New Wisconsin show/rally Aug 12th, Central Wisconsin Military Show

[undysworld]

Pre-Register would be to your benefit, to get in and parked before 8 AM!

Evldoer,

Please pre-register, or at least get there early.

According to Major Tom at Motorama: NO SHOW VEHICLES WILL BE ALLOWED TO MOVE AFTER 8AM (DURING THE SHOW)! He's not trying to be an ass, liability insurance prevents it. If you arrive after 8am you will only be allowed to park in the civilian parking area.

You should try and come on Friday, as the grounds will be open to participants (vendors, re-enactors, & vehicle owners) to drive around on the trails.

This is the first year that Motorama will be hosting the show, so they are really trying to avoid problems. By pre-registering and arriving early, you'll be helping them keep it running smoothly.

Tom reports that they now have over 60 vehicles pre-registered, and the vendor area is filled (but he'll still try and fit you in if you call him). This should be a good show.

See all y'all in 10 days.

 

[avlon01]

I'll be arriving on Saturday morning nice and early to beat the 8am deadline.

I hope it's a good show, but I'm not happy about being stuck from 8am to 6pm. That's a dang long time for a car show. And car shows with hundreds of cars let you come and go as you please, so I'm sure it's not a liability issue.

I do hope the show draws in a good crowd - there has been a lot more advertising for this show than Iola ever did!

 

[undysworld]

I'll be arriving on Saturday morning nice and early to beat the 8am deadline.

I hope it's a good show, but I'm not happy about being stuck from 8am to 6pm. That's a dang long time for a car show. And car shows with hundreds of cars let you come and go as you please, so I'm sure it's not a liability issue.

I do hope the show draws in a good crowd - there has been a lot more advertising for this show than Iola ever did!

Glad to hear you'll be there.

I (and others, I'm sure) talked to Tom about a lot of details. He's mostly focused on making this a safe and successful show, with an accent on SAFE. He plans to meet with a lot of the participants during the show to discuss their wishes and look for ways to make those things happen.

I get what you're saying about being there all day, unlike at most other shows. I'm not sure if that's for insurance reasons or just logistics, as some parts of the Motorama grounds are less wide-open than many places. But remember, it's not just like most other shows: It's one of the few big military-vehicle-specific shows around, and there will also be firearms for sale there. I think Tom's playing it extra careful, especially for the first event.

Plus, there's supposed to be a good band playing that night!

You're right about the advertising. With absolutely no offense intended towards the good people at Iola, the Iola Military show was one of their smaller events, while this will be one of Motorama's biggest events. This might prove to be one **** of a show!

 

[MWMULES]

So no pictures or reports??

 

[Another Ahab]

Yeah, pics are nice.

 

[Gunner USN]

It was great Displaying the HMVs among the trees vice being in a open field. The General Public walked by the Re-Enactors encampments than the HMVs to get to the Vendors and Swap Meet. Had steady flow of public going in all day (till about 1430-1500) than coming out with thier treasures. I thought our Host did a Fine Job in the short amount time. Bravo Zulu Tom...

 

[Gunner USN]

More photos

 

[Gunner USN]

and more photos

 

[GUNNUT in Iowa]

I am on my tablet, but will add to this thread when I get home to my regular computer tomorrow night.

 

[hendersond]

It was a good show.

There were a lot of people. It felt like more than in my previous Iola years, but it may have been because the show was not spread all over. The flow seemed more linear. You park, see reenactment encampment, show vehicles and then swap meet. I was impressed with the camping set up in the woods. It was nice and will get better. Sounds like public show Friday 3-8p and Sat 8-6 next year. Vendor setup and swap Thursday. I only overheard 1 guy complain excessively and someone shut him down. There was bands and performers playing music most of the time. Plenty of toilets.

There were real food vendors. We usually bring our own and cook because of past poor quality, limited selection and big price. This year was different. Egg rolls to smoked brisket. Good popcorn, cheese curds and stuff for the kids. Prices were reasonable and quality was good. Pop and beer was what you would pay at a bar not a ballgame. That is my opinion anyway. Tom included us on the planning for next year. The swap area will grow I believe it was by many acres. Reenactment and show will expand as well.

The only negative I overheard was that because the show trucks were not next to the swap spaces, some spectators were getting into trucks. Someone designated to monitor security in that area should easily solve that.

Internet and cell coverage was zero for some people. I had no service, but we managed to survive. I tried to call a friend about a M37 hood. I was unsure if he was still looking. Could not call so I did not buy. Also no ATM for the same reason. We managed.

We came in with half of what we usually do. Skeptical I guess. We left trailer light and wallet heavy, Dirty and tired. We were that last vender in, That means furthest outside corner that no one else wanted. I cannot say it was bad. We watched the people flow from our elevated perches. I don't think "best spot" mattered much. They walked up and down the rows and around the ends. Most several times. There were no civilian cars and campers taking swap space boring and tiring spectators. I must admit, initially I almost said "screw it" because of that and stayed home. We slept in a tent on our trailer in our swap spot. I'm getting a camp site by the river next year. Those were beautiful spots to camp.

The only thing I missed was the little guys who usually come in late. They bring in some good used stuff from home, mostly project leftovers and treasures. I'm talking about the guys who only sell once a year. I only saw a handful of us. Like to see more opportunity for that.

Overall, my expectations were exceeded.

Dan Henderson

PS. How could I forget? The Pin Up girls were beautiful. Wow, Classy! It was really cool to see them.

 

[Another Ahab]

That's a good report.

 

[nchittendon]

Nice write up!

It was a good show.
PS. How could I forget? The Pin Up girls were beautiful. Wow, Classy! It was really cool to see them.

That's all I needed to know!

Plenty of toilets. - This is a big selling point right here. Were they bathroom facilities, or portajohns?
cheese curds and stuff for the kids. - WOAH! I'm out if only the kids can have cheese curds. Oops, scratch that. My son said we are going next year.

The only negative I overheard was that because the show trucks were not next to the swap spaces, some spectators were getting into trucks. Someone designated to monitor security in that area should easily solve that. - You know, if people ask permission to enter, that's one thing. But just climbing around on someone else's truck is just piss poor upbringing. Perhaps simple signage along the way would work? Or like EAA where if someone works security, they get some sort of discount the following year??
Internet and cell coverage was zero for some people. I had no service, but we managed to survive. I tried to call a friend about a M37 hood. I was unsure if he was still looking. Could not call so I did not buy. Also no ATM for the same reason. We managed. - you managed, and that's all good. But the internet being available for live stream, live pictures, etc is a HUGE, more than valuable marketing tool. I've built many businesses by marketing on the internet that were near flatline before hand. Internet and ATM would be a major improvement.
Questions:
~ was there any campground style sites with electricity? Or is it all generator only? I like to "rough it" in my own fashion.
~ being in/near the woods, what is the camp fire policy?
~ atv's/scooters/bicycles cruising the grounds? Or not allowed? These are a lot of big parts to buy/sell/trade. I did see a photo of a yard tractor being used to tote a gen. Curious if there were spoken/written rules about other modes of transport.

Nice write up Dan. You've answered a lot of question I had already.

My group face a conundrum. We didn't want to go all that way, just to have it flop. But if most people had that attitude, it would flop. I'm glad majority were more brave than we were. Glad to see it get some altitude.

 

[hendersond]

-Very well maintained Porta-potties.
-There were campfires and Tom provided cut and split firewood! If it were a dry year there could potentially be some restriction.
-No electricity camp sites this year, but in the plan for next year.
-Tom had a forklift for loading and moving parts. They also had a golf cart, atv and a 8' trailer. They moved parts for us, so it worked out good.
-There was a cell phone signal booster in the building so I could call or text from inside. Tom was going to attempt to improve that next year, but there just isn't the infrastructure in the north part of Wisconsin yet. I understand they experimented with satellite with less than satisfactory results.
-There were written rules about driving: Not allowed during the show, period. Handicap scooters were allowed.
-As far as the spectators in trucks, it was a combination. Some was bad upbringing. Signage won't work for that. But we sleep in our displays. Some trucks you can look into, others have a ladder that leads to an open flap and someone's bedroom. They go to public parks and climb on tanks and others you can get into airplanes. Confusing for some. There are solutions.
I'm planning for next year.

 

[Gunner USN]

Still for pulling off what Tom did in less than 6 months! I think it was an outstanding First Year out, only to get better.

But it being North Central Wisconsin, I would count the big Cell Companies coming thru with better Data Coverage, for voice and text (Verizon) had one to three bars in 3G. Which in a the Telecommunications Standing job done for the minimum of a 911 call.

If Motorama puts in WiFi hotspot that may be a better route, for him.

Still had a great time, plan on going again next year!

 

[Gunner USN]

A newspaper account of the show:

http://www.wausaudailyherald.com/st...itary-show-attacts-crowds-motorama/554369001/

 

[M1key]

Here are some other pics of the vendor area, entertainment, and General Junk!

Been going to Iola since 13 years ago.
I knew this was going to be different.
I liked all of the trucks lined up on the entrance road. (Unlike Iola spread around maybe 4 or so in one area, etc...)
A multiple day show would be a plus and a larger vendor area would be great. Not quite as many truck parts like the old Iola, but we managed to find a few treasures.

Set up very well, lots of stinky phone booths (porta-sh*tters), great food variety, entertainment.
The old race cars are cool to see.

VERY WELL DONE TOM!!!!!

 

[Another Ahab]

That "AWOL" rig is a super hoot.

I'm especially liking the fender lantern.

 

[M1key]

That "AWOL" rig is a super hoot.
I'm especially liking the fender lantern.

Thats at least the 2nd or 3rd time I've seen it and I did not notice it until I uploaded the pics! My eyes always gravitate the the lug nut wrench grab handles. Must be the OCD in me.

 

[GUNNUT in Iowa]

Some great write ups about the show. Now - as promised - my turn (from the "buying public's" point of view).

Mrs. GUNNUT in Iowa and I drove about 9 hours from home to attend the show. We had been to Iola a couple of times before and knew this would be "different", but we took a chance.

Mrs. "NUT" (don't tell her I said that) made room reservations for the trip. She does that sort of thing. It is kind of odd leaving home and asking her where we are going, but it works. Anyway, we were heading down the road toward Aniwa and saw GunnerUSN in front of us. We traveled together until we got to Wausau. We had a room there and he was going closer to Aniwa. After checking into our motel, we picked up one of the Show's flyers at the brochure counter in the lobby of the motel.

We spent about 10 minutes trying to enter the address into our Garmin, but could not seem to find anything to match. We then programmed in Aniwa. I mean how hard could it be to find a big military show in Aniwa? I can answer that question. It can be VERY HARD to find a big military show in Aniwa. In fact, there is no big military show in Aniwa. The truth of the matter is - and this is coming from a guy that knows all about "small town USA" - there really isn't much of an Aniwa, WI.

So there we were driving down the road trying to find something that might lead us to a big military show and who do we see sitting beside the road? Yep, GunnerUSN. We waved and drove right on by him. We had seen what we thought was the sign. It turned out we were not real sure about the location - or even the sign for that matter - so back where we came from to start again. Naturally, we met GunnerUSN on the way back to where we started. We waved and went right on by. He stopped beside the road and called me on my cell phone. Who would have thought he had my number programmed into his cell phone? Anyway, we turned around to go back where we were and he led the way to the site. Yeah, right - like I could have found that on a good day - not to mention on a day after driving for nine hours.

OK. We are here. Now all I have to do is program this location into my Garmin and drive out again in the morning. I won't get into how difficult my new Garmin is to program locations versus my old Garmin. Finally, we are back to the motel room.

It was supposed to take us about 45 minutes to get to the site from our motel, so we left at 7:00 AM. I thought it was quite funny, when my Garmin told me to "Navigate off the road" at the intersection of Stradale Lane until I learned that Stradale Lane was a private road and was not in the Garmin's database. No wonder it could not locate the site. (I can provide a latitude and longitude for anyone wanting to locate this area.)

Finally, we are ready to park and go to the show. What is this? Someone wanting money to park. This could be bad. Only $2? Sure no problem. I will just put it on my expense account. Of course, the parking lot was a "fair piece" down the road from the front gate that we had been at the night before. What is the worst that it could be? (More on that later.) Since we had purchased our wrist bands on the previous night's recon mission, it was a simple matter to just walk through the gate.

Goodness gracious!!! There are a bunch of vehicles out here. Cool! Check out those reenactors camping over there! This is kind of a neat location for military vehicles - parked in the woods and all. It reminds me a whole bunch of our field "maneuvers" back in the day. Yeah. Yeah. Army trucks. We came here to buy stuff. Where is the stuff? Let's walk a little further down this road. The vendor's area has to be here somewhere. Oh, hi, GunnerUSN. We found it. We can visit for awhile, but we really need to go buy some stuff. Sure, it is just a little further down the road.

Finally! This is the place. Let's look for the things we need. Do you know how hard it is to find the proper tripod for an M-49 Observation Scope? Not so bad at the Central Wisconsin Military Show. It is actually easier to find the tripod than it is the show. (Have I mentioned that it was . . . ummmm . . . "difficult" to find the show?)

I was looking for some specific parts for my MB. I did not find them, but I did buy a crap-ton of other stuff. Big stuff. Heavy stuff. The kind of stuff you would not want to carry down a really long road back to the van. No problem. Excuse me, can I just pay for this and leave it here? I will come and get it, when I am ready to leave. Sure, no problem.

There we are. The solution to the problem. We just find it. Pay for it. and Leave it here until we figure out how to get it back to the van. Do you know how much an "Aircraft Crash Investigation Kit" weighs? How about a field hospital bed? That tool bag will make a handy thing to carry recoilless rifle projectiles, books, tool rolls, a box of "surgical soap", and other "stuff". You know, after awhile, I completely forgot about the Observation Scope tripod hanging off my shoulder.

Hey! I wonder what they have over there? I NEED some of those brass 105 mm artillery shell cases. Really, only $5 each???!!! I will take 15 of them - and I had better have one of those "Impact Area" signs, while I am at it. Is it OK to just leave them here until I get ready to leave? Thanks.

I wonder what they have over there? Guns! I like guns! (You probably had that figured out with that GUNNUT in Iowa thing, huh?) It is a little crowded in this area - especially carrying all of this stuff. The good news is that I have all of those guns. The bad news is that I had to make my way through the crowd before I could figure that out.

Well, that looks like the better part of the vendor's area. I will head down the road back to the van with this pile and you can wait over there by the picnic tables until I get back. I mean how far could it possibly be back to the van? Yeah, a really long ways. How am I going to get the rest of that stuff back here? What is this hanging off my shoulder? Oh, that M-49 Observation Scope tripod. I forgot it was even there. (Sometime I might tell you about the time I lost my M-16 rifle in the field. I was frantic trying to find it. I looked everywhere - the CP, my truck, my "hootch", the Supply Tent. It was nowhere to be found. One of my soldiers asked what I was looking for. I told him I could not find my rifle. He laughed and told me it was hanging from the sling - off my shoulder. It had been a very long day.)

Luckily we had arrived early and the van was close to the "front" of the parking lot. Back to Mrs. "NUT" to see about the rest of the stuff. I knew there was no way I was going to carry it back to the van. The sixteen artillery shells would have taken at least three trips and I had no idea how much a field hospital bed weighed. Back down the road. Oh, hi, again GunnerUSN. Yeah, just carrying stuff. Nice to meet you old man (from G-503). I might take some time to look at all of these fine vehicles "the next time".

Hi, Mrs. "NUT". I am back. There is a guy driving an ATV and pulling a trailer. He might help us carry the stuff back to the van. OK, I will coordinate our remaining stuff with the vendors and hopefully we can find him, when we are ready to go. A small problem with the "Impact Area" sign, but we got it solved. I really appreciate the offer of your boys hauling the hospital bed back to the van, but I have another option. Maybe we should walk the area one more time and make sure we didn't overlook something. (We did - so more stuff to haul to the van.)

We found the guy with the ATV and the trailer and arranged transportation. Now all we have to do is move that ATV and trailer through the crowd to the various locations of the stuff. Is it OK, if we ride? It really is a long walk back to the van. Thanks! That would be great.

Ummmmmmm . . . You are not going to be able to drive this ATV and trailer through this parking lot. I will bring the van here and we will load it here. I go get the van and the guy with the ATV and trailer has all of the stuff sitting on the ground by the time I get back. We had visited about "financial arrangements" prior to the move. He was not charging and I was not letting him do it for nothing. Please, take this $20. (He did.)

Well, that was fun. Do you want to go back and see the vehicles? Yeah, it has been a long day. They will probably be here next year. Let's just leave now. It is a long way home. Wow! That parking lot sure filled up. The guy taking the money is almost clear back to that road. You know - the one that was on the Garmin. I will just leave the coordinates programmed in. It will make it easier next year.

See you then. I don't want to spend my "military stuff money" on walking shoes. What else have you got?

 

[hendersond]

Nice write up. Good useful feedback. The $2 paid the neighbor for the grass/hay/tire tracks or whatever it was. Good point about the GPS. Same with my Garmin. We rolled in one way with a few wrong turns. We left Saturday at 6pm better prepared Hwy 52 West to 51/39 in Wausau was the path home with light traffic Saturday eve.
Sounds like your spree was successful.