The Bid.

.....As usual the 'to-do' list for the weekend was daunting and unconquerable. But we did manage to get a few things done. One of which was the tour of a site that we're going to use to submit a September Crown bid for 2012. The location is not in Dragon's Laire. Although, according to the Kingdom Seneschal, we do not need to acquire the local group's permission to use the site, I would much rather get their blessing before I proceed too much farther with submission of the bid.

.....TBT, Madrun, Oliver and myself drove up to the site early in the morning on Saturday. It is a fairgrounds facility. The initial impression is that it is fairly well tended, but with lots of buildings on it. Plenty of parking around the perimeter.

.....Across the street from the local airport. Several planes flew overhead as we toured the site. Most were quiet and hardly noticeable. But one was rather loud, and managed to interrupt the conversation for a moment. Will have to mention that in the bid as a possible negative.

.....The staff is eager to please and willing to be as flexible as possible. Seems that Labor Day weekend is not a celebratory weekend in the area, so they are usually open to groups wanting the site. Also were quite willing to work with the local service providers for both trash and biffies to supplement the facility as needed. Although that may be minimal. For their fair they estimate approximately 30,000 attendees with over 1,000 who actually camp or stay on site in some capacity over the course of the weekend. The lady with whom we dealt didn't seem to think we'd have any trouble housing everyone.

.....The first place we looked at was the Grandstand Arena. I was anxious as to whether the ground there would support fighting and whether it was big enough for a Crown List. Oliver declared a 'yes' to both. So that worry was eliminated. In addition there is also a smaller horse arena at the other end of site for the Equestrian Championship, complete with stalls and amenities for the Equestrians. Bonus.

.....We looked in one of the buildings that would work great as either the Marketplace or the Arts & Sciences point. I'm not sure if the Merchant Community would be all for going inside for a September Crown. But there was some lawn space just to the side and the end of this building to put at least some Merchants outside. So maybe the combination of the two might be an enticement. Would certainly save on the space used.

.....Scouted out two other buildings that would work as meeting space and either Arts & Sciences or the Marketplace. So when submitting for a bid proposal from the facility we're going to ask for these three buildings.

.....Three separate sets of showers on site. They are coin operated, but looked clean and neat. I think the fighters will appreciate their availability. If we get the bid we'll have to make sure to emphasize that people save up on their spare change.

.....Nice bardic stage on site. It is a modern trailer that folds out into a stage. With bleachers in front of it. Will definitely work nicely. But that seems to be the one failing of the facility - the modern look of the place. We would have to work hard to try and improve the ambiance. Lots and lots of banners. I think we'd have to get someone on board early whose sole job was to work on decoration.

.....Camping will be compact. There are two large grassy areas that will be the main camping areas. There is quite a bit of open pieces of lawn between buildings that can be used for camping as well. The R.V.s will like the place as there are quite a few R.V. parking spots. Outside the fence line there are two groves of trees that can be used nicely for camping as well. Oh, and an area outside the Grandstand Arena that is usually reserved for parking of the rodeo folks that can be used for camping as well. Our Camping Coordinator will have to be strict on making sure encampments bunch up as much as possible.

.....There is also some city owned land just outside of the Fairgrounds that might be utilized for camping purposes as well. Just to be in-the-know we'll probably ask about the availability of those lands as well.

.....Most of the site is well fenced, although I can see some areas that could be ghosted fairly easily. But we are an honourable Society. So we do our best, try to cover for the less-honourable people, and not worry too much about the rest.

.....Not a perfect site as I can see a handful of issues. But workable, and there are advantages as well working with the local group. Have the Crown and An Tir Community-At-Large pay them a visit would be a good thing for all involved. A little off the beaten path of Central An Tir, but no more so than say a Wastekeep or Wealdsmere event, so I'm not fussed on that one.

.....The Dragon's Laire populace didn't seem too concerned about the drive time when I mentioned the location at the last Business Meeting, so that was heartening. So the next step is a formal bid from the facility itself. If that price is reasonable, then we put together our bid to Kingdom and submit. There are no guarantees that we would actually receive the bid, but it has been a while since Dragon's Laire has done a full-scale outdoor Crown event, so we'd be in the running as long as our financials were in order.

.....On to the next step...

.....Aaron / Arontius.