Author Topic: Event Pavilion for Alna Center - Official Reassembly Thread  (Read 139537 times)

Paul Uhland

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Re: Event Pavilion for Alna Center - Official Reassembly Thread
« Reply #60 on: December 02, 2019, 11:40:17 AM »
Minor point...the building's round base  forms are known as Sonotubes.
« Last Edit: December 03, 2019, 12:04:55 PM by Paul Uhland »
Paul Uhland

Graham Buxton

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Re: Event Pavilion for Alna Center - Official Reassembly Thread
« Reply #61 on: December 02, 2019, 12:19:54 PM »
I don't understand,when I mention the word DONATE it gets very quite on this web site.

Perhaps I just don't speak "Maine Yankee" :o language properly, but from my perspective the great majority of all the funds that pass through James' various accounts are "donations" of one variety or another.  :)

Gift shop sales and train tickets are  in exchange for goods or services, but membership fees, Annual Fund Drive, grants, donations of equipment (including a certain green tractor 8) ), donations of used books, etc all fall into the "donations" bucket.

Compared to some other groups, it seems to me that the WW&F has done very well in attracting donations.  Of course,  also in my estimation, part of that success in donations is due to the successful and consistent execution of the various WW&F projects.

So a BBQ pit at Alna Center is doable, but as with other projects, there needs to be a cost/benefit evaluation before starting.  Putting time and money towards one particular project generally is a trade-off of some other project.

Just jerking Fred's chain a bit ...  ;D
Graham

Mike Fox

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Re: Event Pavilion for Alna Center - Official Reassembly Thread
« Reply #62 on: December 02, 2019, 12:29:13 PM »
We live on donations. I think Fred has a great idea. We always have fires at AC during our events, and a fire pit would be a great safe location to have one. In the future of course..
Mike
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John Kokas

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Re: Event Pavilion for Alna Center - Official Reassembly Thread
« Reply #63 on: December 02, 2019, 12:31:59 PM »
Fred,  no problem in donating for the pit but $3k for gravel alone seems a bit much.  All I need is a 10' x 50' area with stone base or DGA (3" depth),  then we'll build a 36" x 40' BBQ pit out of cinder block and we can make the BBQ grates right in the shop.  (angle iron and 1/2x1/2 heavy mesh screen).

I will volunteer to lead the project and will commit funding towards its construction.  Anybody who wants to join the effort just PM me.  But of course, we will need BOD approval for this effort.  (Funding via donations - either monetary or materials)
Moxie Bootlegger

James Patten

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Re: Event Pavilion for Alna Center - Official Reassembly Thread
« Reply #64 on: December 02, 2019, 12:40:07 PM »
There's been idle discussion about putting in a fireplace.  I don't know how serious people are about the idea.

Fred Morse

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Re: Event Pavilion for Alna Center - Official Reassembly Thread
« Reply #65 on: December 02, 2019, 01:44:22 PM »
Gravel is very expense now. Believe me!

John McNamara

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Re: Event Pavilion for Alna Center - Official Reassembly Thread
« Reply #66 on: December 02, 2019, 02:04:56 PM »
Historical Accuracy Department:
Were there BBQ pits next to the similar structures at Albion?

John Kokas

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Re: Event Pavilion for Alna Center - Official Reassembly Thread
« Reply #67 on: December 02, 2019, 07:37:48 PM »
Go to just about any County or Grange Fair in the Country and you will find a BBQ pit next to a pavilion.  Some fancy - some not so much.  Our Grange makes big bucks providing chicken dinners during our annual Grange Fair.  They will BBQ over a 1,000 chicken quarters during a weekend and always sell out.
Moxie Bootlegger

Mike the Choochoo Nix

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Re: Event Pavilion for Alna Center - Official Reassembly Thread
« Reply #68 on: December 02, 2019, 09:43:24 PM »
could a BBQ pit be concealed or disguised when not in use?
Mike Nix

Mike Fox

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Re: Event Pavilion for Alna Center - Official Reassembly Thread
« Reply #69 on: December 03, 2019, 09:17:17 AM »
Well, unfortunately now the concrete guys won't deliver. Too far to go they are saying. I am not ready to give up yet...just need to schedule a day the week following when I can be there..
Mike
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Stewart "Start" Rhine

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Re: Event Pavilion for Alna Center - Official Reassembly Thread
« Reply #70 on: December 03, 2019, 09:26:09 AM »
We hope to plow the Averill Road when the snow lets up, the forecast has Alna getting about a foot by tonight. 

Also, we should move the stone that's piled around Santa's shed.  It's blocking where kids wait in line and where we build the bonfire. 

Fred Morse

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Re: Event Pavilion for Alna Center - Official Reassembly Thread
« Reply #71 on: December 03, 2019, 10:09:10 AM »
I think in Maine most people would like a lobster and corn cookout, that would take a lot smaller fire to cook on. Also we now limit how many people can go to an events. I understand the town was worried about parked cars on Cross Road and on Rt 218. That's why we have tickets now. Also we don't have enough people to help with parking and crowd control, both at Sheepscot and Alna Center. That's all I hear when I ask, can we go back to the old way with big crowds.

Ed Lecuyer

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Re: Event Pavilion for Alna Center - Official Reassembly Thread
« Reply #72 on: December 03, 2019, 10:41:03 AM »
I think in Maine most people would like a lobster and corn cookout, that would take a lot smaller fire to cook on.
I think that any facilities for food prep at AC should be flexible. I would imagine that caterers (for larger events) will have their own equipment/etc.

Quote
Also we now limit how many people can go to an events. I understand the town was worried about parked cars on Cross Road and on Rt 218. That's why we have tickets now.
The new parking lot was added at the request of the town to specifically address this. Tickets are still needed for certain events to help control capacity. For Victorian Christmas 2019 we had 20,000 interested in tickets. (Yes, 20,000; that is not a typo.) VC train capacity caps out at 900-1000, so tickets are a necessity for popular events that could exceed capacity.

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Also we don't have enough people to help with parking and crowd control, both at Sheepscot and Alna Center.
We can always use more help with crowd control - especially for the evening concerts and dates when two trains are meeting at AC. It would also be great to have an extra brakeman (or car host) on the evening concert trains - as it is a bit much for a single Conductor and Brakeman to manage a full, four-car train with 100+ passengers.

Thanks to the new lot, parking is not as much of an issue, as long as able-bodied volunteers park in the 218/Cross Road field on dates when there large crowds and volunteers expected (such as Fall Work Weekend when Pumpkin Picking trains are also running.)

I'm looking forward to the various events planned for AC in 2020 and beyond. Next year we're planning on hosting four "Music on the Railway" concerts, two evening talks, and at least one high-valued joint fundraiser with Maine Narrow Gauge. This is in addition to the regular Easter Eggspress, Ice Cream Socials, Fall Festival, and Victorian Christmas events - all that use Alna Center. Finally, the event pavilion will allow us to properly host other events, such as weddings, reunions, etc., which could prove to very lucrative to our organization.
Ed Lecuyer
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Fred Morse

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Re: Event Pavilion for Alna Center - Official Reassembly Thread
« Reply #73 on: December 03, 2019, 11:00:02 AM »
Someday there may be parking just beyond T.O.M. on the land we just purchased once we get tracks down there, then we could have a lot more riders at events. All in good time. Probably, my song will be "AFTER I'M GONE!
..

Bob Holmes

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Re: Event Pavilion for Alna Center - Official Reassembly Thread
« Reply #74 on: December 03, 2019, 11:25:03 PM »
All these issues are indeed growing pains associated with our being successful in sponsoring and promoting events!!  We will learn as we go and make fixes where needed.  It's a great challenge to face!

As for BBQ pit/lobster dinner fire, I'm all for that even if it's not quite historically accurate.  It will bring more folks to the railroad. I"m sure we can do it tastefully...