Posted by Rich/Mohican Press on January 30, 2000 at 05:40:14:
A couple of minor things have occurred this week that prompt me to post this as part of the Sunday Update. Bear with me, please ...
There is no corporate entity that runs this Web Site or organizes the Great Mohican Gatherings. It's not put together by some fancy travel agency. It's not a Disney Land Production. Money is not the issue here. The Great Mohican Gathering was born right here on this Mohican Board back in 1997. Somewhere, in the Archives, are probably still found the posts that started it all. I'm not 100% sure about that, as we used to, in those days, clean out the Board much more regularly than we do now, as a space saving measure. But, I THINK they are still there.
The Gathering was formed, not by a bunch of fanatics bent on walking on sacred ground, though we've often goofed on ourselves in that light, but rather by a group of peope, sharing some common interests, who became friends via the Internet and wanted to meet each other. THAT, really, was the motivation for organizing that first Gathering. Ironically, many of the people who were instrumental in its origin, were not, for one reason or another, able to actually ATTEND the Gathering! That was, however, why it was formed, above all else, and why it continues to this day. Once, maybe a year and a half ago, a visitor commented in an e-mail that she loved our Site, but thought it was very strange about this Great Mohican Gathering thing. She couldn't understand it. Several months later, this same person, who has since posted on the Board several times, wrote back saying she was envious of us and wished that someday SHE could attend a Great Mohican Gathering!
Well, not EVERYONE, of course, comes with that feeling as their driving force. Even at that first Gathering, some folks attended who we had little or no Internet contact with, other than signing them on. The Event transcended the group of Internet Buddies to become, on some levels, something else. I get kidded at work all the time, "You don't get PAID for doing this?" Last year, even more. And, it IS other things besides just friends meeting up. As the Site gets viewed by more & more people, it will tend to stray further & further from its innocent, spontaneous, little beginning. That's to be expected, though we will do all we can to retain as much of its original flavor as is possible! The Gathering, like this Board, is to a very large extent, what you make it to be. It's in our [your] hands, always! Just as an example, John & Linda Evans will be attending their THIRD consecutive Gathering and they are not even connected to the Internet! So, you might arrive as a stranger, but you'll hopefully depart feeling you were with a group of good friends!
So, this year, we lost The Bunkhouse. The Bunkhouse was integrated into our Gatherings as a way to make The Gathering as affordable as possible to as many folks as possible. It was, too, a place for "friends" to hang together during The Gathering. Of course, its rustic qualities, combined with its Gaellic ... ooops ... make that lack of privacy, made it not the ideal choice for all. That was natural, and so The Bunkhouse was offered as an OPTION ... very simple. If you wanted to use the group accommodations at the low rate, fine. If you would prefer your own digs in an area motel or campground, that was fine, too. And that's the way it STILL is! The only difference being that The Bunkhouse is no longer available for use, so we moved the Group deal to the Bear Den Campground/Cabins. Those Cabins, as Marcia put it to me in an e-mail, are, "... essentially 4 small bunkhouses, with varying numbers of beds in them." They are not to be considered a private suite for a couple. If that's what you're looking for, and that's fine, we'd suggest an area motel. They were reserved, as I said above regarding the Bunkhouse, to allow the largest possible number of people to attend The Gathering at the lowest possible rate. No doubt, they are MORE private, and in the case of the Creekside Cabins, more luxurious, than the Bunkhouse could ever hope to be, but they are still our GROUP accommodation deal. If you choose to stay there, you are part of a group. In fact, the Creekside Cabins, unlike their more primitive Campin' Cabins (and the 4 cabins mentioned above refer to the Creekside), don't even have bunkbeds! They are all double beds, so consider that before you make a reservation there. OK? I hope that's clear. Group Accomodations = Bear Den / Private Accommodations = Motel of your own choosing.
All that said, we are pleased to announce what those of you on our Gathering Mailing List already know: We are now accepting reservations for Chimney Rock Park & Biltmore Estate, movie theater tickets, and the optional deal at Bear Den. Want to attend? The time is now!
A few points: The CRP/Biltmore Packages are basically "unlimited." Bear Den Cabin Spaces are very limited in number and are being offered "first come/first served." Maximum theater capacity is 75, so we are limited to that many tickets. Everything is all laid out on the 2000 Gathering Page, including a page giving you a look at the Bear Den Cabins, and an order form. These pages will still be updated, from time to time, as we have even more details in place. T-Shirts will be made available shortly.
So ... We really hope to see many of you come June 23 - 25! This Gathering features, among other things, a period trek at a wilderness film location, a special program devised just for us at Biltmore, LOTM on the big screen, of course, the Cliffs of CRP, and much more ... including a made-of-real-wampum-shell Hawkeye Sash & Chingachgook Choker combo to be raffled off in a special raffle (details forthcoming)! We're working on other things that may, or may not, pan out.
Elsewhere, we revised "The Sachem Speaks" Interview page to reflect the loss of Mike Phillips. Later on today, the MohicanLand Masses page will also be updated a bit ...
Right now, we have a nice layer of ice covering the expanses of MohicanLand! Luckily, we didn't lose power ... yet!
Till next time ...