I had to apologize on another parallel thread for this specific issue. I'll do the same here. I want this event to be about us hobbyists first of all and the animals we care for. This should primarily be an event for people to get together, have fun, trade (or buy), and enjoy the day. Some people have hard feelings that vendors are there selling things or that other hobbyists sell things instead of strictly trading.
The truth is, that we had to spend hundreds more to book this location than past years, but we wanted to move it North out of respect for our northern hobbyists that have driven South for years. This was as far North as we could afford. Because participation has been down, we pushed hard to bring in vendors. They pay a nominal fee for a booth, which helps us cover the cost of the building. We have a great list of people we're proud to have coming, but space is tight. So, we have a location more North, but it's smaller, more expensive, and has potential power limitations.
A very generous member has offered to bring his generator in case we run out of circuits. I have a box of shiny new drop cords to try to tap every outlet in the building. We still are tight for space, but you're welcome to bring a small tank and squeeze in on one of the counters in the kitchen. We haven't actively advertised for people to bring tanks because we don't want to over-promise.
Here is what we're asking for hobbyists that want to bring a tank:
-Please limit the size of your tank. Please nothing over 20g (10g would be awsome)
-Bring LED's if at all possible. MH are out of the question.
-Setup is at 8:00-10:00 for vendors and people setting up tanks. You have to pay admission if you aren't one of the volunteers or already have a current PSAS card.
-Tear-down is from 3:00-6:00. We absolutely have to be out with the building clean at 6:00 for a square dance group that's coming in.
-We will have a 100g stock tank with extra water (no lights) on hand to top off our tanks. It will be to temp. If you want to bring coral and float them in there to stay warm, you are welcome to. Just mark you coral clearly and understand that we can't be held accountable that one person out of a hundred that can't be trusted. It's an option if you don't want to bring a tank but want to keep your critters warm.
-Vendors have first priority. They are coming, in some cases from hundreds of miles away with thousands of dollars in livestock. We're going to do everything we can to accommodate people bringing in tanks. However, if we run out of room, the power starts failing and our generator can't keep up, or earthquakes happen, be ready to take care of your animals. Have a good cooler and a heater pack.
-Please PM me and let me know you intend to bring a tank.
I really am sorry we didn't book a bigger venue. We were trying to be fiscally responsible considering the trends in participation we've been seeing at meetings. We're really happy to see interest in the event. Please be patient with us as we're just a bunch of volunteers trying to organize a fun event for the community. If you have concerns or questions, please PM me.
The truth is, that we had to spend hundreds more to book this location than past years, but we wanted to move it North out of respect for our northern hobbyists that have driven South for years. This was as far North as we could afford. Because participation has been down, we pushed hard to bring in vendors. They pay a nominal fee for a booth, which helps us cover the cost of the building. We have a great list of people we're proud to have coming, but space is tight. So, we have a location more North, but it's smaller, more expensive, and has potential power limitations.
A very generous member has offered to bring his generator in case we run out of circuits. I have a box of shiny new drop cords to try to tap every outlet in the building. We still are tight for space, but you're welcome to bring a small tank and squeeze in on one of the counters in the kitchen. We haven't actively advertised for people to bring tanks because we don't want to over-promise.
Here is what we're asking for hobbyists that want to bring a tank:
-Please limit the size of your tank. Please nothing over 20g (10g would be awsome)
-Bring LED's if at all possible. MH are out of the question.
-Setup is at 8:00-10:00 for vendors and people setting up tanks. You have to pay admission if you aren't one of the volunteers or already have a current PSAS card.
-Tear-down is from 3:00-6:00. We absolutely have to be out with the building clean at 6:00 for a square dance group that's coming in.
-We will have a 100g stock tank with extra water (no lights) on hand to top off our tanks. It will be to temp. If you want to bring coral and float them in there to stay warm, you are welcome to. Just mark you coral clearly and understand that we can't be held accountable that one person out of a hundred that can't be trusted. It's an option if you don't want to bring a tank but want to keep your critters warm.
-Vendors have first priority. They are coming, in some cases from hundreds of miles away with thousands of dollars in livestock. We're going to do everything we can to accommodate people bringing in tanks. However, if we run out of room, the power starts failing and our generator can't keep up, or earthquakes happen, be ready to take care of your animals. Have a good cooler and a heater pack.
-Please PM me and let me know you intend to bring a tank.
I really am sorry we didn't book a bigger venue. We were trying to be fiscally responsible considering the trends in participation we've been seeing at meetings. We're really happy to see interest in the event. Please be patient with us as we're just a bunch of volunteers trying to organize a fun event for the community. If you have concerns or questions, please PM me.