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I am happy to announce that the time has come for the 2011 Steel Soldiers Georgia Rally info thread.
Please read ALL of this 1st post-it should answer 99% of the questions about the rally.
Also, please do not create additional rally threads. If you feel there is a need for a separate rally related thread, PM me and I will consider it. One rally doesn't need half a dozen threads. It’s confusing to members who are not computer or web forum proficient to have to get all their info from 5 different threads.
Please try to limit the conversation in this thread to important rally related matters-last year's info thread was over 100 pages long. Imagine a new SS member finding the site and this thread a week before the rally and having to read 100+ pages in order to get up to speed.
Ok, pleasantries out of the way, let's get to it.
This is the Fifth Annual Steel Soldiers Georgia Rally (SSGR). We have grown steadily, starting with 22 military vehicles in our 2007 event to 75 trucks and a fully functioning Military Kitchen Trailer (MKT) in 2010.
If you are unfamiliar with the SSGR, then check out the after action threads from the last few years. These threads features pictures and videos from each year's event:
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
There is a website for the rally; you can find it at
Coming Soon!
Feel free to send the link to any friends who may be interested in attending.
The 11SSGR will be held October 19-23, 2011 at Durhamtown Plantation Offroad Park in Union Point, Ga. It is a 5 day event, although Wednesday and Thursday are lighter days, as attendees are still showing up and Sunday is light as everyone is packing up in the morning for their trips home. The bulk of the rally is Friday and Saturday. It is a rain or shine event so please be prepared accordingly.
Location Durhamtown Plantation in Union Point, Ga. Durhamtown is a facility which has catered to the motocross and ATV markets for several years and a few years ago, they expanded to include a 1200 acre offroad park for the full sized vehicle market. Link to their website: Welcome. Please make sure you pay careful attention to their directions page (Directions ). See where it says “Using GPS or MapQuest will take you on unnecessary dirt roads! We recommend using our directions.”? Well, it’s the truth. This place is in a very rural area and it’s easy to get lost. Cell phone reception is very poor in this area so make sure you know exactly how to get there and make sure you have Durhamtown’s phone # so that if you get lost and you manage to get a signal you can call them.
The owner of the Durhamtown has greatly supported us in putting on our rally, allowing us into restricted areas and giving us greater hours of access to the trails, provided porta-potties in our field free of charge, given us our own, private fenced-in area for our rally and has even come over to our campfire to eat with us. All the employees of Durhamtown love having us there and are outstanding people. The enthusiasm we have received from everyone from the owner all the way down the chain has been nothing short of outstanding.
IMPORTANT: A note about Durhamtown-they don't put on the SSGR; we do. If you call them and catch one of their customer service representatives, they may have no idea what you are talking about when you tell them you are coming to the "military vehicle show". Durhamtown's Assistant Operations/Race Coordinator, Lauren Clifton is very familiar with our event and will be happy to assist you in making arrangements for your visit. You can call her at 706.486.4603 and make sure to thank her for taking care of our rally attendees.
Lodging You have several options at the SSGR: You can pitch a tent or sleep in your truck for a primitive camping fee of $15 per night for 3 people, $5 per additional person (I don’t know how this would work if you are by yourself; call Durhamtown for more details), you can rent an RV or a cabin from Durhamtown (fees vary, see their site for details) or you can bring your own camper (they do have electric, water and sanitation hookups for RVs). Please see the Durhamtown website with any questions you have about lodging. Again, when you contact Durhamtown for lodging reservations (not needed for primitive camping), simply tell them you need to rent whatever it is you are renting and on which dates-if you tell them you are there for the military vehicle rally, they will have no idea what you are talking about.
Activities SSGR attendees have every component of a military vehicle rally they could want-camping, social get-together in the evenings around a huge campfire, offroading of every variety, vendors selling parts and accessories, vehicle displays and an authentic Military Kitchen trailer (MKT) providing hot breakfasts, lunches and dinners for very reasonable prices. There is no set schedule for SSGR activities-the basic setup of the rally has been a short, 1-3 hour trailride in the mornings, go back to camp for lunch, then a several hour excursion on the trails, then back to the camp for dinner . We may do a post-dinner trailride this year, as the night trailrides have been very popular. We tried having a rigid schedule the first year and the complexity of getting everyone together proved to be overwhelming. So now it is more of a free-flow schedule.
The offroading is outstanding-very challenging and difficult places for the most adventurous of operators and easy, “trail rides” for those who are more cautious/conservative/inexperienced and everything in between. We have several highly experienced professional grade off roaders and recovery experts, so getting stuck isn’t an issue. Every year Durhamtown has opened new areas to explore, so we aren't recapturing the same real estate over and over. I also need to say that one of the most important aspects of the SSGR has always been for it to be “all things to all people”-if you want to come to the rally and spend the entire weekend on the trails, you can. If you want to spend a relaxing weekend at camp looking at military vehicles, you can. There is no rule or expectation for attendees to do anything other than show up and have a good time.
Organization This year, we are going to attempt to have 2-5 “detachments” (working title) who will help smoothe out ruffles. Think of them as “Points of Contact” between the Rally Leader and attendees. One who will manage just the trailriding aspect, one who will manage interaction between the rally and Durhamtown, one who will manage rally attendee questions and problems (the guy next to me snores too loud, can I get a better parking spot, can I get some electricity and water over to my truck, etc.). Anyone who wants to volunteer for these jobs can at any time PM me. Please do not be offended if you do not get chosen, as I can find plenty of ways to put you to work. The trailride master will be none other than SS member Squirt-Truck (Steel Soldiers::Military Vehicles Supersite - View Profile: Squirt-Truck) and his assistant will be SS member Dumpster (http://www.steelsoldiers.com/members/Dumpster).html.
Costs Your only costs will be lodging (camping or rental fees), food (if you eat at Durhamtown’s excellent café or the MKT) and the offroad park access fees. Offroad park access fees are described on Durhamtown’s site. There is no admission fee for the rally itself. So if you can only come one day and you are not offroading, you will encounter no fees. If you ride with another person in their vehicle, there is a small fee (I think $5 per day).
Weather:
The last 7 years weather on this weekend:
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.
Food & drink You can bring our own food, eat at Durhamtown’s excellent café which serves breakfast, lunch and dinner or you can eat at our fully functioning Military Kitchen trailer. The MKT will be serving breakfast, lunch and dinner. The prices are very low as well (comparable to fast food prices). The MKT also had tea and coffee. There are not any restaurants nearby other than Durhamtown’s café, so please make sure you have a plan! The menu and suggested prices for the MKT are as follows:
Breakfast - Eggs (scrambled and over easy), bacon (maybe ham or sausage too), grits, biscuits, SOS, and if Walter gets froggy, French Toast and pancakes. Estimated cost $3 per person. Served Thursday through Sunday, with Sunday being leftovers also.
Lunch - brown bag, U-fixum, with a pair of cold cuts sandwiches, chips, cookies, fruit (apple or banana) and bottled water. We will send tea and coolaid (but not in Gimpy's truck) to supplement the drinks. A hot lunch of some sort will be made for those staying behind with the gear in camp. Estimated cost $4 per person. Served Thursday through Saturday.
Supper - Wednesday and Thursday nights probably hamburgers or something similar with side dishes and a salad. Friday night will be chili mac (in honor of papabear and the CAMO Crew) with fixings. Saturday night is the biggie (No, we're not going whole hog, that would be too much) with steaks and trimmings (french fries or baked potato, beans, yams, etc.) Estimated costs W & Th $4, F -$5, Sat - $6. Not quite as good as the prime rib we had at the FL rally, but a whole lot better than cold beanie weenies!
Durhamtown is in a rural area and cell phone reception is spotty at best. Last year we attempted to put some communications capabilities in place so that the base camp could communicate with riders out in the woods, but the lack of sufficient radio equipment for trailriders meant the system was lacking in functionality. I am still in the process of trying to decide what we will attempt this year. Luckily there are some extremely knowledgeable folks out there like Tennmogger that I can rely on.
We also plan to have a functioning PA system at the rally like we had in 2009 so that people can be alerted to the food being ready and trail ride departures. Thanks to Zout & Cicero on this front. We should have at least 2 and perhaps 3 loudspeakers located strategically on the field so attendees can hear announcements.
Convoy and travel ops: People come to the SSGR from all over-Florida, South Carolina, Tennessee, North Carolina, Louisiana, Alabama, New York, Ohio, Wisconsin, Virginia and everywhere in between. If you are interested in meeting up with others and coming in together, please post (in this thread) where you are leaving from and when. If there is enough interest in a “convoy to the SSGR thread” from a specific state, I will start one and I will link to it from this thread. I am really trying to keep most of the rally information in one place-we don’t need 5 threads for one rally. I know from prior year's experience and the amount of Florida members planning to attend that a Florida thread is justified. I suspect we will end up with an Alabama thread.
The information regarding the convoy from Florida can be found here:
http://www.steelsoldiers.com/ga-rally/73801-2011-ga-rally-florida-convoy-thread.html
Parts wanted/for sale/swap meet thread: This is a thread where you can post what parts you are bringing to the rally to sell or swap and post items you are looking for.
http://www.steelsoldiers.com/ga-rally/73800-2011-ga-rally-buy-sell-trade-thread.html
T-shirts
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 drafted into cleaning mud out of tire treads. The SSGR 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 75 military vehicles, plus trailers. Last year’s turnout was over 75 vehicles, more than a hundred 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. One of our attendees does rent an RV spot so he can pull power for his MKT, but there is a limit. Some members bring generators, you may be able to convince someone to let you use theirs. If you have a consistent need for electricity (a/c units, etc.) you may be well served bringing your own generator. One member is planning on bringing a large generator to supply power for attendees but that is dependent upon him finishing it.
Do I need to bring firewood?
YES!!!!!!! Bring an entire forest! We can not have enough. Gimpy and Jerry like a BIG campfire. Let's give it to 'em.
Please read ALL of this 1st post-it should answer 99% of the questions about the rally.
Also, please do not create additional rally threads. If you feel there is a need for a separate rally related thread, PM me and I will consider it. One rally doesn't need half a dozen threads. It’s confusing to members who are not computer or web forum proficient to have to get all their info from 5 different threads.
Please try to limit the conversation in this thread to important rally related matters-last year's info thread was over 100 pages long. Imagine a new SS member finding the site and this thread a week before the rally and having to read 100+ pages in order to get up to speed.
Ok, pleasantries out of the way, let's get to it.
This is the Fifth Annual Steel Soldiers Georgia Rally (SSGR). We have grown steadily, starting with 22 military vehicles in our 2007 event to 75 trucks and a fully functioning Military Kitchen Trailer (MKT) in 2010.
If you are unfamiliar with the SSGR, then check out the after action threads from the last few years. These threads features pictures and videos from each year's event:
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
There is a website for the rally; you can find it at
Coming Soon!
Feel free to send the link to any friends who may be interested in attending.
The 11SSGR will be held October 19-23, 2011 at Durhamtown Plantation Offroad Park in Union Point, Ga. It is a 5 day event, although Wednesday and Thursday are lighter days, as attendees are still showing up and Sunday is light as everyone is packing up in the morning for their trips home. The bulk of the rally is Friday and Saturday. It is a rain or shine event so please be prepared accordingly.
Location
The owner of the Durhamtown has greatly supported us in putting on our rally, allowing us into restricted areas and giving us greater hours of access to the trails, provided porta-potties in our field free of charge, given us our own, private fenced-in area for our rally and has even come over to our campfire to eat with us. All the employees of Durhamtown love having us there and are outstanding people. The enthusiasm we have received from everyone from the owner all the way down the chain has been nothing short of outstanding.
IMPORTANT: A note about Durhamtown-they don't put on the SSGR; we do. If you call them and catch one of their customer service representatives, they may have no idea what you are talking about when you tell them you are coming to the "military vehicle show". Durhamtown's Assistant Operations/Race Coordinator, Lauren Clifton is very familiar with our event and will be happy to assist you in making arrangements for your visit. You can call her at 706.486.4603 and make sure to thank her for taking care of our rally attendees.
Lodging
Activities
The offroading is outstanding-very challenging and difficult places for the most adventurous of operators and easy, “trail rides” for those who are more cautious/conservative/inexperienced and everything in between. We have several highly experienced professional grade off roaders and recovery experts, so getting stuck isn’t an issue. Every year Durhamtown has opened new areas to explore, so we aren't recapturing the same real estate over and over. I also need to say that one of the most important aspects of the SSGR has always been for it to be “all things to all people”-if you want to come to the rally and spend the entire weekend on the trails, you can. If you want to spend a relaxing weekend at camp looking at military vehicles, you can. There is no rule or expectation for attendees to do anything other than show up and have a good time.
Organization
Costs
Weather:
The last 7 years weather on this weekend:
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.
Food & drink
Breakfast - Eggs (scrambled and over easy), bacon (maybe ham or sausage too), grits, biscuits, SOS, and if Walter gets froggy, French Toast and pancakes. Estimated cost $3 per person. Served Thursday through Sunday, with Sunday being leftovers also.
Lunch - brown bag, U-fixum, with a pair of cold cuts sandwiches, chips, cookies, fruit (apple or banana) and bottled water. We will send tea and coolaid (but not in Gimpy's truck) to supplement the drinks. A hot lunch of some sort will be made for those staying behind with the gear in camp. Estimated cost $4 per person. Served Thursday through Saturday.
Supper - Wednesday and Thursday nights probably hamburgers or something similar with side dishes and a salad. Friday night will be chili mac (in honor of papabear and the CAMO Crew) with fixings. Saturday night is the biggie (No, we're not going whole hog, that would be too much) with steaks and trimmings (french fries or baked potato, beans, yams, etc.) Estimated costs W & Th $4, F -$5, Sat - $6. Not quite as good as the prime rib we had at the FL rally, but a whole lot better than cold beanie weenies!
Communications:
We also plan to have a functioning PA system at the rally like we had in 2009 so that people can be alerted to the food being ready and trail ride departures. Thanks to Zout & Cicero on this front. We should have at least 2 and perhaps 3 loudspeakers located strategically on the field so attendees can hear announcements.
Convoy and travel ops:
The information regarding the convoy from Florida can be found here:
http://www.steelsoldiers.com/ga-rally/73801-2011-ga-rally-florida-convoy-thread.html
Parts wanted/for sale/swap meet thread:
http://www.steelsoldiers.com/ga-rally/73800-2011-ga-rally-buy-sell-trade-thread.html
T-shirts
We will have t-shirts available for the 2011 event, all information about ordering is available here: http://www.steelsoldiers.com/ga-rally/74079-2011-ga-rally-t-shirt-poll-order-thread.html
FAQ:
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 drafted into cleaning mud out of tire treads. The SSGR 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 75 military vehicles, plus trailers. Last year’s turnout was over 75 vehicles, more than a hundred 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. One of our attendees does rent an RV spot so he can pull power for his MKT, but there is a limit. Some members bring generators, you may be able to convince someone to let you use theirs. If you have a consistent need for electricity (a/c units, etc.) you may be well served bringing your own generator. One member is planning on bringing a large generator to supply power for attendees but that is dependent upon him finishing it.
Do I need to bring firewood?
YES!!!!!!! Bring an entire forest! We can not have enough. Gimpy and Jerry like a BIG campfire. Let's give it to 'em.
It shouldn’t have to be said, but it does:
The website www.steelsoldiers.com and/or Durhamtown Plantation, nor any person acting in conjunction with those entities will be held liable for any injuries to anyone attending the SSGR or damage to personal/private property during the SSGR. All persons accept this personal responsibility and release www.steelsoldiers.com and their agents (rally organizers, volunteers, etc.) and/or Durhamtown Plantation and their agents (employees, etc.) from any liability resulting from injury or damages to property by attending the rally. Attendance at the rally is and will be understood to signify acceptance of these terms.
The website www.steelsoldiers.com and/or Durhamtown Plantation, nor any person acting in conjunction with those entities will be held liable for any injuries to anyone attending the SSGR or damage to personal/private property during the SSGR. All persons accept this personal responsibility and release www.steelsoldiers.com and their agents (rally organizers, volunteers, etc.) and/or Durhamtown Plantation and their agents (employees, etc.) from any liability resulting from injury or damages to property by attending the rally. Attendance at the rally is and will be understood to signify acceptance of these terms.
Attachments
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