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baitcon
We are sad to announce that Baitcon, in its traditional form, will not be held in 2006
We are, however, THRILLED to announce that we have negotiated and signed a contract for
Baitcon 18!
Friday, July 27th-Sunday, July 29th 2007
Mountain Campground @ The Abode
New Lebanon, New York
The new site features outdoor (enclosed) showers and toilets, fire pits, a tented pavilion with dance platform and PA-system, plenty of space for tents, some rustic cabins, a detached kitchen, screened-in dining room and a lovely pond for swimming.
Obviously, with Baitcon now over a year away, the official invitation and details won't be coming out until at least early autumn of this year.
However, we've tried to anticipate your questions and concerns and have put together a Questions We Think Would Be Frequently Asked If We Didn't Get The Jump On Y'all And Answer Them Before You Had A Chance List which you can find below.
If you still have questions, feel free to contact us at via info{see-the-note-on-email-addresses-on-the-front-page-of-the-website}ATbaitconDOTorg or, of course, right here.
FAQ*
(*a.k.a. QWTWBFAIWDGTJOY'AAATBYHACL)
-- Why isn't Baitcon happening this year?
We do want to apologize for the delay in making the decision and then the announcement. While the latter was waiting simply on contract-signing, the former was really about agonizing with how much we love Baitcon and how many challenges we were facing in planning and hosting it this summer.
First, moving to a new site has been a goal for a while and the planning and first-year at a new location require more logisitcal effort than returning to the same place year after year. We were not able to secure a good date for 2006, feeling that early June is both too cool and non-ideal for families with school-age children and late August can be overly muggy and, again, non-ideal for those traveling to Pennsic, Worldcon or trying to get kids ready to return to school.
Also, this year, Kimberly is in school and will have classes, fieldwork and student-clinic committments through the end of July. We also found ourselves with rare family commitments - a large-scale celebration/reunion in Wyoming that Kimberly was tapped to both plan and host, a fancy weekend family wedding in NYC, etc. On top of that,
JB may well be required to do some work travel during the summer, at a time yet to be determined.
All of that conspired to make it doubly hard to plan and host Baitcon this year. Yet we still agonized a fair bit about whether we could make an early-June or late-August event work, with fewer advance resources. In the end, we decided that we simply couldn't produce a decent event given all these factors.
-- Why not just ask others for more help and return to Mink Hollow Lodge this year at a time that has traditionally worked for the event?
While we've been at MHL long enough to know most of the issues and run our event there without much fuss, we've been increasingly frustrated by the drawbacks of the site and the price increases levied without any effort to fix major, or even minor, problems in the house or on the land. Facing another lease increase, higher prices for port-a-johns (which went up 25% in price last year) and high gas prices (we have to rent a truck to get our equipment to that site), it was really hard to feel good about returning to a site where we are still treated with suspicion, given very little support in dealing with legitimate property/safety issues and no thanks for the considerable effort and care we take with fixing stuff that is routinely damaged, broken or simply non-functional before we arrive to set up our event.
There will be issues with any new site. New discoveries, new adventures, but also sometimes a longing for previous treasures. We don't expect that the Mountain Campground will please everyone, but we do believe that being able to have bonfires, camp showers, a large wonderful weather-proof space for drumming, dancing, gaming and music,
along with complete privacy (no nearby neighbors) will be a very nice change for Baitcon. There will be a detached, dedicated kitchen and we will still provide vegetarian, kosher-style and carnivorous meals.
There will be ICE CREAM, of course. And space to store your stuff, a dedicated room for kids and kid-care, etc. The woods there are very beautiful and many wonderful events have been run at the site, including SpiritFire, Beltane East Celebration, an annual Sufi retreat, a drumming conference, etc.
-- Who makes planning decisions for Baitcon?
JB and Kimberly. First, last, always. They are also the folks you should go to with any questions at this stage of the event (planning, information).
We could never manage to run Baitcon without the aid and support of the BCC Crew and we work with them on all sorts of logistical and planning issues, and Kimberly likes to survey folks - particulary before and after the move to a new site - and incorporate that feedback into the event. There will likely be a survey up at our website this fall for planning purposes and another after Baitcon 18 to measure how the event went from the attendees' perspective, but in the end, it's our names on the contracts.
-- Last year (Baitcon 17-July 2005), the event was held on the weekend immediately after Falcon Ridge Folk Fest, which many of us attend. If things follow suit, it looks as though you'll repeat this pattern with Baitcon 18. Are you sure this is wise?
We were a bit concerned about this last year, but we had 157 attendees - our largest ever. And really, there are more events every summer that demand skillful planning. There is only so much we can do and we must contend with availability at sites as well as that of our crew when selecting a date. After those considerations, we have to think
about weather patterns, other events, etc. We can say that we do think about these issues every year and take them into account.
-- This is the second time the event has skipped a year. Will the every-other-year schedule become standard for Baitcon?
No. We actually have a 3-year plan in place right now so that the next few years (18, 19, 20) will happen without any break/gap. Though we have not committed beyond 2007 for the new site, if Baitcon 18 goes well there and everyone is reasonably happy with the site, we have a contract clause that allows us to continue holding Baitcon there at the current rate.
-- Can I RSVP now?
We will be accepting early RSVPs later this fall. More information about the proposed budget, costs, site features and cabin allocation will be offered at that time. Further details - such as tentative menus, musical guests, ice cream planning - will be released around the spring of next year.
-- I don't/can't camp in a tent. What are my options if I want to attend Baitcon and how soon should I make arrangements?
There will be approximately 20 cabins available for allocation and we will accept reservations for these at the time that RSVPs begin to be accepted. First priority will be given to those with the most serious medical conditions. It is important to note that these cabins are simply 4 walls, floor and ceiling with moveable cot-frames and room for about 4 people to sleep. Very, very basic and you still need to bring your own sleeping bags, air mattresses, etc.
Please note: There is no power in the cabins.
Additionally, we will provide a list of area B&Bs and motels that are close to the site. Please note that while The Abode offers some basic indoor rooms at its lower campus site, you MUST arrange reservation of those rooms through us (Baitcon).
Details on all of these lodging options will be provided with the intial invite this autumn. We are happy to answer questions about lodging but we cannot take any reservations or requests before that information is (compiled and) released in Autumn 2006.
-- Can I contact The Abode with questions about the event and the site?
They would prefer that all questions come to us. We will be providing links to the site and detailed information with the initial Baitcon invitation this fall.
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Date: 2006-05-09 05:25 am (UTC)I think you mean 2006? :-) Sorry this year won't work out, but glad you have a new site lined up. Thanks for the update!
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Date: 2006-05-09 05:27 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-05-09 05:34 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-05-09 05:32 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-05-09 05:35 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-05-09 06:10 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-05-09 06:30 am (UTC)The site has toilets??? Yay! :)
It looks like New Lebanon, NY is not far from Lennox, MA, so anyone who is a classical music fan, might enjoy a side trip to Tanglewood (http://www.tanglewood.org/).
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Date: 2006-05-09 11:55 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-05-09 01:43 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-05-09 12:16 pm (UTC)this happen. See you in 2007!
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Date: 2006-05-09 03:09 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-05-09 03:32 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-05-09 04:54 pm (UTC)Thank you!
Date: 2006-05-09 05:18 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-05-09 06:23 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-05-09 06:27 pm (UTC)Having never actually attended a Baitcon, I was hoping to make it this year, though finances and possible job issues would likely have interfered and I would've skipped yet another year. Now I will plan for next year, and have money and time available. :)
no subject
Date: 2006-05-09 07:30 pm (UTC)Also, this "announcing dates 14 months in advance" thing? TOTALLY rocks. It's on the calendar and will be reserved. :) Thanks!
it's okay. I was wondering, mind.
Date: 2006-05-09 09:34 pm (UTC)