(COPIED from Busters post, my thoughts follow):
Wm. Severin Thompson wrote: "Rockford, IL, in conjunction with VSCDA's
Blackhawk Classic. It's an hour and a half from Peter's place in Madison
and an hour and a half from the Dream Farm... in case we have some pre
or post race activities."
But what is there to offer those Sprite owners in America who have no interest
in racing? Or those who would like to see and/or participate in some low-key
events, or who want to be a part of a milestone and to look and admire
non-racing cars? What non-Sprite/automoive activities would there be to hold
the interest of wives or children who do not have the same interests of the
husband or dad? Again, it would be piggybacking for the sake of
pigglybacking.
Could the average Sprite/Midget owner justify to his spouse the cost and time
involved? Racing may be a hobby for the more affluent, but not necessary
owning, for owning is still a hobby that most people and a youngest generation
of potential owners can afford.
I strongly suspect that to casually write off these issues would be to write
off the majority of Sprite/Midget owners in America, let alone overseas.
Just a few random thoughts.
Buster Evans
I think the Clocktower would be a fine choice. For Busters concern, I would
also be a bit concerned about this. There is probably a lot more in Rockford
itself than many here in Wisconsin give it credit for. The Resort (It's a Best
Western motel is what it is) IS building a substantial indoor waterpark, I
assume those staying there would use it for free, those staying at the
surrounding motels (there is WAY too many mo/hotel rooms in this area of
Rockford!) I'm sure could use it for a fee, not sure, I can ask. It has been
used for these type of events before, I'm sure it would work fine. The bus
company I work for provides transportation right to the Clocktower from OHare,
Midway Airport, and Union Station (Amtrak) in Chicago, this may be a benefit
to those not wanting to drive to Rockford. There is an outdoor waterpark not
too far away. There is a kind of kid-oriented activity center maybe 5 miles
north of the Clocktower (how would you describe it Ron? Volcano Falls is the
place I'm thinking of). I know Rockford is going to be a hard sell to non-car
enthusiast family members who need to be tagged along. It's not Disney World,
but you could do alot worse than Rockford IL. Plus it has Blackhawk Farms
going for it. Oh there's an Auto Museum up near where Ron lives too. PLUS Ron
has expressed an interest in helping to organize things too, he's
well-traveled and probably knows the ins and outs of this stuff pretty well.
Alternative would be Beloit WI or S. Beloit IL, closer to the track but less
things to do in my opinion. But there is a Ramada in S Beloit that might be
able to handle the cars, not alot of surrounding ones though to accomodate
overflow.
Now Peter C has expressed an interest in a particular Resort up near Wisconsin
Dells, there is a great myriad of things to keep occupied with in that area,
it's really "touristy" there, situated on the Wisconsin River the original
draw was geologic oddities due to the river carving out limestone after the
last ice age. But now it's mainly mini-golf and pull taffy, Ripleys
Believe-it-or-not shows, stuff like that. Bungee jumping, oh a casino, pretty
large one too. Look up Wisconsin Dells on the net and you'll find lots of
sites. Probably a bit farther from Peters shop, not by much, and closer to
Flounders. So the Dells has alot more to do than Rockford. For those
interested in the track, Rockford. For those NOT interested in the track,
Wisconsin Dells would be more interesting. Oh they still do boat tours at the
Dells, it's not like they gave up on sight-seeing the river, I'd recommend a
boat tour yes. Nice scenery if you know where to look for it.
Dan
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