Preface: Remember Me?Time is Close. This event started as a thread four years ago in which I suggested some Forumites stop by Harrison Bay State Park and let me grill up some burgers, gratis. Nothing fancy; just a hammer hitting a nail into a plank, no more.
And we did rejoice, and frolic. And it was
Good.
So much so that the following year, I again suggested we enter the Sweet Harrison Bay Park, and
Fris the
Bee’s, and Paper the Plates, and Drink the Drinks.
And we did rejoice, and frolic. And it was
Good.
Then yet
again, after some prodding by our Forum Host… we gathered at HBSP, and without reserved shelters tents were erected, and flatus was ejected and the crowds grew more and more...
And we did rejoice, and frolic. And it was
Good.
So here we are again, and Gary went and invited a whole
SHIT-ton of folks, and I am kind of at a logistical loss…but we can do this Voodoo that We Do…so very,
very Well.
(
And we will rejoice, and frolic. And it will be
Good).
_____
SO! The time is upon us. Should I have gotten pro-active a week earlier? OF COURSE!
But that is not how I roll. (*The fact that I totaled my truck a few weeks ago leaving me one knee’d and wheel-less WAS a strong factor in my absence, but one is healing and the other has already been replaced...) So that drama aside, lets cover some bases:
Weather:
As of
today’s 10-day forecast, Saturday shows to be in the mid 80’s & partly cloudy with a 40% chance of rain Friday, and a 30% chance Sunday. Odds of rain Saturday: 100%. Unlike HBay, however, I think we can
Deal with this. The pavilion isn’t that big… but being an enclosed (though
unmaintained and primitive) park where our cars can be closer than our picnic tables, I’m not so uptight about it this year as I was last.
Parking:
Not a problem. You will drive in, and bear to the right. (If you take the left fork accidentally, it’s ok; it’s a
Circle.
You’ll find us.) Park roadside, or to the left around the manmade pond area. No walking necessary, and it is somewhat ADA compliant for those on wheels or with Gacked-Up Knees such as myself. Gary’s directions are great, I’ll string up balloons & shit for markers along the way, and the directions on the
www.pangap.org page are pretty straight forward.
Ammenities:
-I stand by my earlier statements about The Great Voiding Issue: Men
have no issue, and my concern was for The Ladies…but I have that ‘reasonably’ handled now thanks to an as-yet credited member with a VERY handy husband, and the fact that there IS a port-a-jon there, but not terribly close to the cooking area. That I will have to clean it and de-Wasp it before hand is my problem, but hey. I’m a professional janitor as it is, I need only remember to use Wasp Spray instead of Pepper Spray.
-Mr. Events needs to be contacted Abruptly (Gary? Reading this, light-dweller?) for me to inventory his goods and work out their transport (and return). More table space is ALWAYS welcome, but I sort of kept at least one table for over a year last time, and I don’t want to put anyone out. Tables of any size are welcome, but NOT a necessity.
-What I DO need folks to bring is SEATING; it’s the one thing we can’t do without. Everyone has a nylon foldup chair…so bring’em. I’ll bring some metal folders and anything I can cram on “Spaceball 2” (my 5x8 trailer) so don’t bring extra’s, but there are only so many logs around the campfire and only 3-4 picnic benches under the pavilion.
Eats:
-I will handle the usual in plates, silverware, napkins, and condiments…but if there are NEARLY so many people as Gary (you sumbitch) is hinting at, the 2 mile proximity to a Food Lion may come in handy. I plan to cook burgers, dogs, and a few chiggen breasts (and whatever you bring for you sweet Grass Eaters out there) for about 40-50. We can grab more as needed.
Last years ‘Bring A Dish’ idea worked VERY well for variety, but it’s a suggestion,
NOT a requirement. Desserts, chips, a Sack of Krystals (hah), anything that sounds neat will add to it…but again, NOT a requirement. We can literally make a 2 mile run to get what we need.
DRINKS however are the greatest inconvenience for me. A 2 liter of something, a 12 pack of something, anything you want to bring is encouraged…
but a cooler w/ice is golden.
Rain or Shine, it’s going to be HOT and
HUMID. This is a
Tiftonian Valley in a Tennessee July; it will suffer no fools. ICE and DRINKS are highly encouraged. I’ll have an ice cooler of water (think of those round things on the back of TDOT trucks), but I have genuine dehydration concerns.
Oh, and yes…
ALL beverages are welcomed. This is a
PRIVATE FACILITY.
My Rules. Beer works there and anything harder or lighter. Range Rules mentioned above apply, but I’m not cooking a DAMN thing without beer, so I can do without shooting.
-I will be prepping the place Friday unless it’s a downpour. Cleaning the site, posting directional signs, organizing the campfire logs, seeing if the boat is in or under the water, looking for paddles, de-Wasping the crapper, and possibly mowing the grass (God…DAMN-it).
-The hours I had in mind are 12p-6p. I will arrive late Saturday morning for set-up, and expect to see people…what, 12’ish? 1’ish?
Look to have food ready to eat 2’ish (I would say 1pm, but need a buffer),
the Range can open at 3pm as intended, and the rest is
pure Social Ecstasy, but without the MDMA. And who the hell am I kidding…it’s private,
so MDMA for EVERYONE! (or not.)
-THIS year is the FINAL year for the now legendary
Battlestar Grillactica, the stainless silver beauty that has cooked for at least 5 Notta related events and probably served food for about 400 people multiple times each over the last 5 years of service. I had cleaned it for resale after I bolted my new one over the edge of my deck rail (figure
THAT one out), but never posted it on Craigslist as intended; I’ll fire it back up
One More Time and use it in concert with DadShot!’s grill (yes…Gary’s attendance threats have me so threatened I’m bringing TWO grills) to get us fed in a more timely manner. People upset with the wait in years past were obnoxious, but had every right to be. (Ringle's Grillmagnon sounded awesome, but I don't 'do' charcoal.)
-I will most likely be bringing a 4-wheeler which I expect to be a
HORRIBLE idea in retrospect, but hey…there’s a lot of property there, and I’m impulsive.
In advance, in this case.
-Anyone wishing to volunteer food/drink/tables/tents,
DO post it here as it’s better to organize it as a group for me than sort through PM’s without sharing intel amongst ourselves, and remember…this is to me what it started out as:
A pseudo-intimate gathering for a weird family to break bread together as family does, and to have fun hanging out in the mean time. I don’t like a ‘staff’ because I don’t want to impose or coordinate, but again…attendance seems to grow and grow and GROW.[/font]
I am supplying what will likely be 20-40 pounds of ground beef and dogs and chiggens and buns and condominiums out of pocket so I EXPECT to spend cash on this, but a $3 dollar suggested tip is the
MOST I would ask to help defray costs. I have received one pledge of help and another Quite generous envelope-o-cash in hand to get this started so we are in GREAT shape, but I thought I’d specify the $3 bucks as I’ve neglected to do so in the past.
-Sure, Alcohol will be present, but this is a FAMILY event and bring whoever you want. Bring frisbee’s or outdoorsy crap, but I’ll supply the manmade freshwater pond and level ground for us to sit upon and folic and laugh and sweat. My goal is for you to do nothing but bring a chair, $3 bucks, a smile, and an appetite, and let camaraderie and sweet, sweet propane gas do the rest.Now, as a reward for sifting through all that bullshit, here’s the Myspace link with far better pictures for you:
www.myspace.com/pangapDiscussion begins…
Now.
You Freakin’ Host,
Longshot! (formerly ‘Sane’, Currently a ‘Saint’.)
I might drop by with my .357 before my 10 Year begins ...
![Longshot! [ Saint ] Avatar](http://i399.photobucket.com/albums/pp73/longshotthesane/PigsEyeA-1.jpg)
)