No it's not too soon! Carlisle 2020 - 50th Anniversary of the E-Body.

[ViperMan]

At the pizza party Saturday night, @Spikedog08 started discussing ideas for the 2020 Carlisle Chrysler Nationals, during which we'll be celebrating the 50th Anniversary of the E-body.  Now as usual when Dave talks, no one really listened...  But eventually @Cuda Cody sat down and suddenly we were all ears... 

Carlisle 2020 is a huge opportunity for E-Bodies.org to shine, and we all think it's a year we should make unforgettable.  There's a lot of details that we need to iron out, and some of these are items that my wife and I try to organize, like dinner reservations and hang-out spots.  I'm also going to try to make sure that the Facebook page, which can sometimes operate as a separate entity from the forums - is better aware of what is happening and when.

So let's discuss the big points of our usual schedule and see what we can come up with!

1) Hotel:

  This year we tried a new hotel for the group, and there were some pros and some notable cons.  First, a lot of folks had less-than-satisfactory rooms, myself included.  Our clothing and bedding that we brought home all wreaks of cigarettes and mold.  Our room was frankly disgusting.  Some folks had nicer rooms with more modern features, but ours was definitely on the older side of things.  The staff was very disorganized, with many folks being told their reservations had been lost or deleted, and while everyone did eventually get a room, some folks had to wait as the housekeeping staff was still cleaning rooms on Thursday as late as 7pm!!  When a hand-vote was taken to revisit the hotel in 2020, not a single person chose to revisit the Park Inn in 2020.  Now, if that's the case, we have to decide where we want to stay, which of course means deciding on a comfortable, average rate for everyone.  And of course I realize some folks are just going to keep doing what they normally do on their own and that's fine, but if you're not hanging out with the club in the evenings, you're really missing out on a lot of fun!!

2) Dinner:

  This year we also tried a new restaurant.  It wasn't as far off the beaten path as I thought it would be, and it was actually a pretty pleasant experience, I thought.  Our food came out fairly quick, with one table being served slightly sooner than the other.  Still, I felt everything was served hot and in a timely fashion overall, with two members (that I know of) a little disappointed in the quality of the steak they ordered - one had a lot of gristle and inedible portions, while another ordered medium-well and definitely got medium-rare.  That I know of however, no one else was disappointed in the service or speed of the restaurant.  The food quality however was B-grade.  Not bad, but also not quite as nice as the Dodge City restaurant we normally visit.

  The Harrisburg area however is exploding with new restaurants, breweries, and all sorts of eating venues, so there's no shortage of options here.  Dodge City is one of our favorite places to visit but can't host much more than 36 people in a dedicated party.  The Roadhouse Cafe we went to this year can seat 50-60, easily.  Some breweries in the area have private rooms we can book, but they usually require an additional cost, which I was never willing to push to the club members.

  Another idea that was tossed around Saturday was revisiting the venue my wife and I utilized for our personal, "Decade of Carlisle" dinner in 2017.  We booked the AACA Museum in Hershey and had a catered dinner with a free, well-stocked (because I stocked it myself!) bar.  It was pretty pricey however, at close to $100 a person if I recall, $70 of which I personally covered.  Cody has mentioned that there is some funding available, but obviously we have to know our limits going in.  To do something like this also requires a VERY accurate head-count, at least a few weeks in advance - since we have to pre-pay by the person.  That could mean that last-minute attendees may not be able to join in the festivities.

3) Lunch

  Now the Saturday lunch has pretty much always been chosen by my wife and I, as we present it at no-cost to the club.  Some folks usually contribute to help cover costs though and we have always appreciated it.  My ONLY concern for 2020 is that we'll be moving our family in June of that year, so getting ourselves organized and ready to cater in July might be tricky, but I'm sure we can pull it off.  Assuming we have a huge crowd though, we might want to do something easier/lighter anyways to keep costs down, but we can worry about that later.  I think what'll be most important to us is getting an accurate head-count - we might need something a little more advanced than the poll feature that EBO has available.  If anyone has any suggestions or requests for food though, post here!

4) Tent

  We had a super-large tent this year, thanks to SpikeDog and Cuda Cody.  We had a TON of space to spread out and enjoy ourselves, serve and eat lunch, and just socialize.  We had a lot of visitors stop by, and definitely got plenty of attention.  Hopefully we can do that again next year, but the best way to make sure that happens is to select "E-bodies.org" as your club affiliation when registering your car(s) for the event.  Even if it isn't an E-body (my family had a '56 Coronet and a '19 Durango registered to the club!), every car counts, and it's those numbers that Carlisle Events looks at to determine what size tent we're eligible for.

5) What else?!

  The 50th anniversary of the e-body could really bring about some exciting options and events for our club.  SpikeDog08 has already been talking to Ed of Carlisle Events to find out where we can support the show and be an integral part of it, so stay tuned to this forum for updates and information, and perhaps even invitations to participate in displays or what-not.  But in the meantime, if you have any ideas of how to make 2020 a year to remember, post them below!!  Let's make this the Carlisle Chrysler Nationals that puts EBO on the map for good!

E-BODIES!

[anlauto]

How about name tags ?

[R/T's 4 R/P]

How about something to take with?  Some sot of anniversary swag?
Free give-away, but then a purchaseable item?  I loved the A12 banners for the Bees and Runners.  What does a one-sided banner cost? $45/$50 each, pre-ordered and picked up at Carlisle?

[Spikedog08]

How about name tags ?

I bought 100 name tags and I think 3 got used . . . 

[anlauto]

How about name tags ?

I bought 100 name tags and I think 3 got used . . . 

So we have 97 for next year

[ViperMan]

How about name tags ?

I bought 100 name tags and I think 3 got used . . . 

So we have 97 for next year

HAHAH!!  Now that was funny...

Of course, those 97 name tags wound up at MY house, so now I have to either remember to bring them next year, or find clever ways to put all of SpikeDog's nicknames on them and paper his house... 

Spikedog Drools!! 

[ViperMan]

How about something to take with?  Some sot of anniversary swag?
Free give-away, but then a purchaseable item?  I loved the A12 banners for the Bees and Runners.  What does a one-sided banner cost? $45/$50 each, pre-ordered and picked up at Carlisle?

I actually second this idea - member @Yourpar visited Carlisle for the first time this year and found out that Carlisle Events DOES sell the banners that they use after the show, but was bummed to learn that the A12 ones were all spoken for already.  Assuming that Carlisle Events makes banners for the 50th anniversary, they could be awesome collectors items for our members, OR we could just design some of our own and sell them!!  This really wouldn't be hard at all, and would be awesome garage art for folks for years to come!

[dennis lauver]

As a newbie visiting the tent this year and attending the dinner and the pizza night, I want to thank everyone for making me feel welcome.  Keith Millers auto storage (where I store my 70 CUDA and 67 GTX) may be an idea for visiting next year.  Keith has his own personal  museum there with a mixture of autos.  It is really nice and Keith loves showing them.

[challengermaniac]

Guys, having never been to Carlisle, I am making a commitment right now to attend the 2020 show! 

Thank you all in advance for all that you do to make that happen and please feel free to call on me for show duty as long as I get time to look around! 

[Spikedog08]

Well since I have been thrown under the bus in the thread a couple times thanks to diperboy . . . I guess I will add my  . . .

1). HOTEL:  The hotel we stayed at this year had positive and negative aspects to it, rooms were average with some being nicer than others . . The parking area was huge with plenty of room for trailers and all the cars.  Also plenty of space for gathering after the show and the pool was decent with a deep and and shallow end . . Not typical for a hotel.   I had an issue when returning from the show on Friday discovering that the door to my room was left open by the maids.  Nothing was missing but . . . Still that fact remains.  When we compare the new hotel to the old Capital Inn (Comfort Inn),  they are similar and I could get rooms way cheaper at the old motel . . . $79 for Thursday and $89 for Friday and Saturday if booked in Advance.  Now if you are looking for something a little nicer, there are more hotels within walking distance that are newer and nicer.   Holiday InnExpress and Fairfield Inn is right there and although more money, certainly nicer than the Capital Inn. 

2). DINNER:  The problem next year is that since it is the 50 year of the ebody, I expect we will have more than average attendance . . So I assume that Dodge City is out.  I think booking a private room somewhere is not out of the question as long as the cost is not exorbitant.   The venue we had this year was fine and certainly auto related with car parts mounted on the walls . . . But as stated, food was average.  This topic will need to be researched more  . . .

3) LUNCH:  Many years ago, I started bringing a small grill and offering lunch to all in the tent that I supplied for the group.   Viperboy and Ashley have done a wonderful job supplying lunch for all and the pulled pork this year was very delicious . . Maybe next year peanut butter and jelly will be appropriate . . . I’m sure we can come up with something that will work.

4) TENT:  This year we had 36 members registered under the ebodies.org club name, certainly the most we have ever had.  I assume we will beat that number this year . . . back in 2002 or something like that, Lemonboy69 was the first to mention we could get a club tent but no one was willing to flip for the cost.  I contacted Carlisle Events and covered the cost so we all would have a place to camp and get out of the sun.  This year we did get enough members sign up to get a free tent but the upgrade to the extra large tent was $260.  Seems like a lot for a tent but sure did give us some space and we used it all.

5). Other activities . . We try to plan fun activities for the group but sometimes everyone is so tired from then heat and the show, all they want to do is go to the hotel and chill in the pool or sit in the lot and relax.  I worry that a large schedule may be too much? 

I am certainly open to assist with whatever so let’s plan a great weekend for all.  I have also noticed that it appear that the show is now Thursday, Friday and Saturday so I may come in on Wednesday next year and leave Sunday with everyone else. 

[MEK-Dangerous]

1) I'm really not picky about what Hotel location we choose. As you said, there is the good and the bad. The Park Inn parking lot was HUGENORMOUS. We did find a spot to hang out, so that was good.

The old location that we always stayed at worked too, but I would not stay at the Capital Inn again(just use the back parking lot for our get togethers). That place needs a major reno. The Holiday Inn Express across the street was real nice in my opinion.

2) Dinner. I would cool my heels on that one a while. We might have a big turn out, then maybe a repeat of this year. The Roadhouse Cafe was nice. It didn't take 3 hours to eat dinner. Just make a mental note not to order steak. It might come to you still mooing.   

4) Tent. It was definitely worth paying for the upgrade. Even with the bigger tent, I'm not sure how many more people we could fit under there. If we can get the widebody tent again, then go for it.

[1 Wild R/T]

1) I'm really not picky about what Hotel location we choose. As you said, there is the good and the bad. The Park Inn parking lot was HUGENORMOUS. We did find a spot to hang out, so that was good.

The old location that we always stayed at worked too, but I would not stay at the Capital Inn again(just use the back parking lot for our get togethers). That place needs a major reno. The Holiday Inn Express across the street was real nice in my opinion.

2) Dinner. I would cool my heels on that one a while. We might have a big turn out, then maybe a repeat of this year. The Roadhouse Cafe was nice. It didn't take 3 hours to eat dinner. Just make a mental note not to order steak. It might come to you still mooing.     Apparently you aren't a fan?.. I prefer less vs more....  At least if it's undercooked you can have it thrown back of the fire for a few minutes... Once it's over done it's done...

4) Tent. It was definitely worth paying for the upgrade. Even with the bigger tent, I'm not sure how many more people we could fit under there. If we can get the widebody tent again, then go for it.

Oh, what town are these hotels in? Carlisle? Harrisburg? 

[7E-Bodies]

It'd be a dream to have my 70 RT done by then, even tough it's a goal.  I'd be lucky if my vinyl top from SMS shows up by then.  I'd still love to go as I missed it the last two years.

[blown motor]

1) I agree that there will be a bigger turnout next year being the 50th anniversary. We are planning a group trip from Ontario which could bump next year's numbers by 5-10. I don't know if anyone from Ontario was there this year. I'll have a better idea after Moparfest.

2) Other activities: I'm not sure how necessary this is. For me the weekend is about hanging out with group members. Also, I did 2 days of a 4 day cruise in June and by late afternoon people just wanted to veg at the hotel. Most, if any, didn't go to the evening car show that was planned each day.

3) Tent: Once we get an idea of numbers next year we can decide how big of a tent we need. I'm sure if you pass the hat at Saturday lunch, when most people are present, you'll get enough to cover the tent cost.

4) I question the value of doing a meal somewhere. In that setting, you get two hours of conversation with those in your immediate setting area. A parking lot party is much more conducive to mingling. Perhaps we should get a meal catered in.  The only potential issue is rain.

[Spikedog08]

1) I'm really not picky about what Hotel location we choose. As you said, there is the good and the bad. The Park Inn parking lot was HUGENORMOUS. We did find a spot to hang out, so that was good.

The old location that we always stayed at worked too, but I would not stay at the Capital Inn again(just use the back parking lot for our get togethers). That place needs a major reno. The Holiday Inn Express across the street was real nice in my opinion.

2) Dinner. I would cool my heels on that one a while. We might have a big turn out, then maybe a repeat of this year. The Roadhouse Cafe was nice. It didn't take 3 hours to eat dinner. Just make a mental note not to order steak. It might come to you still mooing.     Apparently you aren't a fan?.. I prefer less vs more....  At least if it's undercooked you can have it thrown back of the fire for a few minutes... Once it's over done it's done...

4) Tent. It was definitely worth paying for the upgrade. Even with the bigger tent, I'm not sure how many more people we could fit under there. If we can get the widebody tent again, then go for it.

Oh, what town are these hotels in? Carlisle? Harrisburg?

The Park Inn is in Mechanicsburg and the other hotels are in New Cumberland  . . I think the Park Inn was about 10 min closer and no toll road . .