PA > 2015 Spring MAHHA April 24-26th Official Planning Thread
2015 Spring MAHHA, April 24-26th, Official Planning Thread
Time to start officially preparing for the fun!
WHEN: Friday April 24th - Sunday April 26th.
WHERE:Pine Grove Furnace State Park
1100 Pine Grove Rd.
Gardners, PA 17324
http://www.dcnr.state.pa.us/statepar...nace/index.htm
WHO: This is a Family Friendly Event!
-There is a Google Spreadsheet for sign up. There are 2 tabs at the bottom on the left of the page. An "Attendance signup" tab, and a "Breakfast/Supper Items needed" tab. We will need to know the number attending the Saturday Supper two weeks before...see below.
-We have the Furnace Stack Pavilion reserved for the entire day Saturday. The cost for this is covered with the raffle monies.
-Vendor Sales...As with all MAHHAs...there will be no vendor sales. The MAHHAs are for fun, fellowship, food, relaxation, etc. We, as a group, do not have a sales permit from PGFST, and have no interest in obtaining one.
-Demonstrations/instructional times...To be determined.
-Cell Phone Coverage...There is next to no coverage in the park. I have been able to text more often than call. There are some locations where there is some call coverage...but not very reliable.
-All of the group sites have been reserved. The cost for these sites is covered with the raffle monies.
Each of these group sites has their own campfire ring. Firewood will be supplied by the “Friends of Pine Grove Furnace State Park”. We have donated to the park, through this group, every year we have had the MAHHAs at PGFSP. The Friends have supplied the firewood for the last 3 MAHHAs.
-Parking...With the amount of attendees, there is always a concern for parking. There is a large parking lot at the group sites, but we need to park conservatively. Our group will be the only one using this parking lot, so it will be better than years before. As in previous years....There will be no parking allowed along the entry road into the group camping area. And there will be no parking allowed on the main road.
-Anyone coming for the day Saturday will need to park in one of the day use areas...not in the group camping parking lot.
Note: It was mentioned in last year's planning thread...the idea of placing your name and Hammock Forums name on the dashboard of your car. This is a good idea in case someone is parked in...lights were left on...etc. This way, the owner of the car can be found if necessary.
-Pre Hikers/Post Hikers...There will be NO parking in the group parking lot before Friday or after Sunday late afternoon. Please do not go to the office and ask. You can use the Parking area available for the Appalachian Trail located near the Furnace Stack Pavilion. You will need to register your vehicle with the office. You may also use the parking lot down the road...at Caledonia State Park...on the other side of Rt. 30. You might need to register your vehicle there also.
-Family Campground...It is just up the road on the right. Sites can and should be reserved for anyone not wanting to hang or tent in the Group Camping Area. There are sites with electric. There are sites that allow dogs. Sites with electric that allow dogs have the highest demand. There is a bath house with showers and flush toilets for those with sites. The person reserving sites in the Family Campground is responsible for the cost.
-Dogs are not allowed in the Group Camping area, but are allowed at the pavilion.
-Service dogs are allowed anywhere in the park.
-No alcoholic beverages allowed in the park. Rangers will be patrolling the area and will be invited to attend the dinner.
-Name Tags... [O]TTeR has graciously volunteered again this year to make name tags for attendees. Please use the signup sheet to let him know what name you want on the tag.
-Hammock Stands...Depending on the number of attendees we have...we might need some hammock stands. If you have one, please consider bringing it if needed. The need will be determined closer to the hang date.
-Saturday morning Breakfast…8am-9:30am at the PavilionThe contact people are Dutch or Donna (contact me via a PM thru 2Questions or this thread). Please use the signup sheet to register your attendance.
Dutch will be cooking pancakes again this year!
We will have sausage again this year. We are asking for volunteers...each to bring enough to serve 10. This year we are requesting sausage patties only…no links. The links took too long to cook last year. Please sign up on the spread sheet. If you sign up to bring the sausage patties, please make sure you give Tim (2Questions) the sausage Friday evening.
-We will have a large pot for hot water. We will have hot chocolate, instant coffee, hot apple cider packets available…or bring the hot beverage packet of your choice. Note: If you have a large electric pot with a dispenser…i.e…coffee pot…and are willing to bring it, please let me know.
-There are additional items listed on the spread sheet...Please sign up to bring something if you are able. Thanks!
History Walking Tour: Andre Weltman, president of the Friends of the state park and a local history buff, will lead a walking tour of the furnace area (looping around the stone stack, Ironmaster’s Mansion, and AT Museum/gristmill). The main part of the tour typically takes one hour or possibly a little longer depending on group size & level of interest. Afterwards, participants wearing long pants and good footwear can optionally join the guide for a special look at an old iron quarry adjoining Fuller Lake.
Meet at 2:30 PM in front of the park’s big stone furnace stack on Quarry Road (from the group campground, a 5 minute walk north along Bendersville Road).
-Saturday Supper…5:30pm at the PavilionThe contact person is Donna (contact me via a PM thru 2Questions or on this thread.) Please use the signup sheet to register your attendance.
We will be having a Pig Roast as the main event. The pig will be roasted off site, and brought to the pavilion ready to serve off the bone. I will need a count of attendees two weeks before the roast. The cost for the Pig Roast is covered with the raffle monies.
-We will be grilling Kosher Beef Hot dogs for children and adults not eating the pork. Please note the number of hot dogs you want cooked for your family on the signup sheet.
-Everyone is encouraged to bring a food contribution for the supper. What to bring isn't limited to what is listed on the sign up sheet. Although the Pig Roast will be the main event…Anyone is more than welcome to cook something to share! People enjoy all varieties of food, and that is the fun of a pot luck type supper!!
If you do plan to cook something…You should plan on bringing your own cooking surface...cooking on a picnic table outside the pavilion is a possibility. If you want to use the ground, the pavilion is surrounded with grass...just plan on protecting the grass. We don't want to damage the grass. Portable stand up grills should be fine on the grass. Outside the grass area is gravel parking and road. The parking area will be full. The uncovered concrete area at the pavilion isn't very large, and we will have over 100 people milling around the pavilion before, during and after supper. There were a few cooking on this area last year, which isn't a problem as long as there isn't too many doing it.
Any cooking can be started over in the group camping area if electricity isn’t needed. Transporting heavy, hot items can be challenging…keep that in mind!
For suggestions of what to bring…please see the sign up sheet.
There are other items needed...if you don't want to or can’t bring a food contribution, please sign up to bring something if you are able.
-Raffle…After the meal, we will be having a raffle. The tickets are $10.00 each. Purchase at least one ticket for each member of your family attending the dinner. (Those that can...consider buying 2 or more) The monies collected cover the cost of the Group Camping Area, Pig Roast, Pavilion, Name Tags, and miscellaneous breakfast and supper expenses. Additional monies collected are used for reservations for the following spring MAHHA. Any additional monies are donated to the Appalachian Trail Museum, The Friends of Pine Grove Furnace State Park, and Hammock Forums.
Please read post #110 and #143 on last years planning thread, of Pan's discription of the raffle.
https://www.hammockforums.net/forum/...ing+MAHHA+2014
Although the Jacks won't be able to attend this year, they will be contributing to the raffle with some great prizes!
-After the meal and raffle…Please make sure you clean up your eating area and take with you, or dispose of, any food containers you brought. This will help to leave the pavilion area in the same or better condition than when we arrived.
-Sunday when leaving group hang area…Please look around your area before you leave to make sure everything is cleaned up...again...let's leave the group hang area in the same or better condition than when we arrived. If someone forgot something, take it with you and post on HF. If you don't want to take it with you, leave it on a picnic table. Tim and I will be walking the group area before we leave.
If there are any details I neglected to include here…please let me know.
Thank you for taking the time to read this.
Donna
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Originally Posted by doogie
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