Alright, another one in the can.
Where do you start?
We all appreciate everyone coming to the event and it's always our hope that people enjoy it.
We appreciate the fact that the event is family friendly and has the kind of atmosphere that first time attendees always mention when you ask them what they thought of it.
We appreciate everyone being courteous and not blasting loud music and all that sort of stuff.
Durhamtown always says our group gives them the least amount of trouble for the event.
This year was special in a sad way: 2019 was the last year for SCSG-G4's vaunted MKT operation. Mike came to me in 2008 and asked if I'd like to have him cook for the 2009 event. Over the years, SCSG-G4 grew and refined the MKT operation in a way that looked like a giant corporation was doing it. Two Deuces, one a 109 shop can converted into a pantry, got another MKT to increase volume and ease the work, etc.
This was 2009:
And all of you have seen the modern, two-trailer operation he has now:
SCSG's operation was a
huge aspect of the rally's growth: D-town is in a rural area, it's a long drive to find a Zaxby's. And their cafe is limited menu and hours, so attendees had to bring an enormous amount of food to the event. I remember taking two huge coolers of meats, breads, condiments, drinks, etc. to the rally and constantly worrying about keeping everything cold enough. Once SCSG showed up, we just gave him a few bucks and we were fed. Easy peasy.
SCSG has been warning the rally that his retirement was imminent for a couple of years and this has allowed us to begin laying the groundwork for a replacement. I will miss the Saturday night steak dinners and the breakfasts with bacon, scrambled eggs and biscuits.
I will not miss the chilimac.*
*this is an inside joke with friends, not an indictment of SCSG's chilimac
I am sad that the ten year SSGR/GMVT MKT run is over, but I know it was a massive amount of work and every good thing has to come to end.
I wish there were ways to adequately thank SCSG for what he's done. Thousands upon thousands of people got to eat in an authentic MKT, with food out of the army manual and experience what their loved ones encountered in the service.
In no way shape or form would the Ga. Rally ever have gotten this big without SCSG. 20 years from now, there will be people describing how they went to an event and got to eat out of a real MKT.
Our thanks to him is small in comparison to his service to the hobby.
Wheelspinner (and family) & Recovry4x4 run the registration tent with such ease and professionalism that I could also go on for paragraphs about how they help attendees find other attendees.
Microjeep is an integral part of the MKT and he is so reliable that he gets leaned on for all sorts of stuff like hand washing station setup. Others like Glcaines are also invaluable.
AMGeneral72 is our mess tent expert and he and a large group of volunteers always get the tent up and down with a minimum of fuss.
All of this volunteer effort is what makes the rally possible and we're all grateful for these people.
Also, thank you all for buying t-shirts. The rally only makes money in two ways: t-shirt sales and food. We lost money on food this year due to the rainout on Saturday and t-shirt sales were what kept us in the black this year. Also, much thanks to Wheelspinner's grand daughter for her wildly aggressive marketing of the shirts.
SCM35A2 has created the 2019 multimedia thread:
https://www.steelsoldiers.com/showt...iers-Georgia-Rally-multimedia-thread-(19SSGR)
Ok, the bad:
Every year, D-town hammers us with fees and on top of that, there's a ton of confusion in terms of what people should be paying because their staff training is limited (and I'm being kind).
I am working on solutions for 2020 which include looking at alternative venues.
At a minimum, I will absolutely get a detailed price list for what fees you should be charged and I will post it here and on the facebook page and if there's an issue, we'll fix it.
I apologize for the high prices and confusion, although I do want to stress that those are on D-town, the only rally money is t-shirt sales and food.
The rain really blew us out Saturday. D-town had called me Friday and said only 7 people had signed up for the convoy and it wasn't worth it for D-town to send employees down to the recreation center for $70. I walked around and talked to people about doing a non-stop convoy but there was limited interest.
IF YOU PAID FOR A HARDBALL CONVOY TICKET, D-TOWN SHOULD REFUND YOU. IF THEY DON'T, EMAIL OR PM ME.
Next year:
As soon as I have a date and a venue, I'll post it here and at
https://www.facebook.com/GeorgiaMilitaryVehicleRally/
Thanks all.