BA-DA BA-DA BING BANG RALLY - Atlantic, IA

[Gunner USN]

Looking forward to the show, weekend after next! Sounds like it may be a fun time.

 

[GUNNUT in Iowa]

Looking forward to the show, weekend after next! Sounds like it may be a fun time.

Are we still planning on going out for supper Friday night? We have another couple coming up from Kansas - same motel as you. There is also a gentleman coming over from Nebraska on Friday night. I am not sure which motel he is in, but we did do supper last year. I hope all of us can eat together.

Don't tell anyone, but I made a special "gift box" for you and yours. I probably will remember, but if I don't - just ask.

 

[WalkingToFreedom402]

Less than a week away!

 

[GUNNUT in Iowa]

Yep, the start of a very busy week for me - almost an hour by hour timeline of things to do (including the things that I need to get out of the way so I can do the Rally).

- and I LOVE it!

 

[Bobert]

What time should we show up? Still planning my route.

 

[GUNNUT in Iowa]

What time should we show up? Still planning my route.

I will be there as early as 6:30. You won't have to be here that early.

I expect the public will start arriving at 9:00 AM. They always show up shortly after the vehicles start arriving - although I tell them not to leave early, as some (most?) of the vehicles will not get here that early.

A large group from Nebraska are scheduled to arrive at 9:30.

Some that live less than 10 miles from here have not even confirmed they are coming - let alone when they will get here.

Lunch is served at 11:30.

We don't start the cruise until 3:00 PM, so you don't want to get here after that.

We run a pretty tight ship around here. Try and arrive anytime between 6:30 AM and 3:00 PM. (Some are coming in tomorrow - Friday - afternoon.)

 

[GUNNUT in Iowa]

OK. We are done - and here is the "official" AAR (After Action Report)

Pics are still on the camera - and I am tired. Stay tuned.

BA-DA BA-DA BING BANG RALLY​

​

May 20, 2017​

​

SUBJECT: After Action Report (2017)​

​

This was the third year for this event. For information concerning the origin of the event and other particular items concerning this event, refer to the After Action Report for 2015.

There were 24 pieces of equipment registered for the Rally. Of those, 19 were present for the event. This is a decrease of 7 from last year. Identifying vehicles that are actually present for the event continues to be a problem. Failure to identify which vehicles the Owner/Operators intend to bring continues to be an issue. Oftentimes the Owner/Operators have numerous vehicles available to bring and choose to bring a different vehicle than they brought the previous year. The new vehicle is added to the database and the database has been re-written to provide a method to indicate which vehicles were present and which vehicles were present at a previous Rally, but not at this one. Another issue seems to be Owner/Operators that arrive late to the Rally. The registration sheet has been checked and corrected with regards to the vehicles expected to arrive as opposed to the vehicles that actually arrive. This registration sheet is then safely filed to preserve the information. Late arriving vehicles may not get properly added to the registration sheet after their later arrival time.

There were no “Static Displays” last year other than my GP Small tent (used as the registration tent) and Marie’s new miniature Jeep (MEEP).

There were 19 Owner / Operators registered for the Rally. There were 13 present for the event – plus one additional new participant. Six (6) Owner / Operators from the previous year contacted me prior to the Rally and indicated they could not attend due to various reasons. Eleven (11) did not contact me and I have no idea why they were not present. These 11 will be contacted to determine, if they anticipate continued interest in the event. If there is no response from them, they will be eliminated from the email distribution list. There were 6 new ones present this year making a total of 40 in my database.

Lessons learned​

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S1 Personnel / administration ​

[FONT=&quot]1. [/FONT]Parking Lot arrangement – The Registration Tent was positioned for maximum exposure. Space was not an issue. The weather was not good for the event (rain) and it is believed that this was the reason for the low number of vehicles.

[FONT=&quot]2. [/FONT]Registration Table – A Registration Tent was set up and identified as an area for the Owner / Operators to properly register their vehicles and/or verify the previously provided information concerning themselves and their vehicles. Meal tickets were distributed. All Owner / Operators and their guests eat free. Registration for the door prizes was based on one entry per vehicle or static display. Various “Hand outs” such as, “welcome” bags, crossword puzzles, ink pens, and snacks were also available at the Registration Tent. This area was the place to receive the BA-DA BA-DA BING BANG RALLY gifts. This year’s gift was a aluminum drink bottle.

[FONT=&quot]3. [/FONT]Atlantic Police Department – Coordination with the Department prior to the event ensured that the “Cruise” would be acceptable. A telephone call to the County Communications Center with a request to dispatch an officer to the location allowed for coordination with the officer. This turned out to be a good thing, as the officer had no instructions concerning the cruise. Two patrol vehicles with officers were utilized by the Department and provided excellent service during the cruise. Traffic was temporarily stopped at three locations to allow the convoy to enter or exit the road intersections. The route was the same one used last year and there were many traffic signals along it. All vehicles in the convoy were instructed to obey the traffic control unless directed otherwise by the police officer. A “Parade Permit” was approved by the City Council prior to the event.

S2 Intelligence / Security / Information ​

[FONT=&quot]1. [/FONT]Publicity – All local news media did an excellent job of publicizing the event. Multiple radio interviews as well as newspaper articles were completed prior to the Rally. News media was present at the Rally and conducted interviews with the Owner / Operators. The Host (ARISE) placed advertisements in news media covering a larger area than last year.

[FONT=&quot]2. [/FONT]Early arrival of vehicles – Some vehicles were originally anticipated to arrive early. The weather changed these plans and no vehicles were stored in the Armory garage.

[FONT=&quot]3. [/FONT]Suggestions from last year’s Rally – One suggestion from last year’s event was to start the “Cruise” 30 minutes early. This would allow more travel time after the event for those Owner / Operators to get home. This worked well and those needing to travel longer distances were able to leave earlier than previous years.

S3 Operations ​

[FONT=&quot]1. [/FONT]Cannon firing – I fired my half-scale Civil War cannon to notify the Owner / Operators and public in the parking area that the “Cruise” would be starting in 30 minutes. There did not appear to be an issue with the muzzle blast or safety concerns. It appeared the general public was aware of the intending firing prior to the event, as many were standing with various cameras ready in anticipation of the event.

[FONT=&quot]2. [/FONT]“Cruise” preparation – The cannon fire was intended to notify the Owner / Operators they had 30 minutes to prepare for the cruise. Previous years had shown that the Owner / Operators believed this indicated the “Cruise” was ready to start immediately. This year the signal was received as intended. Owner / Operators were observed removing flags, storing equipment, and generally preparing to move their vehicles, but none thought the signal indicated an immediate departure.

[FONT=&quot]3. [/FONT]Location – The Armory location worked well. Restroom facilities, military museum, and library tours were used by the Owner / Operators and the public during the Rally. The garage was converted into a temporary kitchen for the Noon meal. The Cass County Veterans Commission had a “Remember Our Fallen” photographic display available to view.

[FONT=&quot]4. [/FONT]Public parking – The attendance by the public was excellent – far greater than last year - again! It seemed that the rainy weather kept more vehicles than public away from the event.

[FONT=&quot]5. [/FONT]Transport vehicle parking – There were only four transport vehicles used this year. All other vehicle arrived under their own power. Two of these vehicles left their military vehicles loaded and just parked the transport vehicles in the Armory parking lot – again, a result of the rainy weather. One transport unloaded their military vehicle (a motorcycle) and placed it in the Armory garage. I do not know where that transport vehicle parked. The other transport vehicle arrive approximately 45 minutes prior to the “Cruise” and unloaded in the Fareway parking lot.

[FONT=&quot]6. [/FONT]“Cruise” route – Coordination with Wal-Mart prior to the event allowed use of their parking lot for the “Ice Cream Social” portion of the cruise. This worked very well with much more of the public at the scheduled stop. I noticed that many of Wal-Mart’s customers would drive by the parked vehicles on their way to or from the store. Most of them did stop to look at the vehicles, but did not get out due to the rainy weather. Total distance for the route was 5.6 miles with a total travel time of approximately 20 minutes. This time did not include the 15 minute stop for the Ice Cream Social. We did not actually eat ice cream during the stop due to the weather. All vehicles participated in the Cruise except one five ton cargo truck and those vehicles still loaded on the transport vehicles.

​

[FONT=&quot]7. [/FONT]Registration – Efforts to capture information about the vehicles and Owner / Operators continues. There is still incomplete information on vehicles and Owner / Operators. The incomplete information makes it difficult to accurately publicize the event in the local media. It also creates accuracy issues with historical records for the event. The new GP Small tent works very well for a registration tent. Many would come over to the tent just to see what it was. Of course, this allowed them to register their vehicles at that time.

[FONT=&quot]8. [/FONT]Weather – The weather was horrible miserable terrible not very good raining for the event. Temperatures were in the low 50 degree area. An on-again and off-again wind did not help.

[FONT=&quot]9. [/FONT]Schedule – The 9:00 AM published start time for the public worked better than previous years. The public did not arrive excessively early (probably due to the weather) and those that did were able to see the various sites located within the Armory. As in previous years, those members of the public that arrived early – and then left early – did not see those vehicles that arrived at a later time.

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S4 Logistics​

[FONT=&quot]1. [/FONT]Trophies – All Owner / Operators were presented a trophy – one per individual. These trophies were more of a “gag gift” than anything else. A different trophy was used from the previous year. Those Owner / Operators new to the Rally seemed to enjoy the trophy. One individual even mentioned that his daughter asked him, if he thought he might win a trophy. He told me that he thought his daughter would be very pleased. Many trophies were on display during the Rally.

[FONT=&quot]2. [/FONT]“Welcome Bags” from Chamber of Commerce – The Chamber provided “Welcome Bags” for distribution. These bags were filled with various items from local businesses in the community. They were quite nice and all those receiving them appeared to be appreciative. “Welcome Bags” were distributed at the Registration Tent to ensure they were received by the “out of town” individuals as opposed to the local public attending the event. We did not have enough bags and the supply ran out before all received a bag.

[FONT=&quot]3. [/FONT]Meal – The Host (ARISE) provided a kitchen for the public as well as the Owner / Operators. The menu consisted of pulled pork sandwiches, beans, chips, a veggie tray, and cookies / bars. Water and lemonade were also provided. There was no charge to the Owner / Operators for the meal. Twenty nine meal tickets were issued at the Registration Tent. These tickets were issued at the discretion of the personnel working at the Tent. Owner / Operators, their guests, and others were given meal tickets. They surrendered the ticket at the kitchen for their free meal. Twenty six of those tickets were turned in during the meal.

[FONT=&quot]4. [/FONT]Door prizes – All prizes were purchased or donated by others. Registration for the door prizes occurred during the registration of the vehicle. Door prize registration and eligibility was based on vehicles or static display and not names. This made it possible for the same person to be eligible to win multiple times, if they brought more than one vehicle. However, only one prize was awarded per participant. There were seven door prizes awarded. The names were “placed in a hat” (actually they were placed in plastic Easter eggs and then placed in a plastic camouflaged bucket). A member of the public was picked at random and invited to draw seven eggs. Seven gold colored plastic Easter eggs were then placed in a bucket and that bucket was carried to the individuals. Those eggs identified which door prize they won. Many thanks to Mr. Bob Boots for the hand carved combat boot and Mr. Scott Lackey for the SPAM and MVPA coffee cups. Four other prizes – an ammunition can filled with “Emergency Roadside Broke Down Stuff” tool kit, a “Survival Dry Box” water bottle, a “Handy Dry Box” with water bottle, and a miniature Army helmet on a wooden stand were purchased for the event. Winners were: Mike Garrison-carved boot, Mark Johannsen-SPAM and coffee cup, Lynn McCall-MVPA coffee cup, Paul Koenig-“Emergency Roadside Broke Down Stuff” tool kit, Mark Clark-“Survival Dry Box”, Charlie Shannon-“Handy Dry Box”, and Bill Tibbles-miniature Army helmet on a wooden stand.

[FONT=&quot]5. [/FONT]Expenses - I purchased all supplies for this event. I enjoyed comments from the new Owner / Operators wanting to know the cost to attend the event. I simply informed them there was no cost and I would even provide them a free meal.



[FONT=&quot]Steve Livengood[/FONT]
BA-DA BA-DA BING BANG “Guy”

 

[WalkingToFreedom402]

Thank you Steve, Marie, & all of the other volunteers!
I had a great time at the event today!

Unfortunately the weather was about as poor as could be expected for mid May.

I enjoyed the layout of the event & wish that more could have attended.

The lunch was tasty & all of the perks of attending were much appreciated.

My favorite part was definitely the convoy/cruise with the assistance of the police department.
I kept wondering about what the people passing by must have thought!

You definitely know how to plan & host an event Steve! Thanks again!

 

[Another Ahab]

You can't control the weather.

The turn-out sounded pretty good (19 vehicles, right?) considering the weather in fact!

Excellent and thorough AAR, outstanding.

 

[GUNNUT in Iowa]

Yep, the weather was a bummer - but being in the Army for 25 years, I got rained on that one other time.

Some of those photos I promised. (NOTE: Of all the things I can do, taking decent photographs is probably not one of the things I do really well.)

You know how sometimes, when there is local flooding and the news media places a video camera down on the curb to show the water running down the street, but it isn't really that bad - because water always runs down the street, when it rains - or they will show aerial video of the softball fields, but you can't really tell how deep the water is because the video is from the air? This photo shows the handicapped parking pad by the front door of the Armory. The front door is beside that bush on the right. The pad slopes away from the door - because it is a good idea to slope it away from the door instead of towards the door. The water is about 2 inches deep. I have NEVER seen the water this deep right beside the front door.


Some of the vehicles were hauled in on a trailer. These came 216 and 96 miles to get here. Wow! I really appreciate that! Anyway - they asked to leave them on the trailer for the Rally. I was just thrilled they brought them.


New participant this year. He was getting pounded by the rain and waited until the last minute to leave home (146 miles away). He got here in time to make the "Cruise" and get a quick look at the other vehicles. We stayed late after everyone had left so he could check out the military museum, library, Memorial Hall, and other cool things to look at in the Armory.


One of those candid shots. I imagine the conversation kind of went along the lines of "We didn't have anything like that, when I was in."



Well, there is no rain in the forecast today. (Who would have guessed that it would have worked out like that? ) I left my GP Small standing last night to dry out before I put it away and my cannon looked like a rusty pile of steel, when I left last night, so I guess I had better get down there and get to work.

Thanks - so much - for those that braved the weather and came to the 2017 BA-DA BA-DA BING BANG Rally and stay tuned for information on next year's Rally. Planning is already underway.

Steve

 

[Bobert]

Thank you for all your hard work, time and money that you put into this. And the very thorough AAR.

I got there late but still had time to see all the vehicles and tour the legion hall a but before the cruise. I did not sign in in the registration tent but you did give me my prize and trophy which I proudly display.

 

[Gunner USN]

Steve, Marie and to all the Volunteers,

Lori and I very much enjoyed the Show and the Convoy, in spite of the weather. But one thing I learn when I spent time up in Puget Sound Naval Shipyard (Bremerton, WA), is not to let the weather control your life! We had a great time and looking forward to coming back again.

 

[Gunner USN]

3rd Annual Ba-Da Ba-Da Bing Bang Rally (2017)

Some photos from Saturday's day show!

 

[GUNNUT in Iowa]

Thanks for posting the photos!

Much better than mine.

 

[Another Ahab]

The pics are great, thank you.

Wondering about your half-scale cannon, is that a brass liner inside the tube?

And that anti-tank gun is unusual, is it a 50mm piece?

 

[GUNNUT in Iowa]

The pics are great, thank you.

Wondering about your half-scale cannon, is that a brass liner inside the tube?

And that anti-tank gun is unusual, is it a 50mm piece?

The cannon barrel is solid "1045" steel. It was lined with solid rust on Saturday (and that was before I shot it). It took three ignition cartridges before it would dry out enough to fire. Of course, I had already loaded it just prior to firing so it was imperative that I got it to shoot - too much public around to fool around with a loaded cannon that would not fire. I was able to return it to that nice shiny/polished surface I know and love yesterday morning. It is back home inside the Armory now - patiently waiting for Memorial Day - and then I get to clean it again.

The anti-tank gun is a home made "fantasy piece". It fires (although I don't know what he uses). He did fire it a couple of times last year, but I was too busy to observe the operation. It did not come off the trailer this year, but he did tell me he noticed during a fuel stop on the way over it had about "bounced off" the trailer. He made some blocking and tie down adjustments and headed down the road again.

 

[Milkman357]

Great Photos, Thanks for the organization!

 

[GUNNUT in Iowa]

Not sure why all of the BA-DA BA-DA BING BANG threads are scattered, so I will just post this here.

It might be kind of long, but it sure is informative.

BA-DA BA-DA BING BANG RALLY​

​

May 19, 2019​

SUBJECT: After Action Report (2019)

This was the fifth year for this event. For information concerning the origin of the event and other particular items concerning this event, refer to the After Action Report for 2015.
There were 24 pieces of equipment present for the Rally. This is a decrease of 8 from last year. Identifying vehicles that are actually present for the event was easier this year than in previous years (most likely due to the smaller quantity). There were 6 new Owner/Operators registered this year. The same increase as last year. There are now 51 Owner/Operators listed in my database. Most of the increase is credited to contacts made at a meeting I attended trying to establish a “local” affiliate with the Motor Vehicle Preservation Association (MVPA). At least one new Owner/Operator told me he had heard about the Rally from his MVPA Association (the [FONT=&quot]RED BULL Historic Military Vehicle Association). One of their members had attended last year. [/FONT] Contact information for new Owner/Operators is an ongoing task. At a minimum, I try to get their email address, as that is the primary method I use to contact them. The email distribution list I use contains 81 entries and three of those entries are other distribution lists. Total distribution by email communication is well over 180 entries, but I am not sure all of those receive the messages.
I set up my military “Communications” collection inside the building this year. That included 54 items including radios and various other visual and audio communication devices. Probably the most often heard comment concerning the display this year was “Where is the gun collection?”
There were 20 Owner/Operators registered for the Rally. This is down from 22 last year – although two others did tell me they would not be able to attend for various reasons. Obviously some brought more than one vehicle. I believe it is possible that some of the original participants in the Rally have lost interest and no longer have a desire to attend. Although I have no problem keeping them informed of the Rally, it causes unreasonable expectations for me concerning anticipated attendance. There were 4 that indicated they would attend, but did not. I know of at least one medical issue, but have no communication from the others.

Lessons learned​

Personnel / administration
[FONT=&quot]1. [/FONT]Parking Lot arrangement – Placement of the vehicles in the parking lot is not a problem at the event. Some of the early arrivals and the new Owner/Operators did pull into the lot in order to unload their vehicles. I try and discourage this due the size of the available space. Larger transportation vehicles unloading in the parking lot has the potential to be a huge problem as the lot starts to fill with vehicles on display. I do not attempt to tell Owner/Operators where to park. Some will ask for authorization to park in a specific location. Some will park beside similar vehicles (this is really apparent with the five ton cargo trucks). Evidently those folks just like to be beside each other. I will admit it does make for a pretty impressive section of the parking lot. I used a significant part of the grassy area available to set up my “Bing Bang Games” – a new event this year, but that area is normally used for “static displays” and smaller vehicles so it did not appear to be a problem this year.

[FONT=&quot]2. [/FONT]Registration Table – A Registration Table was set up and identified as an area for the Owner/Operators to properly register their vehicles and/or verify the previously provided information concerning themselves and their vehicles. Meal tickets were distributed. All Owner/Operators and their guests eat free. Registration for the door prizes was based on one entry per vehicle or static display. Various “hand outs” such as informational brochures, and snacks were also available at the Registration Table. This area was the place to receive the BA-DA BA-DA BING BANG RALLY gifts. This year’s gift was a small LED flashlight. The Registration Table was located inside the building in order to assist with security for the displays located there. Sometimes it was difficult to get the Owner/Operators to go inside the building to the Registration Table – most likely the new participants. Once the word got out about the reasoning behind the Registration Table (gifts, door prizes, information, participant verification), folks did go inside. Of course, the inside displays, restrooms, and other informational table eventually drew the people inside anyway.

[FONT=&quot]3. [/FONT]Additional informational tables located inside the building – The Atlantic Rock Island Society Enterprise (ARISE), our hosts were celebrating the 90[SUP]th[/SUP] year “birthday party” for the Armory. They provided birthday cake for all those interested. The CAP set up a table showing their efforts and operations. They also had a table outside selling surplus uniforms and MREs. The Coca-Cola Center and Museum had a table showing their operation and gave away various items. The museum is located very close to the Armory and was also open during a portion of the Rally for those participants interested. Members of the MVPA had a table informing participants of the establishment of their affiliate. One of the Owner/Operators brought part of her collection and had it on display inside the building.

[FONT=&quot]4. [/FONT]Atlantic Police Department – Coordination with the Department prior to the event ensured that the “Cruise” would be acceptable. The route was the same one used last year and there are many traffic signals along it. All vehicles in the convoy were instructed to obey the traffic controls. A “Parade Permit” was approved by the City Council prior to the event. I did coordinate with the Department officers attending the Rally earlier in the morning. We had a plan – and then I change the plan later. I decided to start the “Cruise” one-half hour earlier to avoid incoming rain. At the last minute – well the last 8 minutes, I realized I should call the 911 Communications Center and ask them to send some officers due to the early start. They arrived on time before the start and escorted us through the entire route until the “Ice Cream Social” stop. We returned to the Armory on our own.


Intelligence / Security / Information
[FONT=&quot]1. [/FONT]Publicity – All local news media did an excellent job of publicizing the event. Multiple radio and cable TV interviews were conducted at the Rally. The local newspaper was present gathering information. The Host (ARISE) placed advertisements in the media announcing the event.

[FONT=&quot]2. [/FONT]Early arrival of vehicles – Two vehicles and equipment arrived on Friday prior to the event. These items were stored in the Armory garage overnight.

Operations
[FONT=&quot]1. [/FONT]Cannon firing – I fired my half-scale Civil War cannon multiple times during the event. A home-built 37mm anti-tank gun was also present at the event. We often fired them together.

[FONT=&quot]2. [/FONT]“Cruise” preparation – We did fire the both cannons 30 minutes prior to the start of the “Cruise” to give the Owner/Operators time to prepare their vehicles and disassemble their displays. The public understood the Rally would soon be moving to another phase and they needed to either “get to looking” or “start moving out of the way”. Naturally, the public and media wanted to see the vehicles move out and various cameras and observation locations were selected. Owner/Operators were observed removing flags, storing equipment, and generally preparing to move their vehicles, but none thought the signal indicated an immediate departure. There did not appear to be any problems with congestion in the parking lot, some vehicles not planning on participating actually pulled out of the lot before the “Cruise” started. This allowed additional space to maneuver. I believe the weather did affect the “Cruise”. We had only five vehicles participate. The rain started about one quarter of the way into the route. All had enclosed cabs and everybody stayed dry – except my wife and I leading the “Cruise” in our MB without a top and two Cadets from the Civil Air Patrol (CAP) that caught a ride in the back of one of the five ton trucks. They did get inside for the trip back after the stop. My wife and I just got “more wet”.

[FONT=&quot]3. [/FONT]Location – The Armory location worked well. Restroom facilities, military museum, Atlantic History Center, and library tours were used by the Owner/Operators and the public during the Rally. The close proximity to the Coca-Cola Center and Museum allowed some to visit their operation. A tour of the Rock Island Depot (also owned by ARISE) did not work out as planned, but at least some “got a closer look of the outside of the building”. The garage was converted into a temporary kitchen for the meal. The preferred location for this event is the Armory for the previously stated reasons. It appears I will have to give some serious thought on my options for vehicle parking as the Rally continues to grow.

[FONT=&quot]4. [/FONT]Public parking – The attendance by the public was excellent. It is almost impossible to get an accurate count of those attending. There was a guest book at the front door, records at the Registration Table, and headcount during the meal. Still, counting attendance is like counting chickens in a barn lot. I just take a good guess – and then double it. My estimation for this year is well over 250. The same as last year. I do believe there are more families and youth attending as the event grows and becomes better known.

[FONT=&quot]5. [/FONT]Transport vehicle parking – I do not know how many transport vehicles there were this year. Most of the participants knew of the available parking and just proceeded to that location. I did not observe any vehicles unloading in the Fareway parking lot. I had made that request in earlier messages to the participants. There was only one piece of “armor” present at this year’s event (an M-3 Half-track), so all of the transport vehicles / trailers were of the smaller version. There were no large semi-tractors and trailers as in previous years. Thanks to Atlantic Bottling Company for the use of the transport vehicle parking area.

[FONT=&quot]6. [/FONT]“Cruise” route – Coordination with Wal-Mart prior to the event allowed use of their parking lot for the “Ice Cream Social” portion of the cruise. Total distance for the route was 5.6 miles with a total travel time of approximately 20 minutes. This time did not include the time for the Ice Cream Social. Due to the low number of vehicles participating in the “Cruise”, a count of the ice cream needed was very simple. One item of note: As I went down the line – in the rain – asking the driver’s about the ice cream, I did receive one comment. The ice cream was “traditional” and it would be fine to go get it. We did – and ate them in the rain.

[FONT=&quot]7. [/FONT]Registration – Efforts to capture information about the vehicles and Owner/Operators continues. There is still incomplete information on some vehicles and Owner/Operators. The incomplete information makes it difficult to accurately publicize the event in the local media. It also creates accuracy issues with historical records for the event. Moving the location of the Registration Table to the inside of the building did not seem to be an issue. The Owner/Operators seek out the Table when they arrive. The inside location also provided a more comfortable setting for those working at the table.

[FONT=&quot]8. [/FONT]Weather – Rain was forecasted prior to and after the event. There is a tremendous amount of planning prior to this Rally. There is not a “Rain Date”. If it does rain, attendance may be reduced and we may get wet, but we will have a Rally. It did rain for about one hour prior to the start. This did not seem to affect the attendance of the public since they would not be arriving that early. It might have affected the attendance of the Owner/Operators, but that has not been confirmed. It mostly affected those involved in setting up the area. It turned out to be a beautiful afternoon. Temperatures in the morning were cooler and then warmed up to be very nice in the afternoon. The seats on my Jeep were dry before we left on the “Cruise”, but not when we returned.

[FONT=&quot]9. [/FONT]Schedule – The 9:00 AM published start time for the public worked better than previous years. The public did not arrive excessively early and those that did were able to see the various displays located within the Armory. Some of the newer Owner/Operators were unsure of the scheduled start time. As in previous years, those members of the public that arrived early – and then left early – did not see those vehicles that arrived at a later time. The start time of the “Cruise” was moved up one-half hour due to the incoming rain.

[FONT=&quot]10. [/FONT]“Bing Bang Games” – A new event in this year’s Rally was the games. I designed this with a military theme and participation by younger attendees. There were five stages to the games; Decode a radio message, Bomb the bunker, Sandbag relay, Duffel Bag stuff, and Lift/lower the bomb. I did observe the station manager at the “Decode a radio message” explaining how to use the “code sheet” to decoded the message to a very young child (maybe five years old). I am not sure he completely understood, but I do know he did get the message solved. The “bunker” (a cardboard box with a black plastic trash bag inside surrounded by peanut filled sandbags) had to be rebuilt numerous times. The “bombs” (foam miniature footballs) seemed to be doing a very good job of destroying it. I did not notice a great interest in the sandbag relay. Standard sandbags were filled with garden mulch with the intent of picking them up and carrying them to the next position, where you would then set it down, pick up that sandbag and repeat – seven sandbags. The duffel bag stuff was eight “bouncy balls” in a hammock sewn into a tube. The object was to remove the balls and stuff them into the duffel bag. It was interesting watching the participants figure out the best way to do this. Lifting and lowering the bomb was fairly simple. I made a “bomb” from a small propane tank and various other parts. It weighed an estimated 50 pounds. It was suspended from a four legged frame with a block and tackle. Use the rope and lift the bomb to the top of the frame and then allow it to lower back to just above the ground. I had tied the rope short to prevent the “bomb” from being dropped on the ground and damaging it, as you never know when you might need a bomb in good condition. It was a pretty even draw between the attraction of actually lifting and lowering the bomb – or just sitting on it and using it as a very low to the ground swing.

Logistics
[FONT=&quot]1. [/FONT]Trophies – All Owner/Operators were presented a trophy – one per individual. These trophies were more of a “gag gift” than anything else. A different trophy was used from the previous year. Many trophies were on display during the Rally (usually sitting on the dash boards of the vehicles). I had the Owner/Operators complete a survey during this Rally to get their opinions on ways to improve it. The questions were multiple choice. One of the questions: “The “Participation Trophies” are – “. The choices were: “We get trophies?”, “Sitting on my shelf”, “Stupid”, and “Great – I have never won a trophy before (but always thought I should have)” The most popular answer was “Sitting on my shelf”. I liked to hear that. These trophies cost me almost 80 cents each (not including the paper sticker I use to label them). I don’t want to be wasting money.

[FONT=&quot]2. [/FONT]Meal – The Host (ARISE) provided a kitchen for the public as well as the Owner/Operators. The menu consisted of hamburgers and hot dogs prepared by the Cass County Beef Producers, beans, chips, and cookies / bars. Water, tea, and lemonade were also provided. The meal was a free will donation. Thirty meal tickets were issued at the Registration Table. These tickets were issued at the discretion of the personnel working at the Table. Owner/Operators, their guests, and others were given meal tickets. They surrendered the ticket at the kitchen for their free meal.

[FONT=&quot]3. [/FONT]Door prizes – All prizes were purchased or donated by others. Registration for the door prizes occurred during the registration of the vehicle. Door prize registration and eligibility was based on vehicles or static display. This made it possible for the same Owner/Operator to be eligible to win multiple times, if they brought more than one vehicle. This year some names were drawn multiple times, but another name was drawn. This allowed only one prize per Owner/Operator. I try and have door prizes for approximately ten percent of the participants. There were eight door prizes awarded. The names were “placed in a hat” (actually they were placed in plastic Easter eggs and then placed in a large plastic teddy bear jar). A volunteer was picked at random and invited to draw eight eggs. Eight gold colored plastic Easter eggs were then placed in a bowl. Those eggs identified which door prize they won. Many thanks to Mr. Bob Boots for the hand carved combat boot. Seven other prizes – two miniature wooden ammunition boxes, three plastic ammunition boxes, and two “Dry boxes”. All containers were filled with various tools, gifts, and snacks (including two plastic apples and a plastic banana because you never know when you will need plastic fruit).

[FONT=&quot]4. [/FONT]Expenses - I purchased all supplies for this event. I used to keep track of the amount, but I just don’t care (about the cost) anymore. There is no cost to attend the event by the general public or the Owner/Operators. I always enjoy comments from the new Owner/Operators wanting to know the cost to attend the event. I simply informed them there is no cost and I would even provide them a free meal.

[FONT=&quot]Steve Livengood[/FONT]
BA-DA BA-DA BING BANG “Guy”

 

[Milkman357]

I am always amazed at your organizational skills. Thank you for the hard work!

 

[GUNNUT in Iowa]

It just seems like only a year ago that it was time for the BA-DA BA-DA BING BANG Rally.

Well . . . . it is time again.

Mark your calendars. It is a easy date to remember - May 16th.

The reason it is such an easy date this year is because it is the same day as the National MVPA convention (and of course Findlay). Trust me, I almost changed and/or postponed this year's rally, because I really wanted to go to Findlay. Alas . . . such is the burden of a show promoter.

PM me, if you are not in my super-secret club and receive the emails.