What do people want?

[Drygoods]

A Happy New Year to you folks,

Almost three months ago we had a discussion here about how the 2009 event season ended, and for many is was rather discouraging. Plenty of people here talk about how there are few, or none, of those "real campaign" events here in the West. True, people talk about the ones that they know already like Oakley and Camp Roberts, and the "Column ride/march" but few folks are seriously talking about what they want. Has anyone out here in the West made any plans to celebrate the sesquicentennial? Is there anyone out here in CA talking about 150th cycle events or celebrations?

Hoffy may have been correct when he stated it was the economy, lack of organization, conflicting dates of dual events, and the fact that many of us who were hardcore are simply getting older. I'm the first to say that I consider myself and husband too old to ramble over rough country, so those events where I have to cart things in 5 miles is out for me. On the other hand, those immersion events in the midwest where you live in a village, those are very desirable in my eyes.

So what DO people want these days? We cannot say that people all want the same things that we wanted 5 or 10 years ago, impressions change, despite the thought that we all seem to want immersion = total history without modern intrusion.

I don't know how many folks will get that immersion experience in this challenging economy, let alone lack of interest from historic sites. Personally, I'd be happy to host someone out here for a visit if they were willing to take us out to their backyard. Somehow I'm not hearing those large numbers of folks traveling East and West, am I wrong? No matter, I'm convinced that with the sesquicentennial arriving just next year, interest will revive this hobby and events will be well populated. NOW is the time to start chattering on this, even a bit late, but if we want to see large events with young, well clad, knowledgable folks, we MUST bring the discussion to the table, or be it a forum.
And for you old timers, do you really want to walk away now when the 150th anniversary of these amazing fantastic events are in OUR times? Not me, I wanna see 'em, and if I could convince my children to participate as well and have some memories to take into their next 50 years, that would be great, but I've no strong hopes there. Sadly true.

I can see this turning into a gripefest thread. I can take that, but unless you say what you really want to see change, how will it ever happen?