Subject: [Harp-L] New Era for SPAH



Nobody should be beating ANY SPAH member up for expressing their  thoughts 
on what is, after all  an expensive undertaking..and the  culmination each 
year for so many people who post here. 
 
Jerl, I think it's probably my talk of extending my trip to SPAH into  a 
real vacation to 'see the sights' which might have prompted your mention of  
not going to a SPAH to see the sights of that particular City, so it's your 
post  on the issue which gets responded to <G> - besides, you've raised  some 
other interesting points.
 
I actually prefer when they choose a 'hot' City because the Hotels are  
always too freezing cold inside in the summer..and I need to go outside  just 
to warm up! The one complaint a lot of us chromatic players have is that  our 
windsavers balk in really high and frigid air conditioning. I end up having 
 to wear jackets and sweaters indoors and need hot packs to keep both my  
hands and harmonicas warm ;) I bought a box of them at Costco and am glad  
now to be reminded that I need to bring quite a few to SPAH with me.
 
Mike had asked how do other people manage to afford the plane fares every  
year - and my solution was to occasionally turn SPAH into a  'real' vacation 
by extending it --either before, but usually after  (depending on where 
it's held). This year my husband's flying out towards the  end and afterwards 
we'll go on to see Lake Tahoe and Reno. It seemed the best  way to make the 
most of a situation where neither of us has had a vacation  (other than my 
SPAH trips) in 3 years and the last one was an  extension of my Bonfiglio 
Grand Canyon seminar turned into an Arizona  vacation, so it was still 
harmonica-related.
 
Like you, when I'm at the Convention I'm pretty much locked in at the Hotel 
 (except for Jason's first night Harp blow-off, or if someone with a car  
kindly offers to take me on a small grocery run at the beginning). Last year 
I  took a cab to pick up what I needed. Many conventioneers, however...don't 
enjoy  eating in at the Hotel (people think of the prices as too high and 
they're  quickly bored with the menu), so want whatever Hotel is our base to  
have restaurants/cafes/fast food or other food choices - most especially a 
GOOD  coffee shop within short or reasonable walking distance...especially 
one  which'll stay open late!! I'm really spoiled here on Long Island)  ;) 
Almost everyone stays up at SPAH and getting good coffee (or tea, hot  
chocolate, cappuccino) late, is de rigeur.  Ahh...the little pleasures of  life.
 
Last year was great - there was an outside plaza to sit and enjoy one's  
food or for reading or recording right outside the Hotel. These small things 
can  make or break the SPAH experience for those without a vehicle there.
 
I'm honestly not sure if a permanent location would work. It wouldn't be my 
 choice, I'm afraid. I think you also just might lose a lot of folks who 
simply  don't want to travel to whichever City would be 'the' choice. And who 
gets to  decide? I doubt there could be a consensus.  As Warren said not  
everyone will be pleased with the rotating SPAH City choices, but at  least 
there's hope that eventually there will be a City chosen close enough  for 
each of us not to have to fly to.  My point about East Coast  people (of which 
Warren is one - a neighbour of mine, in fact) is that  we've never once been 
accommodated during SPAH's lifetime, as Mike had pointed  out. His wasn't a 
'bitter' complaint, just a point of fact.
 
As for me, I haven't complained so far...have made my 9 R/T flights to Ohio 
 for Buckeye and then whatever City SPAH has been in without a 
murmur....I've  always assumed the SPAH board has the best interests of all of us at 
heart and  knowing a wee bit about what they're up against (I stay up 
exceedingly late and  see the people who do this as volunteers for both Conventions 
up even later than  myself looking exhausted far into the night every year, 
then up the next day  doing it all again) I have nothing but the greatest 
respect for  them.  I don't know if I could ever do what they do, and am  happy 
to let them have at it.<G> 
 
Incidentally, I agree with SmoJoe - I didn't send in any change of 'voting' 
 because I consider the current board the best group of people for the job. 
They  deserve major kudos.
 
My main reason for adding my voice to Mike's in bringing up the East  Coast 
is to remind SPAH members how lucky those of you are from the MidWest and  
West who have had SPAH in your own backyards for all these years with (as  
Mick put it ) - only a couple of hours' driving. We've never had that  
luxury. Then, I think too of the people who fly in from other countries  just to 
attend SPAH. How great are they?
 
All I'd hope is that 'one day'...(2010 is spoken for with  Minnesota - so 
perhaps 2011, 2012, 2013?) - a harmonica club somewhere in  the more central 
part of the East Coast (which would still involve hours-long  driving for 
people like me) would get to host SPAH so East Coasters would know  what it's 
like to be able to drive to 'a' SPAH just once to be able to  bring our 
other gear along. I'd love to bring my own keyboard...plus the  other heavier 
stuff I simply can't ever bring or manage on a flight. To my mind  Virginia, 
Maryland, Pennsylvania would be fairly accessible for Mid-Western  folks to 
get to as well, yet still be somewhere us more Northern  Easterners could get 
to, and hopefully still be reasonably close for  all the Floridians. I'm 
not selfish enough to ever want SPAH in my own  backyard... the driving costs 
are simply too prohibitive to get to NY. 
 
While I can afford to fly to SPAH despite not being fond of flying (the  
understatement of the year, actually), I'm aware that the economy has hurt an  
awful lot of people - witness so many harmonicists selling their beloved  
mics and amps just to get by; others losing their jobs. There's no way they  
can afford to attend a SPAH much as they'd probably love to even for a day 
if it  were within driving proximity.
 
None of this dialogue can hurt, btw. It's all information and thoughts from 
 SPAH members the board can use when they meet to make future decisions, at 
least  I hope that's the spirit we're all considering it in.
 
Elizabeth
 
"Message: 4
Date: Sat, 25 Jul 2009 14:54:39 -0500
From: "dfwhoot"  <casaj54@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Subject: [Harp-L] New Era for SPAH
To:  "HARP-L" <harp-l@xxxxxxxxxx>

My 2 cents on this, for one ,SPAH can  not please everyone when it comes to 
deciding on the Location, Hotel, and the  ton of things to consider when 
picking a site. One thing for sure is that when  you are at the convention, it 
could be Dallas, Denver ,St Louis, Detroit or Tin  buck Too , most of us 
never come out except to eat. I was worried in Texas  because of the Heat, but 
I never went outside. It would be nice to find a  location, that meets all 
the requirements and stick to that site.
Some  comments I hear are ," I'll just wait till it gets closer to me, or I 
wonder  where it's going to be this year or next year". If it was permanent 
location  then planning would be a lot easier. I'm sure the Hotel would 
like that, and  would work with spah.
If we could find a location I don't think a local  harmonica club would be 
necessary for the leg work. We just repeat the year  before....
.Hey I love to travel to Den. St.Louis, Sac. KC, Detroit, and all  the 
other locations but again I'm there for the convention and not  sightseeing... 
Ya don't beat me up on this....Jerl"




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