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Coming; shipping meats to your house.

I have the Friday before off. I plan on arriving mid day and can help you with anything you might need that afternoon. Obviously I have my hands full on Saturday so I will have to leave that for others. Really it is not like I have nothing to do that day.

Anyone travel-restricted for jobs/etc. that lives near Sacramento, CA? We can do a proxy BBQ.

AMD64Blondie wrote:

Dammit..I 'd love to come along.
(Only problem is,I'm in Portland,OR..which is 2,255 miles away from Holland,MI).

That totally reminds me of Coraline, one of my favorite animated movies. At the beginning of the story, she said that her family moved from Pontiac, MI to Ashland, OR. If they did it, so can you. Haha.

Well, have fun, Gerbils. I'll be cheering you guys, from somewhere out there.

I have convinced the wife to let me go under one condition, she and the baby come along and we find something "family friendly" to do for a husband, wife, and 1-year-old child. It would be our first vacation... ever, so it's a fair request. If I can come up with something more than just a nerd get-together I'm a shoe in. The only downside is I won't be able to take my Monster Miata on it's first road trip, but I'll live.

Plenty of family-friendly in Holland, MI and the vicinity.

Ahh, so it does. I've convinced the wife of an itinerary and I think we're going!

I'm not very active in the forums and I rarely post in the comments area, but I've been a long time reader of TR. This is hands down my favorite site for tech reviews and news. Not only is the writing just flat out more enjoyable and fun, but the fun comments, helpful nature, and lack of negativity in the comments is what draws me here. And I'm finally going to meet some of these people!

I've had many reasons of not being able to attend the BBQ (kid was just born, moved into a new house, stationed overseas, etc.) but I'm very excited about going this year. I read the posts about the fun you guys have each year and it looks like a lot of family-friendly/geeky fun.

Now that's all been needlessly said, is there a section for noobs to get directions, what to bring, donations for materials/rentals etc. or am I getting ahead of myself?

Losergamer04 wrote:

Now that's all been needlessly said, is there a section for noobs to get directions, what to bring, donations for materials/rentals etc. or am I getting ahead of myself?

Drfish will PM location to confirmed attendees about a week before the show. Donations for fireworks are always accepted. As for stuff, drfish will announce needs in this thread as he becomes aware of them. Coolers, ice, and bottled water will never go to waste.

Captain Ned wrote:

Reservations have been made. Have no plans to slum it at the Microtel this year.

Is there a suggeted hotel that isn't crazy expensive? I've never seen such low rated hotels cost so much! Is it best to stay on the west side of Grand Rapids? Or maybe a bed and breakfast?

Anyone know anything about this place?
http://www.cottonwoodinnbb.com/index.html

We still have some space at the cottage (so far just Frobozzes and Gleeks staying). Can't really vouch for the hotels around town, don't use them myself. The Hampton Inn is where work tells people to stay when they are in town. The best place is probably City Flats but it is a little spendy.

Is this a pet-friendly event?

Sure, as long as we're talking about well behaved pets (our dogs don't get invited).

drfish, that's very kind of you to invite a stranger (especially one as strange as I), and his wife and child, to the cabin, but the I've always wanted to do a bed and breakfast.

Hi all....

Long, long time reader, first time poster. Just want to say this looks like a fantastic time to enjoy the outdoors with some fellow geeks and that I'd love to attend. I'm lucky enough to have a friend that only lives a couple hours away from Holland so getting there should be cake. I'd be happy to help out with food, money for fireworks, cleaning up, etc. As we inch closer to 8/17, feel free to let me know how I can assist.

Can't wait!

Sweet! Just keep an eye on this thread, I'll formalize the attendance list soon as well as start listing what people are contributing and where we still have gaps in the supplies/support list.

I feel like I'm a horrible Tech Report leech for not coming to these events seeing as I live in Michigan. I should really come so I can leech free food.

Wife says we are coming! (woohoo)

Dumb questions:
What is the address so we can find it?
When does it start?

Address will be PMed the week before. Hotels in Holland should suffice, we're on Lakeshore Drive a little north of Tunnel Park for a closer reference. People usually arrive between 11:00 and 1:00 with food ready around 2:00. Looking forward to meeting you guys!

After my faux pas and bad manners in the comments last year, (Sorry Ned) I think I'll be showing up again this year.

This get together is always a blast, and so worth the travel. I am driving from Texas this year, so I expect that there will be some old computer parts coming with me. Anyone interested in Dell PowerEdges?

Wow, we are starting to look like an attendance record for sure!

Xylker wrote:

This get together is always a blast, and so worth the travel. I am driving from Texas this year, so I expect that there will be some old computer parts coming with me. Anyone interested in Dell PowerEdges?

drfish wrote:

Wow, we are starting to look like an attendance record for sure!

Maybe it's all the free swag this year?

Xylker wrote:

Anyone interested in Dell PowerEdges?

big ole' honkers... how much you want for one? I think that's all the $ I could muster up...

Hmmm, old hardware.....what to do......

First post updated with attendee info based on the best information I have/historical data. Please post to let me know if I have unfairly placed you in the wrong group.

Looks like I've been lumped into the Fresh Meats category, which is cool since I love such tasty things. I was thinking some kind of delicious summer sausage/kielbasa if no one objects? Rough idea on how much to bring? Oh, and mark me down for a +1. Hope to bring a friend along as well.

A second post will go a long way toward moving you into one of the other groups. We get some new blood every year but it's rare to have so many on the list so I thought it merited being renamed. It'll be a few weeks yet before I start pushing to have people list what they are going to bring and documenting it. FWIW, a lack of protein at the BBQ has never been a problem but neither has a surplus.

Hahaha......"Fresh Meats" was definitely lost on me earlier. Thanks for the clarification DrFish. Prepare for additional blunders such as these at the BBQ

...Man, I figured i would have just automatically made the unconfirmed but likely list, I've been there for parts of every one that's been held at your house! Also, I have a box of craft beer, mostly dark, that I brought back from the east cost(Bostonish) that needs to be sampled, not exciting for Ned, but it should be something different for the midwest crew.

Lol, sorry, I saw you in the group pic the day I added that but I usually build the list based on who's posted in the thread or PMed me and it slipped my mind. Sorry!

It's fine...I'm really just harassing you for no good reason.