Posted by Rich/Mohican Press on November 26, 2000 at 08:28:55:
... Gathering? ... Downtime?
The Great Debate! To me, a Great Mohican Gathering is not synonymous with downtime. It's getting out in the great outdoors with a bunch of LOTM maniacs & exploring the wonderful scenery, upclose, that one sees while watching LOTM on screen. It's a great feeling, I think, to watch the movie on a big screen after just tramping all over many, AS MANY as possible, of the sites. Downtime? I don't know, maybe if we expanded to as many days as it'd take to see ALL the locations we could put a little downtime in the middle somewhere ... maybe! Go ... go ... go ...
So, that's where I stand on Gatherings & downtime. Clear it up any? But, fortunately, we're willing to listen to the other side. Downtime has been a Gathering "issue" almost since Day One of Gathering One. Believe me, one of my best Internet buddies, Jo, has been clamoring for downtime for going on 4 years now! It's not a new concept. Each year, she waits for the non-event. Each year, we disappoint. It's go ... go .. go ...
This year, at the suggestion of a couple of fellow organizers, and approved by you all via our first questionnaire, we decided to expand to 4 days ... POSSIBLY allowing for a glimmer of hope .... DOWNTIME! Without giving a clue as to why we were asking, we posed le question, "What do you think of the Gathering's pace?"
Let me tell you, these little questionnaire/surveys we put up on the Gathering page often times bring results I don't expect. Case in point, "What DO you think of the Gathering's pace?" 57.9% responded "just right." Hmmm .... 31.58% have responded "not applicable," meaning they haven't yet been to a Gathering to be able to tell. Only 7.9% responded it was "too hectic." Take out the not applicables, and using only responses from people who have actually been to a Gathering, and we find a whopping 85% think the pace of the Gatherings is "just right." Oh, one person DID answer that the pace was "not fast enough." Thank you, Jo! So, it would seem, I'm not alone in my thinking, though the vocal minority of malcontents (kidding, guys, just kidding!) had me thinking that maybe I was missing something!
OK? Pace is "just right." One issue settled.
Regarding the movie, we asked if you'd prefer to see the soon-to-be-released, state-of-the-art DVD edition, the beat up old 35mm version, or both ... consecutively. The answers, so far?
35mm Theatrical Release Only - 42.11%
No Preference - 26.31%
Both Versions - 18.42%
DVD Expanded Edition Only - 13.16%
Without stating why, yet, we asked if horseback riding would be an option you'd enjoy as a part of the festivities.
Do It - 76.32%
Not Sure - 18.42%
Not For Me - 5.26%
Overwhelming affirmative there.
We also asked if you planned on being there for the entire 4 days, and if so, would you plan on attending all events. 81.58% responded that they'd be there for all 4 days. Good! 84.21% said, assuming they'd be there for all 4 days, they'd be at all scheduled events. Excellent!
Haven't voiced your opinion? Not too late ... survey form can be found on the Gathering Page.
Now ... some explanation ...
It is clear that most enjoy the pace, even spread over 4 days. Yet, there are those who've expressed the desire for more time to chat & meet & ... rest??? So, in an effort to compromise, we came up with this ...
Thursday is go ... go ... go ...
Friday will feature DOWNTIME!
Saturday & Sunday involve full days, but at one place each day ... Saturday at Dupont State Forest, with the movie that night at nearby Hendersonville. Sunday at Chimney Rock Park with the night time campfire & raffles right there in Chimney Rock Village. Built in "downtime," to my way of thinking.
About Friday ... still not etched in stone, but we're thinking, and inching towards, this: A morning spent in the wilds north of Asheville at the scenes of the Elk Hunt & Tracking the War Party. Picnic lunch at the site. Then, back to Lake Lure for a relaxing afternoon/evening of music, horseback riding, & food ... Originally, the idea was to horseback ride AT the Elk Hunt. Misty Mountain Riding Stables, just a couple of miles, if that, away, used to offer rides on trails that took you right through The Elk Hunt territory. Unfortunately, they're now defunct, so, plan B ... More in a bit ...
As for the movie question, it costs a total of $750 to put the movie on. Half of that is for the movie itself. The rest is theater rental. Showing the DVD ONLY cuts the cost in half. Before even considering that seriously, I'll be going to the theater, new DVD in hand, later this winter. They have the capability to project a DVD to the big screen. The quality I see will determine if that is even an alternative. Meanwhile, the 35mm film is reserved, and in all probability will be the featured event. This is just stuff we're exploring ...
OK ... back to the horses ... there were many questions regarding this ... I'll try answering them here now.
QUESTION: As for horseback riding, I've never done it before but a friend in Georgia is trying to persuade me to take lessons with her soon. So who knows? I'm ready to try anything once.
ANSWER: The last time I've been on a horse was 1975. These are tame, gentle horses with expert riders accompanying us. Not to worry. Practically ANYONE can do it!
QUESTION: I am uncertain as to where you might obtain the required number of horses!! Who has upwards of 80 horses?????
ANSWER: No one we know of. That's why we're combining this with other stuff over an extended period of time on Friday. Groups of, say, 15 will ride at a time. Meanwhile, others can fish, enjoy the music, and eat. Chat. Visit. DOWNTIME! In the shadow of Chimney Rock, so, for those staying at the Geneva, or elsewhere in Chimney Rock Village - most of us, I'd venture to guess - will be just about home! Really. Honest, we do TRY, at least, to accommodate everyone's wishes.
QUESTION: We've considered bringing our own horses. Would that be possible?
ANSWER: I would think not, but will look into that after everything is confirmed.
So ... there you have it, in theory, at least, an opportunity for downtime, still in a group environment. Music? For this, we are (or, Ann Colby is, on our behalf) negotiating with a very fine band of acoustic, traditional musicians ... who are period re-enactors to boot. They'll come in period dress AND have offered to learn LOTM music ... What about Barby & Barrett you ask? Barby's booked, she expects, that weekend, but may yet make an appearance. We're also keeping options open for Sunday night.
Other questions, concerns, comments:
"I am just glad that someone is going to all this trouble to organize such an event."
"As for the past Gatherings being 'too hectic'--I wish to qualify this statement by saying that it was only too hectic to find time to just visit with fellow Gatherers. Otherwise, the pace was no problem!"
"... went away from both of the gatherings I attended feeling like I didn't get quite enough time to visit and get to know new acquaintances and spend more time with the friends I already know and love so much (Rich and Elaine included). Maybe if we go to four days, there'll be a little more time for that ..."
"STARTING TO GET PRETTY EXCITED HERE..AND AS MORE AND MORE QUESTIONNAIRES COME ALONG..BEGINNING TO SEE THIS GATHERING COME TOGETHER..CAN'T WAIT..WE ARE LOOKING FORWARD TO MEETING, NOT ONLY YOU 2, BUT OTHERS AS WELL..AND SHARING THIS EVENT WITH ALL..AND THE MAGNIFISENCE OF THE AREA TOO..NOT TO MENTION THE "BIG" SCREEN VIEWING..HOPEFULLY..OF BOTH VERSIONS..AND JUST MAYBE A "SUPRISE" GUEST.. AS THIS WILL BE THE '10TH' ANNIVERSARY OF THE FILMING..WELL WHATEVER THE PLAN..LETS GO FOR IT..JUST SO HAPPY THAT WE HAVE THE OPPURTUNITY..TO BE 1ST TIMERS AND A PART OF THIS '2001 GATHERING'....THANK YOU BOTH FOR ALL YOU DO AND THE OTHERS AS WELL FOR MAKING THIS A HAPPENING THING...AWAITING YOUR NEXT UPDATE WE REMAIN..YOURS.."
"Uh, I seem to be totally blank right now, but you know that I'll email you with any thoughts that do pop into my head. Thanks for working so hard on this, and for doing the surveys. :)"
"I Really Would Like The Extra Time To Share With All Who Would Like To Regroup At The Daze End (pun intended). Other Than That The Pace Was Brisk But OK."
""Not Fast Enough": ha!ha!
Is down time to be a scheduled event??" ANSWER: VERY funny!
"Horseback riding sounds fun, but logistically challenging. If you think it's practical, I'd say go for it!" ANSWER: Working on making it practical!
"I know we are far away, but is there anything we can do to help? This will be our first gathering. Also, what kind of items would you like donated for raffle?" ANSWER: We're not particular! If it's LOTM-related, all the better. See the Gathering Page for Raffle contacts. We welcome your donations, whatever they are!
"Will you be inviting any of the movie's stars...in case
they'd like to come? Or are you leaving it up to us to
send them some fan mail and invite them?" ANSWER: Boy, you guys want to know ALL our secrets! :)
"As for the itinerary, as you may have guessed from last year, this is not entirely my idea of a good time." ANSWER: Huh? OK, out of context, but protecing the identity of the respondent! :)
And enough about The Gathering, for now ...
Other news ...
Have listened to "The Last of the Mohicans" "re-released" soundtrack. It is not the OFFICIAL soundtrack, but is redone by the Royal Scottish National Orchestra. The good news is that the tracks are in sequence, there are new, never-before-heard cues ... taken from the original score. The more mellow selections are exquisite ... in particular "Cora," now called "Garden Scene," and "The Glade." Also improved, if that's possible, "British Arrival," called "Bridge At Lacrosse." Very interesting, and new, is "Ascent/Pursuit," which seems to blend a variation of the music accompanying Magua's capture of the Munro sisters with the main theme. Not found, is the Cameron's Cabin music, in "Pieces of a Story." The bad news is that the more uptempo material sounds a bit diluted, for lack of a better term, and the percussion doesn't come close to matching the power of the orginal. Overall, a good listen! It's available through our Book Shoppe. The soundtrack, and film, continue to do extraordinarily well considering it's been 8 years since their release!
We've still not obtained as much room here as we want, but will have more music, video, & stuff, on-site, down the road. Meanwhile, we've replaced the first Musings page with a Musings Portal ... to the various Musings sections, enhanced the Kittanning Pages with music, etc. etc. At some point, probably either January, February, or March, we'll have a Site "shut down," of sorts, as we put the Companion Guide together.
Eat all your Turkey yet?