Indiana BYCers chickenfest 2015

OK am going to do it...Guys lets start to plan for this now!
I will have the campground available. BUT want to aim for a more central location for everyone!
Please keep this thread separate from our main Indiana BYCers thread.
This is for all of us that want to meet, swap, gab, have fun and learn stuff!
And just get together with good friends and have fun
Think about your family events, school sports and outings..Band, and choir rehearsal and performances..
Boy and girl scouts, 4H, ROTC and so many other activities the kids are involved in..
Lets start with a date... please holler out what works.

I'll be the first to post here. I don't have any kids in 4H or any of the other things mentioned so I don't know when any of those things start. But I am going to suggest the 3rd or 4th weekend in June to have it. The weather should be pretty decent by then, of course we live in Indiana so you never know about the weather.
For the food: While the food was amazing on Saturday there was so much and so much left over. So I would suggest perhaps having a food committee of 3 or 4 people and doing a couple different meats for a main dish, a couple of salads and 2 or 3 desserts. With maybe a couple of appetizer or snack trays as well.
Set times for certain activities; Say 10 to noon have set up for meet and greet, socializing, etc.; noon to 2 for meal time; 2 to 4 for speakers, video presentations; demonstrations, door prizes, etc; 4 to 6 for swaps, trades, sales, more socializing, etc.
I don't think charging a small fee or asking for donations would be unfair.
These are just some of my ideas, hopefully lots of other people will post with their suggestions and ideas.

Someone mentioned having it earlier in the year, before fair season starts. I think that would be a good idea.

racinchickins said:

Someone mentioned having it earlier in the year, before fair season starts. I think that would be a good idea.

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I think if we want to miss fair season but still have a summer get together it would need to be in August. Fairs start up in June and go through July. They need to be over before state fair starts, as kids cannot show at state if they didn't show at county fair. Any weekend we pick in June or July will conflict with county fairs. Late spring (May?) or early fall might be options...perhaps cooler weather (as in no scorching summer heat, but not chilly either). We're still considering offering our place to host, but we are northern Indiana...Would we want to consider rotating? First year was mid-slightly southern, the year bit more central, next year northern, following year central, then southern, then central, then northern, etc...?? That way we could hit more areas of the state.

Fall might be nice too after the fairs if cooler weather is desired. But for us spring is a busy time with setting eggs and brooding chicks. I'm thinking most of us don't do nearly that much brooding in the fall compared to spring. It is nice to have a small batch of fall chicks to be winter layers. Still for me I would not be brooding nearly as many in the fall as in the spring. The children have school starting in August in most places though.
A camp fire in the fall can be great times though.

I like the idea of doing it in the fall when it is cool, maybe a nice bonfire somewhere! Plus there are fewer conflicts since it isn't hatching season and there are no fairs to worry about. I think doing the next one in the more northern part of the state would be good to get a few people from the far north to participate. Maybe somewhere around Marion or Fort Wayne? I agree that we don't need as much food at the future events and a food committee is a good idea.

ChickCrazed said:

I like the idea of doing it in the fall when it is cool, maybe a nice bonfire somewhere! Plus there are fewer conflicts since it isn't hatching season and there are no fairs to worry about. I think doing the next one in the more northern part of the state would be good to get a few people from the far north to participate. Maybe somewhere around Marion or Fort Wayne? I agree that we don't need as much food at the future events and a food committee is a good idea.

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I really enjoyed the grilled food. But there was sure an abundance of sides. All of the ones I had were great. The baked beans were a favorite among my family. Yet as I consider how much stuff I need to pack just for me, Dh, and the children, I realize how little extra space I have in my car for longer day trips. I was thinking I would be willing to pay for someone else to bring my share of the food next year.

My first thought for autumn conflicts are school and deer season. But these can probably be worked around. ;-)

I agree that having someone(s) coordinate a food plan is a really good idea for this kind of event. I've been to potlucks where you ended up with eight kinds of green beans and not much else.

I hated missing this year's event, but I'm planning on making time for next year!

I like the idea of a fall event also, and a rotating location.
Definitely agree on a food committee!
M2H, Barb and Min did a fantastic job this fest on activities, grilling and meal prep!
Chickcrazed had a great idea using the google doc, was a great help on headcount, and who is bringing what.

I really want to go next year and on the weekend even at the end of August wouldn't conflict with school activities. I love the idea of having it up north it's closer to me.