Kennesaw Mtn GA MVPA Show and Swap Meet

[airmech3839]

It was a great event and just gets me even more excited about the GA rally!

 

[Capt.Marion]

Whose 915?

 

[dc3coyote]

WOW looks like I missed a great time. Right in my own back yard too. Next year this will not fly. Thanks everyone for posting the pics. They look great

 

[CARNAC]

Here's my honest assessment:

UPS:
1. Timing on calendar-great.
2. Friendliness of company-great
3. Cost to participate-Free-Great

DOWNS:
1. Think relocation nearer to Ft Benning so we can make this a very major regional event that could rival Aberdeen. The draw of the growing military museum at Benning could definately propel this into a major event. Overall the location was horrible. The train not only kept the few folks camping out awake for two nights, it was also a distractor during the day. Need a location with more immediate support such as food and lodging.
2. Either everyone together or separate the displays from the vendors. The current feel is this is a jeep show with a separate steel soldier deuce augmentation.
3. Advertise, advertise, advertise. As my sales manager use to tell me "Grow the business." I didn't see any growth from a somewhat disappointing year last year. Needs to be in the various magazines and put out on the web well in advance. In general for all events, we need to know a year out so we can plan accordingly. There shouldn't be a reason I don't know that the dates, not just for this event, but for any event taking place next year.

Overall, not worth the stress of the heat and lack of sleep (due to the trains). Could have accomplished the same effects by performing a drive-in for a breakfast on Saturday morning.

So now I'm the poo-pooer of the event. If we don't have an honest assessment (and these observations were also made by many others there) then we will be stuck in accepting what we had.

CARNAC

 

[hndrsonj]

Kind of funny CARNAC, I'm 500 miles away and heard the exact same things! GREAT show but....

 

[airmech3839]

This was my first event and know that there were some people who came on Friday and were told to park in the back to leave room for the "jeeps" and they were kinda "Huh" They had invested alot of time in their trucks and it showed... to bad they were missed on Saturday... I agree CARNAC that the location was decent except for the Train's!!! A little more orginization on the "vendor" area verses the "display" area. The Museum was nice and my boys had a blast!! I don't know who set this up but I was told by a GAMVPA guy that this was a "last minute rally" if that is true then how come I saw it posted up here over 2 months ago? I know that this show had some great deals on "stuff" and that is sraight out of 2 or 3 vendors that I chatted with that do this on a fairly normal basis!

the only negative for me was the lack of food options within walking distance, and the trains every 30 min.

All in all it was a good show and I had fun, I got to put some faces with screen names and buy, or dream of buying, some neat stuff!! Would I do it again???? maybe if I could get there earlier on friday and if I prepared more for the lack of food options.... It was a long haul for me and it was fairly rewarding...

CARNAC your right! Although given enough notice the same location could work, I think, if advertised well and people warned of the train!!

 

[Heavysteven]

They put all the jeeps up front and most of the deuces in the back. There is a divide between the jeep crowd and the deuces etc. I had a conversation with Clinto about this as well. Seems like the older jeep folks don't understand this group.

This was not last minute they previewed the location in march.
They needed a signs on the freeway. I think this show is going to stay close to home for these guys, most live in Marietta.

I really enjoyed meeting everyone though.

 

[CARNAC]

Another note, for all shows, is the inappropriate use of PA systems. At the NJ show it was the hour upon hour upon hour of the same lines from Good Morning Vietnam and other shows. That was corrected before the show was ended.

At this show, it was inappropriate timing of various bugle calls such as To the Colors, Taps, and Retreat. All these have significant meaning to old vets like me. Taps in the middle of the day has a very somber meaning than if they would have played it at the end of the evening. If they would have said we are going to have a moment of silence for the departed and then play taps, GREAT. Don't just play bugle calls to play them---at any event.

 

[Heavysteven]

Ok.. Made it to the house at 8pm. No problems other than the steady drip of gear oil out of my air switch for the front axle.

Check out this thread, hope it helps


http://www.steelsoldiers.com/deuce/13769-front-axle-air-switch-again.html

 

[TaylorTradingCo]

Great time

We had a great time on the lower field in the nice cool shade. The weather was as perfect as you could possibly ask for. Me and Christian slept on the deck of my gooseneck trailer out in the open and didn't get cold or hot, it was just right, except for the ocassional train, and we got used to them.

We found tons of great deals and did a pretty good job of restocking some holes in my small goods inventory. Found some pretty neat odds and ends too, like my mini-jerry can, field desk and vintage ammo can. I think the best deal of the day had to be the 15-minute flares for 12.5 cents! I bought all he had left once I found out about them from Wreckerman.

The old M211 and M332 ammo trailer were mine and are for sale, along with M35's, M109's, M105's...

One thing I would like to get though, is the name of the guy who was selling the 5-gallon water cans. We did some trading on some, but I may decide I want to get more.

It was great to see hang next to Tony Wright and Wreckerman again and to see many friends from last years GA rally. This is the season to be jolly, we have the GA rally coming up, a small thing up in Chattanooga and Tennehill too. Let me know if there are others close by or if you need info. on any of the ones I just mentioned.

Derek Taylor

 

[1crook]

Thanks for posting all of the great pictures Goldcomet, Wrecker, and Airmech.

Yeah, it was nice to see everyone again and meet some new people as well. There were some people that were there that do not post alot, please post your experience as well. I share the same sentiment about the weather, it was not so bad in the shade but once you started moving around it was hot.

Thanks to Doug, Steven, and Carnac for helping us get loaded up yesterday. I was able to find a few things that I needed for trucks while I was there. Carnac had a large display with some really great stuff. You guys will definitely need to check his stuff out at the GA Rally.

See you guys again at the GA Rally...

 

[73m819]

My daughter and I had a nice time, met a bunch of SSers, both old friends and made new ones, enjoyed the trucks, MISSED a GOOD deal all well, Amanda took a bunch of pics., ill try to get them up today.

WM needs to be careful, with the attention his new found friend (possum) is getting , his BUD may let the air out of there relationship
Now all I can say about the M916 is did I say

"The current feel is this is a jeep show with a separate steel soldier deuce augmentation."

This, I agree, it seems the the GMVPA always gave the impression( at least to me) that it was a JEEP club more then a MV club, when we got there, as WE started to pass the registration table, I turn and asked, do we sign here, the lady started to say yes, then saw our SS shirts, then said never mind, and pointed to the back 40. the feeling I got at times from different contracts (even from some jeep vendors), was that WE(SSers) were not looked on very favorably, like we eather took over the show or at least took away a lot of attention to the jeeps with our NEET BIG STUFF.

The location is great for a Jeep meet, (again this also makes me feel that this meet was set up with JEEPS in mind) NOT a BIG TRUCK meet, a good half or more of the vendors were just jeep stuff, I believe without the big truck owners,( a lot SSers) a lot of the vendors would not have had a good day at all
just my opion, for whats its worth

 

[ca1517]

The 916 actually belongs to me. I have no affiliation with Military Depot. I really enjoyed the show, it is nice to be able to put a face with the names you see on the site. I agree with CARNAC about the advertising, and maybe a change of venue. Hope to see you all at the GA Rally.

 

[Heavysteven]

ca1517 my bad thought it was there's. That what I call a truck.

73m819 I agree very well stated.

 

[airmech3839]

I don't think that the jeep guys know that they are coming across the way they are. I know there are some in that group that wanted us there. I do think that that group is a restoration group more than just a ownership group. They are focused on restoring their jeeps or trucks to original "mint" condition with correct dated equipment. Where most of us SSers are about owning and operating not just for show but for function and just fun...

I think that if we had a few more guys that got to know some of the group at the meetings and try to share our side of the MV arena!!

But lets try not to make it sound like a huge negative event cause it truly wasnt that bad in my personal opinion. But I am not an expert on how these things go!

 

[73m819]

no NOT a negative event at all, we had a good time, if we had been 503ers, we would have come together like a well oiled machine, being SSers, we are at the other end of the MV hobby, i just think the GMVPA felt overwhelmed by the steel soldiers turnout, it looked to me that there was more SSers then GMVPAers, i think it cought them by surprise. the GMVPA is more of a local club and this was there mode of thought, where as we are a national group, we think nothing of DRIVING our trucks hours for a event. with everything said I would go again next year, hopefully with the 819

 

[Bill W]

Of course there were alot of SS'ers there being the only real advertising the Gmvpa did was here on this site, if they had advertised in the mil magazines they might have gotten a more diverse ( aka respectable ) crowd of Mv'ers. Mil Jeep owners are in a class/world all by themselves heck they'll argue for hours about what was the correct wood used for the hood/windshield bumpers where as SS folks will argue weather or not they even need a windshield

 

[zout]

Awesome pic's guys - thanks - you looked like you had a terrific weekend and great commradre.

GA RALLY here we come

 

[airmech3839]

Heavysteven, thanks for the thread!! I will try and check that out and see if that fixes it!

 

[Monica]

Here's my honest assessment:


3. Advertise, advertise, advertise. As my sales manager use to tell me "Grow the business." I didn't see any growth from a somewhat disappointing year last year. Needs to be in the various magazines and put out on the web well in advance. In general for all events, we need to know a year out so we can plan accordingly. There shouldn't be a reason I don't know that the dates, not just for this event, but for any event taking place next year.

CARNAC

Being sunburned Friday at the gathering, I had to spend a fair amount of time reassuring folks that I had NOT gotten that flushed Saturday, and told them where I spent my time. NO-ONE in the historical group who lived in Kennesaw, Marrietta, or Atlanta knew about the gathering.

One friend was particularly upset, because her husband would have LOVED to have known about it.

That being said, Jumping in on that would probably cause a fair amount of hurt and discontent, because it is not a SS gathering. We may see what's in need of rework, but unless we have cross-over members in both organizations, there's not much we can do without becoming interfering, pushy busy-bodies.