Location of meets question

[Slow-V6]

I have just been looking and over the past 1 1/2 year there have been 3 South NJ meets ( South of 195/Trenton).. April 2011 Chickies and petes, Aug 2011 Texas Roadhouse, and April 2012 Chickies and Petes.. Just wonderring why that is?? I know your doing the East/West thing but there are plenty of spots along the shore thats more southern for us to go to as well. To me it just seems that 10 out of the 12 months of the year we have meets above Trenton. I for one would like to see more meets off the AC exspressway or more south in the future. Just seems fair..

[LTb1ow]

Because the amount of people who turn out to deep south meets is not very much, cold hard truth on that one.

Disclaimer: I am only assuming this, as I have never been to a south meet but have only heard these things.

[Slow-V6]

Looking at the pictures from the last meet last month it doesnt look all that packed with cars either!! I was reading posts in the meet thread about another low turnout..

I would be okay with a central location every month or do a N,C,S NE,NEC,NES,NW,NWC,NWS rotation istead of what seems to be a N,C,S,NE,NC,NW,NC,S, rotation.. Having 2 meets in the South a year is really not what I would call a fair rotation especially when the meets happen in March and Nov 2 typically cool-cold months when people dont like to BS outside.. Just my .02.. Not trying to start any crap or what not..

[LTb1ow]

Well don't assume I like far north meets either ;)

I would love to see the meet schedule just rotate around the 195 area, cause it seems as if the majority of members are from there. The meets in central also surprisingly have the largest turnouts.

But, since the club is a NJ one, they must cater somewhat to the outliers and thats why there are a couple of deep south or deep north meets.

Remember, assuming here.

[Anti_Rice_Guy]

But, since the club is a NJ one, they must cater somewhat to the outliers and thats why there are a couple of deep south or deep north meets.


:nod:


I would be okay with a central location every month or do a N,C,S NE,NEC,NES,NW,NWC,NWS rotation istead of what seems to be a N,C,S,NE,NC,NW,NC,S, rotation.. Having 2 meets in the South a year is really not what I would call a fair rotation especially when the meets happen in March and Nov 2 typically cool-cold months when people dont like to BS outside.. Just my .02.. Not trying to start any crap or what not..

We rotate north, central, south, central, north, central, south......As Matt said, we are a state club and encompass the two extreme tips but people will always complain about distance. Not picking on you specifically here, but many people have voiced complaints that, say, live in central complain about how meets aren't close to them. Many times they are 20 minutes away from a meet, but say it's too far. We did, however, incorporate more central meets into the calendar for 2012 to make it easier for everyone and since they are the best attended meets.

March meet was in Howell, in central. April meet was in South. August meet is in South. August and April are pretty good weather months aren't they? :-?

Besides, I don't know what south jersey has to offer, but at least in the north we had amazing driving roads for this past meet :lol:

[BonzoHansen]

Nick, there is nice scenery down south too.^^^

We break the state in to 4 areas, North, East Central, West Central and South. Each areas gets 3 meets. Geographically central areas are closest for all members. We get going from south jersey to north jersey is tough. So more in the middle caters to a far larger slice of the membership.

South gets April and August last year and this year. So 2 out of 3 are in good weather, just like the other areas. So IMO it is distributed on relatively fair basis. Hell, the only one within 20 minutes of my house is January. So it sure isn’t setup to make my life easy.
http://www.njfboa.org/events/

I make the hour+ drive to the south meets. Others do too. How about you come up to some of the central meets? Rare is it when southern member comes to anything central, forget the north meets. We had few if any when we ran the big event at Island for years. The April south meet did not draw heavy by the way, maybe weakest of the year so far. Last December in Flemington blew it away. As did January, March and May, and it looks like June as well.

Participation drives things. That is part of how the east central thing came to be. The guys out there go to meets, and not just their own area. And I for one tend to listed to people physically in front of me a lot.

Did you fill out your member survey?
http://www.njfboa.org/forums/survey.php?&do=take&sid=28

[WildBillyT]

I don't have too much to say that hasn't been said, but the #1 complaint according to the member survey is that meets are too far. North guys don't want to go south, south guys don't want to go north, and both groups ask why we favor central.

As Scott said, North->Central and South ->Central is a much more tolerable drive than driving the entire state in a day.

On top of that, my personal view is that I don't mind driving far but it should be for something cool, like a trip to Velocity 17 or to NJMP down south. I am not going to drive 4 hours round trip to go to Chili's or whatever.

[Slow-V6]

I am fine with driving to central meets if I get time off one of these weekends to attend. I am cool with a Central meet every month that goes from Trenton-the shore. Yes I did fill out a survey but if your not going to listen to us unless we are in person then whats the point??

[WildBillyT]

I am fine with driving to central meets if I get time off one of these weekends to attend. I am cool with a Central meet every month that goes from Trenton-the shore. Yes I did fill out a survey but if your not going to listen to us unless we are in person then whats the point??

The primary point of the survey was to aggregate data and find trends so we can make utilitarian decisions about the club. Where to go, what to do, etc. That's not to say we did not look at individual responses- in fact I have looked at every response myself.

It is a catch-22. Members do not want to be active if stuff is not close to them, and then meets are picked in order to satisfy the most active members as they get the best turnout.

[LTb1ow]

I am fine with driving to central meets if I get time off one of these weekends to attend. I am cool with a Central meet every month that goes from Trenton-the shore. Yes I did fill out a survey but if your not going to listen to us unless we are in person then whats the point??

This is gonna be one of those "put up or shut up" type deals, as in, if a ton of south people start showing up to meets then perhaps the meet sched would be changed to accommodate it. Not saying come to north meets, but central meets its usually extremely rare to see a south person.

Until then, majority rules I would think. Can't argue with cold hard facts, the south always has little turnout.

[BonzoHansen]

I am fine with driving to central meets if I get time off one of these weekends to attend. I am cool with a Central meet every month that goes from Trenton-the shore. Yes I did fill out a survey but if your not going to listen to us unless we are in person then whats the point??

Kind of an argumentative answer. What are we not listening too? Does not instantly agreeing with you = not listening? I thought I answered the question pretty plainly, hitting on all your points.

What I heard here is we only have one south meet in good weather, which was wrong. I heard you want more south meets, but we feel it is fairly spread around the state and offered reasons why, plus south meet participation is lacking now. Are members more likely to come to the meets if there are suddenly more? We publish the schedule way in advance, like in January. They are mentioned in the newsletter all the time. If a member chooses to not make time nothing more I can do. But I’m not one to reward no-shows.

The survey is still open BTW so I have not looked at it yet. Open IIRC to 7/7.

[Slow-V6]

From looking at the past meets looks like we got around 24 people @ Circus, 28 people at Chappterhouse and 20 people last year @ Texas Roadhouse in Millville.. Tell me if I am wrong but those 3 meets are North,Central, and South correct?? Looks pretty even between them.. We get around 14 people @ the other south meet of the year in Egg harbor..


Would I like more South meets?? Sure but like said before I would be happy for a central meet location for every month..

Wasnt trying to be argumentive just thought your statement that you listen to people in front of you alot (as oppose to online) and then your next sentance was did I fill out the online survey was kinda silly..

Seems like the Roadhouse always gets over 20 people to show. even when we did the Nifty fifties in Turnersville we got 28 people to sign up for that one.. Maybe Chickies and petes isnt the right spot?

[WildBillyT]

From looking at the past meets looks like we got around 24 people @ Circus, 28 people at Chappterhouse and 20 people last year @ Texas Roadhouse in Millville.. Tell me if I am wrong but those 3 meets are North,Central, and South correct?? Looks pretty even between them.. We get around 14 people @ the other south meet of the year in Egg harbor..


Would I like more South meets?? Sure but like said before I would be happy for a central meet location for every month..

Wasnt trying to be argumentive just thought your statement that you listen to people in front of you alot (as oppose to online) and then your next sentance was did I fill out the online survey was kinda silly..

Seems like the Roadhouse always gets over 20 people to show. even when we did the Nifty fifties in Turnersville we got 28 people to sign up for that one.. Maybe Chickies and petes isnt the right spot?

Jeff,

If you have suggestions for meets, please let us know as we are always looking to find great spots that lead to a good time and good turnout. Hearing from guys who live/work in the area is always better than just picking a spot that looks good on paper. If you can, try to make it unique in some way.

That's how we ended up with Circus, Duke Island, and a few of the other "flagship" meets.

[Anti_Rice_Guy]

Circus is Central FYI, not North. And 28 cars is a very small meet compared to the past years for there.

We are always looking to improve the club and this survey was one of the ways of doing so. Things have been changing in the past few years and will continue to as time passes. We plan to change it up again for 2013, and would love local suggestions.

What Scott meant was that the survey is a great tool, but is weighed - as they say, actions speak louder than words.

edit: Bill beat me to the local suggestions idea.

[BonzoHansen]

I didn't know if you even knew about the survey, thus my question, that’s all. And I got to buy you a map lol. Circus is quite east central. It's less than an hour straight up the GSP from the C&P meet. Which came about because of complaints the south meets were too far west – Fudruckers, something up on rt 73, etc..

I’m all for new places. Suggest away, most of us don't know the area. I picked C&P because I knw it was there. They have been good to us.
Location Requirements
*Must be appropriate for all club members and their families.
*The location needs to be able to seat/serve us as a group.
*It needs to have ample parking or agree to save enough spots together if parking is tight (and still leave room for other patrons). We initially plan 15-20 cars/20-30 people for monthly meets. Parking in another location is not an option unless arranged by location management.
*We need to be able to hang for a while, at least 3 hours.
*The place cannot be too hard to get to, like 24/7 snarled traffic
*It should not in a “bad part of town”.
*Must be cognizant of traffic issue (ie no beach points in the summer, etc.)
*Must be in NJ

Nifty Fifties was ok, but a lot of guys walked out unhappy about the food or something. We purposely didn’t go back for some reason.

[Slow-V6]

Your right circus is the central.. My mistake on that one.. I do need to get a map of NJ... My point was that circus is always a good turnout and this year they got 28 people to sign up, texas Roadhouse in the Deep South is a good turnout and we get 24 people there.. Your other point that nobody goes to the south meets only really applies to Chickies and petes.. Just about Every other South meet I have looked @ in the past 2 yrs got a good turnout just like some of the central meets.. Chickies and Petes doest get a good showing for some reason.. Maybe because its a bar and real dark inside and for 11am some people might not like that?? My suggestion would be to replace the Chickies and Petes meet and replace it with Philly Dinner in Runnemede or some other suggestion Maybe a Atco meet or even stewarts or webers rootbeer stand..

[WildBillyT]

Your right circus is the central.. My mistake on that one.. I do need to get a map of NJ... My point was that circus is always a good turnout and this year they got 28 people to sign up, texas Roadhouse in the Deep South is a good turnout and we get 24 people there.. Your other point that nobody goes to the south meets only really applies to Chickies and petes.. Just about Every other South meet I have looked @ in the past 2 yrs got a good turnout just like some of the central meets.. Chickies and Petes doest get a good showing for some reason.. Maybe because its a bar and real dark inside and for 11am some people might not like that?? My suggestion would be to replace the Chickies and Petes meet and replace it with Philly Dinner in Runnemede or some other suggestion Maybe a Atco meet or even stewarts or webers rootbeer stand..

Atco seems like a possibility and is unique enough to draw people from further north.

[JW]

texas Roadhouse in the Deep South
damn if thats Deep South wtf am I?! :bertstare:

Anyway, I have been rooting for the Atco location meet for awhile, we don't have to make it a rental, and it gives a lot of people that may have never been to the track exposure to what goes on and such without the pressures of racing if they didn't want to.

JW :D

[shadowfire]

umm i have no say in this at all because im new, but i would like north west meets and of course central because i live here, the cost of gas sucks but i would go to meets anyway... if i knew how to get to them ... some are far, but its more about not knowing how to get to them for me...

[grazi]

umm i have no say in this at all because im new, but i would like north west meets and of course central because i live here, the cost of gas sucks but i would go to meets anyway... if i knew how to get to them ... some are far, but its more about not knowing how to get to them for me...

I agree with more North West meets too.......Do you own a GPS or have access to mapquest???

[shadowfire]

I agree with more North West meets too.......Do you own a GPS or have access to mapquest???

i hate my gps it never work and yea i got mapquest i could always use that i guess.??

[shadowfire]

i think i like north and west because its better scenery..

[crazyl]

+1 for south!

[Anti_Rice_Guy]

i think i like north and west because its better scenery..

+1 finally someone from out of the area...plus a few guys who were at Saturday's meet who loved driving out to God's country :nod:

[Featherburner]

of course I'm completely kidding!In the future, I'd like all meet dates run by me to make sure they work with my schedule. I work every other weekend and guess when most of the meets are scheduled!

[sweetbmxrider]

I've been to at least 1 meet in every area but the south. I tried for April with a few other guys but 24 hours of lemons got in the way. I don't mind a good drive to a fun meet. V17 was a great time. I'm always up for some Atco, just gotta get the car going again. I wouldn't want to see the mess of 50+ people (combining 2 top attending meets) at a restaurant :shock: Atco, yes. Applebee's, not so much. How many were at that North West meet in west bumbleplace at all the west you can eat? :lol:

[BonzoHansen]

More NW meets? We basically do 2 now. Island and Chatterbox.

....Philly Dinner in Runnemede or some other suggestion Maybe a Atco meet or even stewarts or webers rootbeer stand..

I just said the C&P meet drew no people, but matters not. No one has said "I don't want to go there", so I don't know.

Anyway, of those places listed, do they all meet the criteria? They all appear to be on the west side of the state. We did C&P because of complaints of nothing on the east side. Not sure how that will fly if we go back west. I'm not against it though.
Location Requirements
*Must be appropriate for all club members and their families.
*The location needs to be able to seat/serve us as a group.
*It needs to have ample parking or agree to save enough spots together if parking is tight (and still leave room for other patrons). We initially plan 15-20 cars/20-30 people for monthly meets. Parking in another location is not an option unless arranged by location management.
*We need to be able to hang for a while, at least 3 hours.
*The place cannot be too hard to get to, like 24/7 snarled traffic
*It should not in a “bad part of town”.
*Must be cognizant of traffic issue (ie no beach points in the summer, etc.)
*Must be in NJ

Atco meet not withstanding. That is a different deal altogether. That would just have to be a meet up thing. Not like we could swing a weekend track rental lol. I don't know if we could get some kind of common area tied off for us to all hang together or something. Maybe somebody in the know there could coordinate.

[Slow-V6]

Philly Dinner is a 50's styled dinner that has 2 big parking lots and alot of seating.. They are located on the Black horse Pike in Runnemede NJ, Stewarts/webers is a old style drive in root beer stand.. They have a decent size parking lot and there are a couple locations such as Lindenwold on RT30, Black Horse pike in Williamstown/Turnersville, and RT 130 in Brooklawn..

There are plenty of other places to choose from in the Egg Harbor area that are not a sports bar.. I love chickies and Petes as they are the best Sports bar in america but for some reason the last 2 meets only drew 13 or so cars..

[WildBillyT]

Philly Dinner is a 50's styled dinner that has 2 big parking lots and alot of seating.. They are located on the Black horse Pike in Runnemede NJ, Stewarts/webers is a old style drive in root beer stand.. They have a decent size parking lot and there are a couple locations such as Lindenwold on RT30, Black Horse pike in Williamstown/Turnersville, and RT 130 in Brooklawn..

There are plenty of other places to choose from in the Egg Harbor area that are not a sports bar.. I love chickies and Petes as they are the best Sports bar in america but for some reason the last 2 meets only drew 13 or so cars..

The diner might work, but not Stewarts. There are 20+ of those state-wide and guys won't want to travel to go to a root beer stand.

Having a good parking lot is just one of the requirements.

[Slow-V6]

The diner might work, but not Stewarts. There are 20+ of those state-wide and guys won't want to travel to go to a root beer stand.

Having a good parking lot is just one of the requirements.



As far as the other requirements.. Its in a good part of town, its pretty much right off of the Turnpike Exit 3, and I will have to check about hanging out..

There is also Tony Lukes Cheese steaks in Turnersville.. Its the same as the one in South Philly just a store in SNJ.. Same thing goes for here. Right off the AC exspressway, nice parking, good area, just have to check on hanging out.

These are just ideas. If you guys think what you are doing is the best, most fair then continue doing it that way. Its nice seeing the same members every month but its also nice to see some members who you have never met before who for whatever reason can not make a 2 hr drive to a meet but could make a 20 min drive to one. I think thats what makes a premier car club. Being able to reach out to the whole state. Meeting new members and having new meets is a way to set yourself apart from the other f-body clubs..

[WildBillyT]

As far as the other requirements.. Its in a good part of town, its pretty much right off of the Turnpike Exit 3, and I will have to check about hanging out..

There is also Tony Lukes Cheese steaks in Turnersville.. Its the same as the one in South Philly just a store in SNJ.. Same thing goes for here. Right off the AC exspressway, nice parking, good area, just have to check on hanging out.

These are just ideas. If you guys think what you are doing is the best, most fair then continue doing it that way. Its nice seeing the same members every month but its also nice to see some members who you have never met before who for whatever reason can not make a 2 hr drive to a meet but could make a 20 min drive to one. I think thats what makes a premier car club. Being able to reach out to the whole state. Meeting new members and having new meets is a way to set yourself apart from the other f-body clubs..

I like this idea. You say it's a good lot? It strikes me as unique enough to get members to drive a bit.

[sweetbmxrider]

I like a sj cheese steak run. Jeff, you should come up to Duke Island!

[Slow-V6]

I like this idea. You say it's a good lot? It strikes me as unique enough to get members to drive a bit.

Here is there information

Tony Lukes
663 Berlin-Crosskeys Road
Sicklerville, NJ 08081

Phone: (856) 875-8700

Hours: SUN - THU: 11AM-9PM FRI & SAT: 11AM-10PM

I just got off the phone with them and they said they could accomodate a 30+ cars and we could hangout for a couple hours after we eat.. I never been to this location but will drive by it on the way home from work today just to confirm the parking lot size..

[Slow-V6]

I like a sj cheese steak run. Jeff, you should come up to Duke Island!

I am gonna try.. I will deffinatly check out the cruise to the Chick Filet afterwards.. As long as I dont get called into work..

[BonzoHansen]

sounds awesome. we can certainly try a new place next April, and we need a place for the December one. Thanks.

Keep an eye on those other meets. Some of those might be closer than you think!

[BigAls87Z28]

I think that the North and South meets need to be at bigger venues to give people more reason to attend. Central meets are easy to get to for everyone. At the farthest, you are half a state away.

Not saying we should, but the NJ Mopar group does 2-3 meets a month, each county getting one.

In the end, there needs to be something to generate more people to come out. Going to some random diner in the fields of south Jersey won't make people fuel up their rides.

[BonzoHansen]

You mean like going to Island in September? Do you have any suggestions?

[WildBillyT]

I think that the North and South meets need to be at bigger venues to give people more reason to attend. Central meets are easy to get to for everyone. At the farthest, you are half a state away.

Not saying we should, but the NJ Mopar group does 2-3 meets a month, each county getting one.

In the end, there needs to be something to generate more people to come out. Going to some random diner in the fields of south Jersey won't make people fuel up their rides.

:| :|

Gee, where have I heard this before.

[LTb1ow]

You mean like going to Island in September? Do you have any suggestions?

Thats a hike and a half, but why not throw a poll up in the North/South forums for some input on nice places to go.

BLS isn't even from North or a mod/admin and he arranged a pretty sweet meet up North. There has to be similar activities around in the boondocks south of 88 and north of 127.

I know its been discussed before, but a trip to Atco would be fun on a test and tune night, some laid back racing and what not. Or maybe a BBQ similar to Duke but down in atsion area with a cruise around the pine barren area?

Hell, what about some club paintball games? Thats an easy thing to rent out...

[Slow-V6]

Another cool place to go to is the Silver Diner in Cherry Hill across from the Mall. They do car meets every Sunday evening as well..

I checked out the parking lot @ Tony Lukes yesterday and there is plenty of space for 25-30 cars..

Thats also a Mopar group.. They have all kinds of Mopar cars and trucks showing up I bet. If it were a Dodge charger club they probably wouldnt be doing the same thing..

[BonzoHansen]

Thats a hike and a half, but why not throw a poll up in the North/South forums for some input on nice places to go. No need for a poll without answer to put in the pole. The thread is here, now.

BLS isn't even from North or a mod/admin and he arranged a pretty sweet meet up North. There has to be similar activities around in the boondocks south of 88 and north of 127.

I know its been discussed before, but a trip to Atco would be fun on a test and tune night, some laid back racing and what not. Or maybe a BBQ similar to Duke but down in atsion area with a cruise around the pine barren area?

Hell, what about some club paintball games? Thats an easy thing to rent out...
Step up and plan it. Remember the monthly meets need to meet certain criteria. At the core we are a car club and that needs to be considered. Paintball would be a great side deal, but not a monthly meet. Feel free to plan one and post it.

[WildBillyT]

Thats a hike and a half, but why not throw a poll up in the North/South forums for some input on nice places to go.

BLS isn't even from North or a mod/admin and he arranged a pretty sweet meet up North. There has to be similar activities around in the boondocks south of 88 and north of 127.

I know its been discussed before, but a trip to Atco would be fun on a test and tune night, some laid back racing and what not. Or maybe a BBQ similar to Duke but down in atsion area with a cruise around the pine barren area?

Hell, what about some club paintball games? Thats an easy thing to rent out...

I think the V17 meet was a great idea and I am sorry I could not make it, however I heard the turnout was not so great.

According to the survey, most people want to spend a maximum of $25 for a meet and that limits "coolness" options very much.

[BonzoHansen]

According to the survey, most people want to spend a maximum of $25 for a meet and that limits "coolness" options very much.That is how it always has been so that answer does nto surprise me. When $$ is needed too many people drop out - including half the people that say 'great idea, I'll be there'. And you'll never get prepayment.

[KevinW]

Well, I will subscribe to this and join in the fun! Here are my random thoughts:

generally people want to drive about an hour, too much more and it becomes a chore instead of a nice ride. (just my .02 :))

If you split up NJ into sections starting at Rt195, AC expressway is 1 hr south, Rt 78 is 1 hour north, rt 80 and above is 1 hour (approx) above Rt 78 and anything south of AC expressway is the last section. it generally takes less than an hour to go east vs west.

So how do the meets stack up in that light?

My own issues are whether, you can still see the cars when you go in to eat. Not being able to see my car for a long period of time really erks me (seperation anxiety I guess :)) Circus was ok in that regard, texas roadhouse last year (1.5 hour ride for me) was not OK.

I will also keep my eyes open as I hit other cruise nights for a spot. I have more central locations, but I guess we don't want to hear about them :)

[Slow-V6]

My own issues are whether, you can still see the cars when you go in to eat. Not being able to see my car for a long period of time really erks me (seperation anxiety I guess :)) Circus was ok in that regard, texas roadhouse last year (1.5 hour ride for me) was not OK.

I will also keep my eyes open as I hit other cruise nights for a spot. I have more central locations, but I guess we don't want to hear about them :)



Tony Lukes is all windows so u will be able to watch the cars all you want from inside..

Please list some more Central meets.. I am a SNJ guy but also feel a Centralized meet location everymonth isnt a bad idea because like you said its a hr-1 1/2 hr drive to Central NJ from just about 90 % of the state ( minus extreme south and North and of couse traffic in the Philly and NYC areas)..

[BonzoHansen]

All the meets are in the njfboa meets forum, as well as here: http://www.njfboa.org/events/

we haven't decided on November & December yet. 'Winter' meets are a crap shoot anyway, we used to not even have them.

[sweetbmxrider]

Step up and plan it. Remember the monthly meets need to meet certain criteria. At the core we are a car club and that needs to be considered. Paintball would be a great side deal, but not a monthly meet. Feel free to plan one and post it.

Constructive criticism, what does going to a restaurant have to do with cars? I like to run around and such, not sit at a table for 3 hours. Why I like duke so much :nod:

[BonzoHansen]

a place to congregate, a place to park cars, cost is reasonable for most people. we usually spend more time outside anyway, this the requirement about being parked for 3 hours, which rules out a sonic or such.

I love the DIP meet, but we can't really do that every month.

[WildBillyT]

a place to congregate, a place to park cars, cost is reasonable for most people. we usually spend more time outside anyway, this the requirement about being parked for 3 hours, which rules out a sonic or such.

I love the DIP meet, but we can't really do that every month.

Also the issue is that it can be a washout. This year I was unable to secure a permit which means no pavilion (they booked up super early this year, I called in March).

[BigAls87Z28]

You mean like going to Island in September? Do you have any suggestions?

Exactly, things like that. I don't know what the south has, or even if there is running water and/or plumbing much less a large venue. There are two tracks down there, and it could be a way for you guys to generate new members with lots of cash to join.

[BonzoHansen]

Millville is too expensive to do anything. We can't plan things that cost $250+ prepaid, no one will sign up. I ran there this April and the price was reasonable and yet no one from the club came despite it being advertised here for months. So we will not look to do anything there. We already talked about atco. If someone wants to take the reins on that go for it. But too many folks won't pull $5 out of their pocket, and we try to accommodate as many as possible.

another way to look at it: the meet is just a place to end up at - a target. why is it dependent on the club to make a whole day out of something? take august for instance. meeting up at texas roadhouse in millville. there is nothing stopping a group of guys from making a day of it. planning their own trip through the sticks, or going to atco afterwards, or whatever. We do that all the time - going to shore meets or chatterbox for instance. we make stops, etc. We even post the dates in advance so people can make plans.

I did a whole deal for the last September meet in Belmar and Howell and very few people came out. that was a lot of work for little return. I personally no longer have time to do such planning, especially if no one comes.

If you don't want to put gas in your car and drive it, perhaps you're in the wrong hobby.

[Anti_Rice_Guy]

It's up to everyone in the club to take a role. I started making cruises to each meet I attend years ago, to make the drive more fun and encourage more members.

[BonzoHansen]

It's up to everyone in the club to take a role. I started making cruises to each meet I attend years ago, to make the drive more fun and encourage more members.

exactly my point.

[Slow-V6]

People like Cruising, meeting @ resturants for food, hanging in parking lots BSing, Racing @ the track, Going to car shows, working on there cars, Cleaning and waxing there cars... Those are the things I like doing car wise. There are lots of people who hate car shows, or hate going to the race track, ect.. Its hard to accomodate everyone.

We should figure out if this is a real car club ( presidents all that crap) or just a website for us to meet up with our friends and hangout and sell **** occasionally? Right now I look at it as not a club but just a goup of F-body people who like to hang out and B/S and that is fine with me.. When people ask me if I am in any clubs I tell them about NJFBOA but tell them its not really a club.. Some people sign up but most are looking for a actual car club to join..

I know after being in many official car clubs in the past you pay a 25.00 a year fee and you get sponsored @ a dealership or place of buisiness and that sponsor gives the club money to be able to hold a track rental day or host a car show @ there place and what not. the SNJ pontiac club hosts 2 car shows a year, 2 track days, ice cream social were the club pays for the ice cream, a spring bbq were the club pays for the food, and a christmas party @ a venue were the club pays for that as well.

[LTb1ow]

I think the V17 meet was a great idea and I am sorry I could not make it, however I heard the turnout was not so great.

According to the survey, most people want to spend a maximum of $25 for a meet and that limits "coolness" options very much.

People like Cruising, meeting @ resturants for food, hanging in parking lots BSing, Racing @ the track, Going to car shows, working on there cars, Cleaning and waxing there cars... Those are the things I like doing car wise. There are lots of people who hate car shows, or hate going to the race track, ect.. Its hard to accomodate everyone.

We should figure out if this is a real car club ( presidents all that crap) or just a website for us to meet up with our friends and hangout and sell **** occasionally? Right now I look at it as not a club but just a goup of F-body people who like to hang out and B/S and that is fine with me.. When people ask me if I am in any clubs I tell them about NJFBOA but tell them its not really a club.. Some people sign up but most are looking for a actual car club to join..

I know after being in many official car clubs in the past you pay a 25.00 a year fee and you get sponsored @ a dealership or place of buisiness and that sponsor gives the club money to be able to hold a track rental day or host a car show @ there place and what not. the SNJ pontiac club hosts 2 car shows a year, 2 track days, ice cream social were the club pays for the ice cream, a spring bbq were the club pays for the food, and a christmas party @ a venue were the club pays for that as well.

See above, I would be all for paid dues and what not but, that ain't gonna happen.

[BonzoHansen]

so we are not a club because we don't charge dues or buy ice cream? i honestly don't understand what you mean. and what does a track day constitute? Is it different than us going to island in September? Or you mean like an actual rental on like a Tuesday? Do we really need to have our own car show? We did that for years.

hey if anyone can get a dealer or business to kick in funds god bless. we already have that, see sponsors list to the right? but it's not really enough to do much with after we pay for website. it lets us prepay for stuff like shirts. again because 10 people will prepay for stuff.

car shows are a royal pita. getting help for the nats was a pain. you need a lot of people willing to help, and this club has not always been show & shine centric. So if the general membership does not care about a car show.


so after all this, who is actually willing to step up and do work?

[LTb1ow]

..what kind of work...?

[BonzoHansen]

planning & execution of said meet that is more than show up and hang out. you have no idea how much work a decent car show takes. I had so much time in to the nats it was crazy.

just planning the cruise meet last September I bet I had 40 hours into it. planning the route, actually going out and driving it to make sure it worked, then making the maps and so forth.

[WildBillyT]

See above, I would be all for paid dues and what not but, that ain't gonna happen.

Majority of our members do not want to spend a lot of money and do not want to prepay for anything, ever. The fact that some guys spend $500+ on speed parts (which the 'boa helps them install via tech threads) and won't kick us $20 for a club shirt is kind of baffling.

It is hard to plan a meet when you have:

A) Members who will pay more and would rather not have another burger and BS meet, but are few and far between

B) Members who do not want to pay for anything but lunch, but are quite numerous

Dare I say we try our hand at Power Member meets, as 100% of them are OK with spending a few extra bucks.

[LTb1ow]

Down for a PM meet, just make it middle of 195 area to be fair.

[KevinW]

What is a Power Member meet?

[WildBillyT]

What is a Power Member meet?

Kevin:

Something I just thought up. PM = power members, although I'd guess it would be a meet open to all who want to spend a little extra for a larger event.



At this point really just spitballing to see what we can change up.

[shadowfire]

again what is say has no meaning, but i like the idea of air soft or paintball, the go cart thing sounded sweet, or letting members race each other at a track maybe englishtown race way??? i would even just do cruises if we could get enuff cars, ....

[BigAls87Z28]

When the **** did we get ice cream?

I think it's just a lack of interaction on the site which leads to poor turn out.

My suggestion to NJMP was just that, but I think that the bulk of this site is geared to drag racing and not a road track.

[BonzoHansen]

lack of interaction on the site ?

[sweetbmxrider]

I vote Hoffmann's :D

[Slow-V6]

The SNJ Camaro club always has a bunch of cars @ there meets and car shows/track days, Same with the SNJ Pontiac club and theCorvette Club..

I like this Fbody site because in my eyes its not really a club but just a bunch of people who enjoy hanging out and what not.. Lot of people like this and lots do not. I was just throwing out ideas and what not..

I know for one thing for the 25 a year that I pay in both the vette and SNJ pontiac club that gets us alot of free events that the club is able to pay for because of member dues and dealership sponsorships. I am not saying this is the way to go or not to go just giving a reason why in my mind the meets dont have a turnout like other clubs have.

[sweetbmxrider]

Yeah I guess paying dues almost forces you to go to a meet so you get your moneys worth. Not a bad operation at all.

[shadowfire]

lack of interaction on the site ?

i dont thin its lack,,, its more like small groups of ppl know each other, and other members seem out of the loop some times.

[LTb1ow]

i dont thin its lack,,, its more like small groups of ppl know each other, and other members seem out of the loop some times.

Solved easily by at meets the powers to be having everyone get together at meets and introduce themselves, real name with screen name. At least then you can put a face to a name and perhaps make FRIENDS.

[Slow-V6]

It was so much easier to meet new friends in H/S!!

[KevinW]

I agree with the " not know who people are" statement! I have a tough time remembering peoples names I just met, let alone people I have only seen their screen names (I remeber the cars more easily) :) We need more introductions at these meets.

[PolarBear]

Majority of our members do not want to spend a lot of money and do not want to prepay for anything, ever.


I think this statement nails it on the head, and some of the people posting in this thread are guilty of this.

A) Members who will pay more and would rather not have another burger and BS meet, but are few and far between

B) Members who do not want to pay for anything but lunch, but are quite numerous


Again, some people wont even pony up for that but bitch and complain about the site and rules etc when they dont even pay anything towards the website.


My suggestion to NJMP was just that, but I think that the bulk of this site is geared to drag racing and not a road track.

I dont think this is true at all, but a lot of the members enjoy drag racing more. There are a few hardcore track guys and then the rest are either enthusiasts or drag racers. People dont know how to go around turns :kneeslap:


I know for one thing for the 25 a year that I pay in both the vette and SNJ pontiac club that gets us alot of free events that the club is able to pay for

IMO if we started charging to post on the site/be a member I think a LOT of the people here will stop attending/posting since they dont want to pay to even drive to a place and buy some food.

But on the other hand it may make some people feel it is more of a bonafide club, but planning events would/could be a full time job. That is a lot for the people here on the board that have kids and other responsibilities. I know Scott puts in a lot of time here, but I hardly ever see him in life as he has two kids and he spends a lot of time with the family.


I think if more people step up and pitch in it could be more of what he/she wants out of the club. at least one month a year and they would get more satisfaction out of it. I think WBT and Scott have basically asked people here to step up now, rather than waiting for them to have it planned. I think DIP meet is a good one because it forces the club to come together and make it work as opposed to have someone plan out a meeting.

I am happy with the small events that require less work from the people planning them. Not enough people show up to the planned events anyway so the return on the planning is basically nothing for the people involved. I had planned on attending EVERY monthly event this year, but one month I was sick and the other month was the day some of us went to see Lemons at NJMP. I think that I am not the norm since I have no family obligations, but I think that a LOT of the members here are like me and could actually attend meetings, but dont. I also think people focus too much on whether or not they are bringing an F-body, but I think Jeff is right, it is more about hanging out and meeting new people with the NJFBOA.

[Slow-V6]

I wouldnt charge a few to post on the site but I would charge to join the club and that would cover club events such as track days, BBQ's ect. If we could get a dealership or what not to sponsor the club then we could see if they could pick up the cost of the site and what not. Thats what the T/A club I was in down in VA did. We also had access to the dealerships shop/lifts and tools on our meeting days. Our meetings were held in there conferance room above the show room and we would have 15-20 T/A's parked in the dealership next to the street and there would be a bunch of people coming in to check out the Firebirds and since they were there would check out the other cars in the dealership.. The Classic Corvette club also has Classic Chevy give them 2500 a year and also gives the club some money if somebody who buys a car from the dealership says that a corvette member told them about the dealership.

[WildBillyT]

I wouldnt charge a few to post on the site but I would charge to join the club and that would cover club events such as track days, BBQ's ect. If we could get a dealership or what not to sponsor the club then we could see if they could pick up the cost of the site and what not. Thats what the T/A club I was in down in VA did. We also had access to the dealerships shop/lifts and tools on our meeting days. Our meetings were held in there conferance room above the show room and we would have 15-20 T/A's parked in the dealership next to the street and there would be a bunch of people coming in to check out the Firebirds and since they were there would check out the other cars in the dealership.. The Classic Corvette club also has Classic Chevy give them 2500 a year and also gives the club some money if somebody who buys a car from the dealership says that a corvette member told them about the dealership.

Jeff,

Sounds good, but it also sounds like those clubs have members who spend money. And I mean real money, not their allowance. Sponsors only like being sponsors if it's a two-way street.

[Slow-V6]

Jeff,

Sounds good, but it also sounds like those clubs have members who spend money. And I mean real money, not their allowance. Sponsors only like being sponsors if it's a two-way street.

We hosted 2 car shows a year, 1 at the dealership and the other @ a neutral location.. We had the dealerships name on the flyers and t-shirts that were made up and on the plaques for the trophys. We also did 2 drag days 1 @ the drag strip and 1 @ the autocross. The cars brought in alot of people @ the dealership. After the meetings we would go eat some lunch and go to a local car hangout.

As far as spending money I paid 25.00 a year and I think I paid 25.00 for the track rental @ the drag strip and just watched the autocross.. We had about 25 cars each paying 25.00 and the dealership/club picked up the rest of the bill for the track days.. For our spring BBQ the club payed for the location rental ( if needed) and they picked up the meats, buns, and charcoal.. Everyone else just brought a side or drinks.

The car shows we charged 10.00 for cars and did a 50/50 raffels, and door prizes and what not. We usually had around 50-75 cars for the shows and it was only F-bodies. All the money we made @ the shows went to the club..

We also did parades for christmas and Vet day and the dealer ship had a banner made up for the lead T/A that read Tidewater trans am club sponsored by Performance GMC/Buick.. These were televised parades in Va Beach oceanfront and its great advertising for the dealership that is probably alot cheaper then a commercial..

[sweetbmxrider]

We barely have 50-75 people posting.

[Slow-V6]

We barely have 50-75 people posting.

I am not saying we should do this just comparing this club with other clubs I am in.

I pay 75.00 a year for the 3 car clubs I am in and 1 club is located in Virginia Beach area and I attend 1 meeting a year. Alot of the members in the Tidewater trans am club do travel to carlisle for events, and do make weekend runs to A/C and Philly so we are still involved in club events.. We had maybe 50 members in the virginia club as its a military town and people are only there for 2 years or so before they transfer..

The SNJ pontiac club has like 150 members and always gets about 50 people @ there monthly meeting. Most are older guys but its still a good time with lots of talk of cars and upcoming car hangouts/cruises/track days/ect..

The Corvette club I am in is split into 3 sections.. NNJ,CNJ,and SNJ. The SNJ sec meets @ adelphias in Depford. They did this to make it easier for everyone to attend.. There club events involve all members but they do region events as well..

[WildBillyT]

As far as spending money I paid 25.00 a year and I think I paid 25.00 for the track rental @ the drag strip and just watched the autocross.. We had about 25 cars each paying 25.00 and the dealership/club picked up the rest of the bill for the track days.. For our spring BBQ the club payed for the location rental ( if needed) and they picked up the meats, buns, and charcoal.. Everyone else just brought a side or drinks.

Sounds kind of like the nats on one hand, and Duke Island on the other. Duke usually costs the club $75 for a permit and then everybody brings BBQ stuff.

[LTb1ow]

Paying dues could lead to club being "official" enough to issue fancy paper work to say my car is a limited edition type deal for collector registration?

[WildBillyT]

Paying dues could lead to club being "official" enough to issue fancy paper work to say my car is a limited edition type deal for collector registration?

I took that issue way farther than I should have down in Trenton.

That line is a lie. The MVC issues no such designation and does not allow clubs anything of the sort. I have it in writing.

[LTb1ow]

Oh darn.

Well, I'm not paying any dues now. :|

:kneeslap:

[shadowfire]

Solved easily by at meets the powers to be having everyone get together at meets and introduce themselves, real name with screen name. At least then you can put a face to a name and perhaps make FRIENDS.

i sort of tried to do that when i put the pics of members with the pics of thier car and their real name ... it kinds work at least for me now i know a few more ppls names.. so i dont feel like a a!@h&*le when i say hey i like you car what is your name??

like i have a name thank you lol...

[greenformula92]

For me I look at the club meets if I feel they are to far away for me to take the ride then I just won't go. The meets move all over and I think it's somewhat fair. I am in sort of a wierd spot geographically as I am not sure If I would be considered South or East Central, either way if the meet is to far than don't go. This months meet is a perfect oppurtunity to just hang out for a while and put some faces with the cars. Isn't that the point of the meets?...To see who you have been helping or just striking up a conversation to and seeing the car. I realize I do not make it to a lot of meets but sometimes life gets in the way. I am going to the Duke Island meet and then to the Howell show and Duke is a ride for me. But it's worth it. To just hang out and see how projects are coming along and having a good time. Thats my :2cents:

Now lets :bbq: