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NOTICE OF DATE CHANGE:
Last week, Durhamtown contacted us and asked for a sit-down meeting. I drove out the next day and was told our weekend, that we’d already been given approval for way back in November was no longer available. A group that puts on “Tough Mudder” events has rented the entire D-town facility for a figure well in excess of 6 figures, so the entire facility will effectively be shut down for the week and weekend. In addition to no trails access, they are renting every cabin and rv. This is a situation that we (Ga. Rally) had absolutely no control over. The new date for the 2015 event is Oct. 21-25th, 2015.
D-town has assured me they will be contacting anyone who has rented a cabin, rv spot or power/water spot for our weekend and moving them into the new date but I need you to contact them as well. IF YOU DON’T TALK TO D-TOWN ABOUT MOVING YOUR RENTAL, THEN YOU WON’T HAVE A PLACE TO STAY. SO CALL THEM!
I sincerely apologize for this, but it is simply out of our control.
So, that unpleasantness aside, let’s get down to brass tacks, shall we?
Welcome to the Official Information Thread for the 2015 Georgia Rally. This thread, in posts #1 and #2 should answer any questions a prospective attendee has concerning the event.
There are some big changes for 2015, so I ask that everyone take 5-10 minutes and read the entirety of posts #1 and #2.
Before I go any further, we ask that users not create 2015 rally threads on their own. Any unauthorized threads will be deleted. The rally already has the official info thread, buy/sell/swap thread and potentially convoy-to-event and t-shirt threads. One event does not need a dozen threads.
Also, please keep comments in this thread related to the rally-although we’re all excited about the event, a thread with 500 posts is overwhelming to someone who just found it and has never been to the rally and wants to learn what they need to know to attend.
What-when-where-why-who:
What: The 2015 Georgia Rally-One of the premier historic military vehicle events in the United States. 8 years of non-stop growth. Vehicle displays, swap meet, offroading and trail rides, hardball convoy and a laid back, family friendly atmosphere. One of the largest events in the country: 131 powered military vehicles in 2014.
When: October 21-25, 2015, rain or shine.
Where: Durhamtown Plantation, Union Point, Ga. Google map: https://goo.gl/maps/kydDq
Why: Because it’s arguably the best rally in the country.
Who: Anyone who is interested in historic military vehicles. Ownership or membership in any group is not required. Only an interest in the history these vehicles represent.
Last year, Steve Bradley did a spectacular job of running the event. Running an event of this size requires an officer to be in the command tent from opening until closing and Steve barely left his post. Steve has graciously agreed to continue in this Commanding Officer role for 2015.
Andrew Tracy has also agreed to take on the Executive Officer role for 2015. He acts as Steve’s partner is making sure the event runs smoothly and any speedbumps are smoothed out as quickly as possible.
If you have an issue at the rally, either with an aspect of the rally or Durhamtown-you need to first seek out Steve or Andrew. Any problems with the rally or Durhamtown will be taken care of quickly and competently by one these officers. All you need to do is go to the Registration Tent or Headquarters Tent and one of these leaders will be immediately located.
There are additional Ga. Rally staff members who you will meet during your visit. There is a registration tent, a swap meet leader, trail ride leaders, hardball convoy commander and others. You will be briefed on all of these people and how they affect your rally experience when you arrive to the rally and check in at the registration tent.
If you’ve never been to a Georgia Rally, take a few minutes and check out the multimedia threads from past events. These are the threads where attendees post their pictures and videos. You can get a great idea of what you’re in for.
2014: http://www.steelsoldiers.com/showth...014-SS-Georgia-Rally-Multimedia-SSGR14-thread
2013: http://www.steelsoldiers.com/showthread.php?114102-Official-2013-Ga-Rally-multimedia-thread
2012: http://www.steelsoldiers.com/showthread.php?96264-Official-2012-Ga-Rally-multimedia-thread
2011: http://www.steelsoldiers.com/ga-rally/76699-official-2011-ga-rally-multimedia-thread.html
2010: http://www.steelsoldiers.com/ga-rally/59085-newer-2010-ga-rally-multimedia-thread.html
2009: http://www.steelsoldiers.com/ga-rally/42451-new-2009-ga-rally-multimedia-thread.html
2008: http://www.steelsoldiers.com/ga-rally/26931-2008-ga-rally-multimedia-thread.html
2007: http://www.steelsoldiers.com/ga-rally/14448-offical-ga-ss-rally-multimedia-bs-thread.html
More in-depth what-when-where-why-who:
What: The Georgia Rally features historic military vehicle rally displays, swap meet, hardball convoy, fantastic offroading and trailrides, an authentic military kitchen trailer providing meals and an amazing military vehicle experience. Our event is different from the traditional “car show” layout – instead of rows upon rows of vehicles lined up and stationary, our event offers you the opportunity to see all these great vehicles in action. Every time you turn around, a group of Jeeps, Land Rovers, Mules or mighty 6x6s are on their way somewhere. The opportunity to see almost 40 military vehicles on the move, on public streets is something that just has to be seen. Our rally is more of a “living history” event-I love the MVPA’s slogan of “History in Motion” and we follow it at our rally.
Trucks are parked everywhere-many people camp at the rally and their vehicle(s) are a part of their campsite. So as a spectator, you get to walk around and check out people’s rides and see real gear in use.
We have a pretty good swap meet – and we work every year to try and grow it. We have enacted specific policies to attract vendors, like free vendor spaces and generous swap meet space sizing.
The offroading and trail rides are simply spectacular-we have everything from the very mildest trailrides that you could take a 100 point, trailer queen restored WWII Jeep on with absolutely no worries, all the way to very challenging terrain and of course, mud. Durhamtown does have a swamp, so if you love repacking wheel bearings-we can indulge. We have very skilled trailride leaders who know where they’re going and can take part in safe recovery operations to ensure that equipment isn’t damaged and people aren’t hurt. We always have 5 ton wreckers at the event, so there is no recovery operation we aren’t capable of performing. The opportunity to see a Deuce or 5 ton taking on a complicated obstacle course is awesome- and getting to see a 70+ year old Jeep showing that it still has what it takes to get the job done is something anyone can appreciate. And if you’ve never been on a night ride-offroading in the dark is super fun.
Our MKT serves hot breakfast, lunch and dinner (menu is posted below along with prices) from Wednesday evening to Sunday morning. If you’ve never been in the service, this is a great opportunity to see how the military feeds lots of people in a short amount of time. The rally has tents, tables and chairs so even if it rains, you have a dry place to sit and eat.
The hardball convoy is another way that the rally offers attendees an opportunity to participate with their vehicles. We take a group on a short trip (approximately 20 miles one way) on Saturday morning. We have previously gone to a BBQ restaurant for lunch as an excuse for the convoy, but this year we’ll be going somewhere different. The BBQ restaurant was unable to feed all of our participants in a reasonable amount of time, so we’ll be finding another local destination. If we don’t find an acceptable replacement, then we’ll simply do a nice loop and give everybody a chance to take a short ride together and bring back some great pictures and videos. NOTE: Hardball convoy participants are required to run with their headlights on. We ask that emergency flashers not be used, since this is technically illegal for a vehicle in normal operation. We also ask that drivers not honk horns at the videographers-we’re trying to capture the distinctive sounds of the vehicles in actions, not a cacophony of horns blowing. Don’t worry-the videographer can see you.
We have attendees come all the way from New York, California, Michigan, Wyoming, Texas, Virginia, Cuba, Uraguay, the Czech Republic and beautiful Athens, Georgia. If people are willing to fly halfway across the globe to be with us, you can be assured it’s an event worth attending.
When: The official dates for the Georgia Rally are October 21-25th, 2015. The event officially begins on Wednesday and ends on Sunday. There are some early arrivals who will be there earlier but all of the rally infrastructure is not in place until Wednesday. Food service and sanitation are not in place until Wednesday and all of the rally staff will not be on location as well. A small “quartering party” contingent of rally staff will be there. Early arrivals are allowed but we have to warn you: If you show up before an event officially begins, when the full staff arrives and begins organizing the event, you may be asked to move. This usually affects swap meet vendors, but campers in the wrong place may be asked to move. The busiest days of the rally are Friday and Saturday, so if you can only make one or two days, these are when you want to come. Warning: This is a big event and it’s impossible to see everything in one day. And Saturday is very hectic with the hardball convoy. We’ve always done the Georgia Rally in the fall, to try and avoid harsh summer weather. The last couple of years have been unseasonably warm (high eighties) but the evenings were nice.
Where: Finding a place to put an on event like this is a real challenge. You need infrastructure like power and water, lodging, food, an area that is sufficient for camping, vehicle displays and offroading and you need a few thousand acres of trails for the offroading. Durhamtown Plantation (www.durhamtown.com) offers all of that. Durhamtown has tens of thousands of acres-some set aside for hunting, some for motocross and atv tracks and several thousand specifically for full size vehicle offroading. And Durhamtown’s staff has always been happy to host us. They prepare our field every year by mowing it and bushhogging the land behind our field so our campers have a nice area to relax in, the provide us with porta potties and a dump truck for refuse. They’ve allowed us to use their skid steer with forklift blades to pick up heavy pallets. Durhamtown can be seen here on Google maps: https://goo.gl/maps/kydDq.
A bit of warning: On Durhamtown’s site, there is a warning: “DO NOT USE MAPQUEST OR YAHOO MAPS-They will lead you in directions unknown to man...”. Well, that’s the truth. If you follow this link, Durhamtown’s site has great and simple directions that will take you directly to their facility: http://www.durhamtown.com/#!contact/cq4e
Why and who: Like we said, the why is obvious: One of the best historic military vehicle rallies in the country. 130+ powered vehicles, close to 200 if you count military trailers. Good swap meet, amazing offroading, hardball convoy with close to 40 trucks taking part, etc. The rally has grown non stop since it began as a cookout in my backyard in 2006. In less than 10 years, we’ve gone from 8 vehicles in my yard to 130+. We’ve grown every single year-even when the economy collapsed in 2008, we managed to grow over 10% from the previous year. When you look at the pictures in the multimedia threads, I think it is hard to really grasp the level of awesome you’ll encounter. It’s just an amazing event. And the who is obvious: If you are interested in historic military vehicles, then this is for you. Are you new to the hobby and considering purchasing a vehicle to restore? Come to the rally and meet people who own the kind of vehicles you’re considering. You’ll get to speak directly to owners and learn what they like and what they don’t, what’s a challenge in owning such a vehicle, etc. Live too far away to drive your vehicle? Show up anyway and enjoy.
Ok, so that’s the basics. Let’s get into the smaller details:
Lodging:
“where do I stay?”-The Georgia Rally offers many choices. Durhamtown is in a rural area, so local motels are bit of a drive. A Google map showing local hotels relative to Durhatown’s location can be seen here: https://goo.gl/maps/RuYsk
At Durhamtown, they have small cabins and RV’s for rental. These are basic-wood floors and such, however, they are insulated, have decent beds, hot water, showers, private bathrooms, etc. I’ve stayed in both RV’s and cabins and had no complaints. The water pressure is good, the water is hot and it beats brushing your teeth out of a helmet. Pets require a small deposit. Cabin and RV rentals can be found on Durhamtown’s website here: http://www.durhamtown.com/#!lodging/c21fd
If you own an RV you can bring it. If you’re totally self contained (meaning you don’t need a power or water hookup), then you can park anywhere in the camping area and pay Durhamtown’s primitive camping fee. If you need a power/water hookup, a few are in our field and there are many available in other areas of Durhamtown’s property (this means your camping area will be away from the rally and you may have a little walk from your area to the rally).
If you’re not going to bring an RV or rent a cabin/RV, you can camp in the rally camping area. You can use your vehicle or trailer, or pitch a tent. Campfires are allowed. You’ll pay Durhamtown’s primitive camping fees and have access to their shower facilities.
Alright, now you know you’re going, you know when, where it is and where you’ll sleep. Let’s cover what the rally will be like when you arrive.
Arrival:
Once you arrive at Durhamtown, if you’re renting a cabin or RV from them, I’d stop at the lodge first. Get checked in, pay for your room and get your keys. If you want, you can drop off your luggage and personal items in the room. Then come down to the rally field.
When you arrive at the rally field, you will first encounter the registration tent. This is where Kenny’s crack team of rally professionals will brief you on the requirements of the rally. You’ll be issued a nametag and your military vehicle(s) will be stickered so we know we’ve counted them. We ask that the stickers not be removed until after the rally-we don’t want to accidentally count a vehicle twice. The registration team will give you a brief explanation of where everything is-swap meet, bathrooms, MKT, camping, first aid, HQ tent, etc. They will tell you where to go-if you’re a swap meet vendor, they’ll forward you on to the swap meet leader-he’s the guy who will tell you where to park and set up your vendor space.
This is also where you will pay any Durhamtown fees. Durhamtown charges a fee for spectators (this is someone attending the rally who is not going on any trail rides), trail ride drivers and trail ride passengers. You will be issued an armband for the event. This armband is what tells Durhamtown you’ve paid your fees so don’t lose it. There is also a waiver of liability from Durhamtown and the rally for you to sign. Durhamtown now positions two full time employees at the registration tent, saving rally attendees the need to go to the lodge for their armbands.
The registration tent will also have t-shirts available for purchase. We ask that you buy a lot of them because the rally encountered a lot of new costs this year that we had to pay for upfront.
Here are the fees:
The spectator band and the passenger band are the same. The normal prices on Drivers are $25 for the first day but we're getting $20 for first day and $15 for consecutive days.
The spectator/passenger band is the same for our group and normally the rate is $10 for the first day but for our group it's $5 for the first day and $4 for each additional day.
Driver, one day = $20
Driver, weekend = $35
Driver, 3 days = $50
Passenger, one day = $5
Passenger, weekend = $8
Passenger, 3 days = $12
Spectator, one day = $5
Spectator, weekend = $8
Spectator, 3 days = $12
Post-arrival:
Once you’ve registered with Durhamtown and the rally registration tent, you’re free to enjoy the rally: Set up your vendor spot and start selling, go on a trail ride by yourself, with some friends or on one of the rally-lead rides. Check out the vehicles on display. Go buy some stuff at the swap meet. Flip your golf cart over (we’re just kidding about that).
Food:
Our own SCSG-G4 owns the MKTs that feed hungry rally goers. He and his crew of MKT volunteers are the hardest working people at the rally and possibly the world. They will have hot breakfasts, lunches and dinners on Thursday, Friday and Saturday. Depending upon arrival time, there may be a little Wednesday evening grub and Sunday morning breakfast, but no guarantees are made. If you want to prove your manliness to all the world, volunteer at the MKT.
Rally MKT menu:
Breakfast: eggs, bacon, biscuits, grits, SOS, pancakes, Sunday will be leftovers.
Lunch: suitable for trail rides (bag lunch - sandwich, bag of chips, cookies or fruit cup, bottle of water).
Wednesday evening: Chicken Bog
Thursday dinner: ChiliMac and green beans
Friday dinner: Hamburgers w/bakes beans
Saturday dinner: Steak and potatoes
Other evening veggies will include corn and coleslaw
Serving times are typically 0730-0830 for breakfast, Noonish for lunch and 1900 hours for dinner. Expect some flexibility in this. Announcements will be made via loudspeaker PA system and dry erase boards located at the registration tent and the MKT.
Durhamtown also has an in-house restaurant, but it’s more of a cafeteria. They have traditional southern staples, like burgers, hot dogs, fries, macaroni and cheese, green beans, etc. Costs are what you would expect ($5-$7).
Swap meet:
If you wish to be a swap meet vendor, there are no fees and we do not limit the size of your space, but please be considerate of rally organizers and other vendors. Do not take up a football field if all you have is 3 field jackets for sale. We reserve the right to shrink the size of a vendors footprint. There will be a swap meet leader helping vendors get positioned properly. You can ask the leader for assistance in finding a space.
There is a thread up that is our "buy/sell/trade" thread. You can go there to post up what you're after and what you have for sale before the event.
http://www.steelsoldiers.com/showthread.php?139139-Official-2015-Ga-Rally-buy-sell-trade-thread
Trail rides:
Trail rides can be taken on by yourself with your own group of friends or with the official trail rides, run by the rally trail ride leaders. Rally trail ride departures will be announced 30 and 10 minutes beforehand via the public announcement (PA) system located near the MKT. There will be (official) trail rides Thursday, Friday and Saturday. There will be night rides as well.
This should go without saying, but several things are sacrosanct on trail rides:
The trail ride leaders are in command. If they tell you to do something and you ignore it, you’ll be asked to leave the event. The trail ride leaders are reasonable people and their utmost concern is the safety of rally attendees. If you are behaving in an unsafe way, you’ll be asked to turn it down a notch and if you find yourself unable to do so, you’ll be asked to leave.
Absolutely, unequivocally, no driving will be allowed if we think you’ve been drinking.
Safe recovery procedures will be used for vehicles which are stranded. Spectators need to be able to see the action but we can’t have people near a ½” wire rope that has 15,000 lbs. of tension on it. If something were to break, too many people could get hurt. We cannot accept risks like that.
Call for Volunteers
The Georgia Rally is run by volunteer leaders who dedicate their time and talents to make this event happen. We are not paid, have full time jobs and are driven by a passion to help the historic military vehicle hobby grow and prosper. Please keep this fact in mind when you have complaints, or feel that the guy camping next to you snores to loud.
Volunteering makes the rally happen. Please use your gifts and talents to help where you are comfortable and can make a difference. If you do volunteer, you are making a commitment and as fine men and women you need to honor that commitment. Please PM swbradley or post in the rally volunteers thread if you are committed to helping and making a difference.
http://www.steelsoldiers.com/showthread.php?137605-2015-Ga-Rally-volunteers-needed
Volunteers Needed:
MKT: Military Kitchen Preparation and Cleanup. There is always preparation for each meal and clean up after the meals where assistance is needed. On Sunday morning SCSG-G4 and Wreckerman have an epic morning getting the MKT prepped for the ride home. They are there for us, let’s be there for them.
Registration: We also need volunteers to man the front gate and check in rally attendees and familiarize them with the layout of the field. Kenny can't stay there the entire time; he needs time for trail rides, convoys, social time, etc. We are looking at 3-4 hour blocks of time dependent on the number of volunteers. This is a great way to meet everyone and make a difference.
Logistics: There is always a need for pickup of ice, moving this item from point A to point B, finding something and many other items. Attendees who can volunteer for 3-4 hour blocks to be available for running around and odd tasks are welcome.
We will have other needs and I will post them as the need comes up.
Weather:
The last 11 years weather on this weekend:
2014 temps: 61/88
2013 temps: 53/82
2012 temps: 45/74
2011 temps: 49/81
2010 temps: 46/79
2009 temps: 51/80
2008 temps: 46/61
2007 temps: 59/77
2006 temps: 32/59
2005 temps: 48/65
2004 temps: 56/67
Please prepare accordingly-the weather could be perfect Southern fall weather, requiring nothing more than a t-shirt or it could be very chilly and rainy. At night around the campfire, you will likely want some kind of a jacket and perhaps hat, gloves, etc.
This year, due to D-town moving the dates on us, the rally will occur a couple weeks later. Prepare accordingly.
Communications:
Durhamtown is in a rural area and cell phone reception is spotty at best. We have found text messaging to be a viable alternative to calls. Your phone will send the message when it catches a signal and the recipient will receive the message when possible.
FAQ:
Is the rally child and animal friendly?
Yes-but as in all aspects of life, please show consideration for others. Aggressive dogs or constant barkers should be managed in a respectful way and poorly behaved children will be muzzled. The Georgia Rally is a family friendly affair, so behave accordingly.
How many people will be there?
It’s safe to say we should have over 250 attendees and at least 100 military vehicles, plus trailers. Last year’s turnout was over 131 military vehicles, a little less than 200 if you count trailers.
Do I have to be a member of www.steelsoldiers.com to attend? What if I don’t own a (or can’t bring my) vehicle?
No, you have to be interested in the historic military vehicle hobby! If you do not have a vehicle, this isn’t a problem. We can probably even find someone to let you ride with on the trails if you wish to go.
Is there electricity at the rally?
Yes and no. In the general camping field, no. There are 12 spots in the main field you can rent from Durhamtown for $25 a day that have power and water. Some of these have 3 pin/30A power, and some have dual 3 pin/30A as well as 4 pin/50A power. All have water spigots, but they do not have a sanitation hookup, so if you are hooking an RV to this, you’ll use your brown/black tanks for this. Two of these are taken for the MKT.
Do I need to bring firewood?
YES!!!!!!! Bring an entire forest! We cannot have enough. Gimpy and Jerry like a BIG campfire. Let's give it to 'em. Pallets and other debris are not allowed. It has to be firewood-nothing that will leave behind glass, steel, nails or other fragments.
Release of Liability
Low Range Productions, LLC and/or Durhamtown Plantation, and any person acting in conjunction with those entities will not be held liable for any injuries to anyone attending the Georgia Rally or damage to personal/private property during the Georgia Rally. All persons accept this personal responsibility and release Low Range Productions, LLC and their agents (rally organizers, volunteers, etc.) and/or Durhamtown Plantation and their agents (employees, etc.) from all and any liability resulting from injury or damages to property from or by attending the rally. Attendance at the rally is and will be understood to signify acceptance of these terms.
The LRP Georgia Rally is a Family Friendly Event. Violators will be asked to leave.
Big changes for 2015:
For years, the Georgia Rally was an officially sanctioned Steel Soldiers event. But, it’s been put on without monetary, legal or infrastructure support from www.steelsoldiers.com. We have asked for support but have been turned down.So this year we have severed the rally’s ties with Steel Soldiers, had our attorney create an LLC which will put on the event (Low Range Productions, LLC) and purchase insurance to cover the event.
Your experience at the rally will be no different-the only difference from an attendee point of view is that your t-shirts will say “Georgia Rally” not “Steel Soldiers Georgia Rally”. Obviously we will no longer be using the SSGR hashtag that we began using several years ago.
Between attorney’s fees and insurance, we ask that everyone buy a dozen t-shirts. We are going to attempt to continue putting on the event without charging vendors or spectators for admittance-the fees you pay for armbands and camping and whatnot all go to D-town. The only place the rally can make the money to pay for these things is the small amount of money the MKT has leftover and t-shirt sales.
Much smaller changes: We are working on purchasing a modern PA system-our lack of a PA system in 2014 was an issue for both us and rally attendees. However, this year we will have large 4x4 dry erase boards at the registration tent and the MKT with important information about trail ride departure times and MKT menu, meal times and prices. So if at any point, you are unsure about these issues, you can check the dry erase boards.
In closing-every year, we look at the rally after it’s all over and we consider what worked and what didn’t. We always try to maximize what people like and minimize what people don’t like. So this year, communication from the rally staff to the attendees will be improved and we’re going to work on improving the MKT menu.
So get your trucks serviced, your trailers ready, tell your boss you need a week off in October and be prepared for the ultimate military vehicle experience.
Some pictures from last year:
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I had to change some personal things around but it wasn't that hard because all my family members back home in KY are retired and can move function dates around more easily than I can.
