Bash-19 News

[jeff]

Greetings,

After much deliberation, the decision has been made to forego our 19th anniversary celebration ("the Bash" for those who are new here), which would have occurred in February 2023. The next occurrence will be in February 2024 for our 20th anniversary. Following our 20th, the Bash may occur every other year, but that has yet to be determined. There will not be a logo contest this year, and no logo items will be produced. My sincere thanks to Mike Redburn and the Bash-18 team for their support in arriving at this decision. In 2024 we expect to produce an exciting, high quality event that will kick off our third decade in traditional IAP style!

 

[jttheclockman]

Wow. Get on here this morning and this is the first thread I read. Now being here for as many years as I have, I have gotten to witness basically the birth of this site and with it the growing aspect and the growing pains that went along with it. The many members that passed through here over those years and the great work that has been represented here over those years. Their contributions are cemented here somewhere amongst the many many many pages of this forum. With your guidance and leadership it grew into one of the most followed forums on the net. It took much hardwork and to this day still does to keep the lights on here and keep this hobby alive. Many exciting things grew along with the age of this place and the one that seemed to always draw the most interest was the Bash events. Now over time I have noticed its spark and sizzle has subsided much and I am sure there are many reasons for this and one being the huge turnover of membership.

Maybe for us older members you could elaborate a little more as to the reason for such change. I am sure there are some private reasons which you most certainly have the right to not divulge but hoping you can shed a little more light on your decision as to this move. The Bash being a fixture event here and one that has sort of defined this place probably does need some overhauling and different direction and taking a pause maybe just what it needs. Discussions on how to go about this maybe in order. Whatever reasons you have and whatever direction you take us in we all Thank You for your work behind the scenes that many just do not see and know of. Along with the many volunteers that give their time and effort to run those events and also to help in the background are also deserving of a huge Thank You. We are all getting older and with age comes slowing down and not being able to do what we once do. The need for younger minds comes into play to keep the path of this great site moving forward. This comes in many forms here.

With that said another question is the Summer Extravaganza also put on hold? Thanks Jeff.

 

[SteveJ]

It seems hard to believe that I've been on this site for ten years! When I first joined I enjoyed the Bash and the Sumer Extravaganza so much that I decided to volunteer to run some of the contests. I know first hand how much work goes in to running a contest or two during the bash. At times I've spent 4 or 5 hours in a day seeking to get a contest with its photos correct. I've had to contact numerous other volunteers, as well as Jeff and Mike Redburn for help. Often being told that others were experiencing the same issues. It wouldn't take much going on in real life for me to step back from volunteering. Over the past couple of years less people have come forward to run contests which has resulted in either less contests or volunteers needing to run multiple contests.

I commend Jeff and Mike (and others who have been a part of this for far longer than I) for their dedication to helping this site remain a trusted place to go for inspiration and camaraderie.

I will miss the Bash, but I won't miss running a contest or two.

Steve

 

[jeff]

...Now over time I have noticed its spark and sizzle has subsided much and I am sure there are many reasons for this and one being the huge turnover of membership.

Maybe for us older members you could elaborate a little more as to the reason for such change. I am sure there are some private reasons which you most certainly have the right to not divulge but hoping you can shed a little more light on your decision as to this move.

With that said another question is the Summer Extravaganza also put on hold? Thanks Jeff.

Here's what I shared with a smaller group (the Bash-18 team and a few others) prior to making the public post:

You were all on the Bash-18 team last year, so I wanted to share some news with you prior to making a public announcement. Mike Redburn and I have been discussing the idea of not holding the 19th anniversary Bash in Feb 2023. We've concluded that skipping the 2023 event is a reasonable and prudent thing to do for several reasons.

I brought this up to Mike due to my concerns about not having the personal resources to make it happen. For 18 years I've been able to fit it in around whatever issues might be happening in my personal life (divorce, moving, changing jobs, illness, family crises), but this year is a bit different for me. I am ridiculously over committed for the next 6-8 months, and I can't do justice to the logo contest, shirt or mug sales, or the bash itself. IAP has always been equal (sometimes greater) priority with everything else in my life, but I need to put all my energy into other things for a little while. As you know from your own contest management, the Bash is a significant time commitment. Not to speak for Mike, but he does have some concerns about the time commitment this year on his end as well.

Adding to that, I'll point out that I sense a certain level of "burnout" regarding the Bash. Participation last year was low - we didn't even sell 50 mugs and the number of daily visitors was disappointing. My opinion is that by skipping a year, perhaps we can capitalize on some pent-up demand the following year. I go to some professional conferences that occur only every other or every 3rd year. By the time the event rolls around people are raring to go and anxious to participate. One thing I don't want to happen is for all of us to expend the tremendous effort it takes to put on a good party and have a really low turnout.

Regarding your comment about "spark and sizzle", I agree 100%. In the early days of the Bash, IAP was unique - practically the only game in town. We could approach vendors and manufacturers for donations and we were sometimes overrun with prizes and things to raffle, auction, and give away. Part of the excitement of the Bash was all that activity around prizes. We had daily auctions, the donation drawing was huge, and we had multiple super-enthusiastic cheerleaders to handle all those activities. These days, vendors and manufacturers are inundated with donation requests. You have at least a half dozen pen gatherings soliciting stuff, not to mention whatever the FB groups might be doing. So I chalk up the loss of spark and sizzle to "dilution". Other activities and groups taking prize donations and people away from the Bash.

So, a topic for future discussion might also be that the "novelty" of the Bash as it has been conducted has worn off. Perhaps for our 20th anniversary we can reconstitute the event in a new way that we have not even thought of. There are lots of things I'm interested in trying to make the Bash an interesting and rewarding activity for everyone.

Regarding the Summer Extravaganza, I don't know what the future plans are for that. Mike did 95% of the work for that one. I'm guessing that it will not happen in 2023, but I am certain it will be back at some point in some form.

 

[jrista]

Thank you for the notice, Jeff. It is not unreasonable, IMO, to hold off a year.

Things have changed a lot the last couple of years, and I think there are a lot of stressors in a lot of people's lives now. That may also be why participation in the Bash this year was lower? I'm new here, I joined in the summer of 2021, so I don't have the longevity of other people here. This year has been absolute hell, though, and the stressors just keep coming. There isn't a lot of headspace for anything these days, and I barely turn a pen every couple of months lately. I'm hoping to get enough turning time in this year to actually get a store going and try and actually sell some stuff during the holiday season, but its been a real struggle so far. My struggles were starting around the time this year's Bash was going on, and I didn't have the headspace to get into it myself...

Just want you to know I don't think the decision is unreasonable, and that I think the idea to try and build up more anticipation for 2024 sounds good! Maybe it will give you a chance to get a jumpstart on requesting those donations from vendors, before the dilution sets in, by preparing for 2024 earlier than usual?

 

[jttheclockman]

Jeff, thanks for replying and giving us all a little insight as to your thoughts and reasons. Have to agree with most you said about the newness when this site started and we were about the only game in town. With the expansion of social media and FB and many other events things and membership have become stretched out more. The following and the mentality of people today has changed. We are in a "now" atmosphere and today people's interest span is so short minded. a forum such as this takes more involvement and input from membership than a so called FB page. These things have all played into what we see here today. I know myself keep longing for the old days but know it will not happen. I try to encourage new members to stay aboard and become the new voice and idea carrier here. We need them. It is what it is and if and when we ever have a Bash again is something that can be talked about. I am sure we all understand. I know it is a small sampling but I too have been so busy that my shop tools do not even know my name any more. If and when I will have to reintroduce myself to them when I get back.

 

[RichAldrich]

Bummer!

 

[darrin1200]

I believe this is a good decision, and I will be looking forward to an exceptional 20th Birthday Bash.

 

[stolicky]

I appreciate the work all of the volunteers put in over the years to make the Bash's happen. I understand what it takes to run events purely by volunteer effort. It is hard. Completely understand, Jeff. You have made this site a major part of your life, and it is an awesome resource. You do you for a while.

 

[geffre]

Could a notice go up on the front page about next year's bash being the next bash? I think it is just fine that we do not have one, but there should be some kind of a notice on top so we can get hyped for next year.

 

[jttheclockman]

Could a notice go up on the front page about next year's bash being the next bash? I think it is just fine that we do not have one, but there should be some kind of a notice on top so we can get hyped for next year.

Not speaking for Jeff, but I believe that would be impossible to know what will happen a year from now. Maybe more toward Dec of this year things will become more clear. As Jeff said there is hope but not written in stone if we will ever have another Bash event again. The players have changed over time and it is not something that we can wing it. In the mean time I think it behooves the member ship to show their appreciation of the site in general by the one thing we all can control and that is participate more. Leaning on a certain few to carry the conversation does take its toll. Showing interest as to what goes on here goes a long way. All our lives have their ebbs and flows. There is a great feel of comfort here and willingness to share that needs cultivating at all times to make things shine and grow. Losing many of the older members and having a great change of guard over the years should just mean new energy and new ideas. We do not need contests to show off our talents and new ideas. We can do this throughout the years to promote this great hobby and it is a great hobby and one that can survive the test of time and make some $$ at as well. This same pull down has happened in my other hobby as well Scrollsawing. There too was a huge influx of talent, members, and even pattern makers when it hit the high times. Now not so much. Many factors come into play but it is what it is. Lets hope we can bring some of that fun and enthusiasm back to this place. Just my opinion.

 

[markgum]

I understand the decision to wait a year. My activity the past few years have been very limited with Bash activities, due to life, job, moving, retiring and just plain tired. I've been around here for some time and as I clean / organize my garage/shop, I do plan to be more active.
Truly appreciate all the bash activities chairs and Jeff for this amazing web resource.

 

[jeff]

Could a notice go up on the front page about next year's bash being the next bash? I think it is just fine that we do not have one, but there should be some kind of a notice on top so we can get hyped for next year.

Thanks for the reminder, Brian. I've put a notice on the front page.

 

[Swagopenturner]

I understand the reasons, but I'll still miss it! And look forward to the next one whenever it happens!

 

[bsshog40]

Hopefully I'll have my shop up and running for the 2024 Bash! I'm sure there is a lot of work involved in running this. Thanks for all you do!!

 

[moke]

I, for one have to thank Jeff, for his candor and honesty. He listens to the membership, sometimes asking for opinions, and if not responds to requests for information. For those of you that participate in other sites, not pen related, have certainly noticed that is often not always the case.
I never participated in the Bash for the very reasons that Jeff pointed out were his hang up this year...life just gets in the way...not that I did want to, just didn't have time.
So, I personally want to tip my hat to leaders for their management style.

 

[bmac]

Thanks to Jeff and all the others that work behind the scenes to make this site the best that it can be. I think it is by far the best forum site on the web for what it offers and the way it's run. There have been a lot of other forum sites that have come and gone, but we have managed to survive and continue to offer quality content. The bash will be missed, but I am confident it be back and even better than in the past.

Bobby
Louisiana

 

[Garrett'sWoodworx]

I'd like to add my personal thanks to everyone involved behind the scenes, not just with the Bash but with IAP in general. For many of the same reasons already listed, I haven't spent much time here in the past 24 months but I'll try hard to spend more time her in 2023 and beyond. We probably need to collectiovely find a way to make more folks aware of this incredible resource; so many of the folks I talk to online aren't aware it exists or what resources it makes available. Perhaps I can come up with some ideas along those lines.