed that most of our members are older and you do not see to many young ones ,we need the young bllod if the amca is going to survive into the future and this is part of the goal at rhinebeck.
i will stop now so i do not put you all to sleep but ask you to give rhinebeck a chance.
please vist the website www.rhinebecknationalmeet.com ,it is worked on daily, a lot more will be posted on the site over the next few months as it will have more details of whats happening,maybe you have a great bike to show off, sign up for the motorcycle timeline so more people than yourself can enjoy the bike,this meet is all volunteers so maybe you would like to join us as we can use the help,rhinebeck is a huge undertaking.
ithanks for taking the time to read all of this ,i am sure will post your thought also
i myself am a longtime member of the amca #965 and hope with the help of other amca members that the club and friendships that i have made in it continues for many years
thanks TIM Talleur

[flthead]

sent to me from Mr. Gadget

I went to the AMCA website to look at their charter and I couldn't find it. I remember years ago it was prohibitive for a chartered chapter to display it's bikes where the public has to pay to see them. That was the reason we pulled out of Atco Raceway years ago. Without seeing the national charter rules I can't say if the charter changed and it is not permissible to display the bikes where the public has to pay or if the national is bending it's own rules.