Allan (and all), Thanks for your insight and local knowledge, which is very useful and helpful! Well, that pretty much settles it for me. I'm going back to Key Biscayne again this year for the Key Biscayne EarthFest. I have forwarded to you (Allan) my correspondence with the (new) event organizers, in which I have accepted their invitation, on behalf of the Florida EAA, to be an exhibitor, and have asked them a couple of questions to see if we can get the same setup and layout for both our booth and our EVs this year as we had last year, ... which worked really well last year. I will keep you in the loop, Allan, on these communications. If anyone else is interested in attending and exhibiting their EVs at the Key Biscayne EarthFest on Sunday, April 20, together with Allan Miller and me, please let me know so that I can include you in our list of EVs there. By the way, demo rides were not only highly encouraged but also specifically requested of us to do at last year's event. I have asked about that for this year's event. That makes it even more attractive to do an event like this, where they actually *want* us to give demo rides.
Regarding the other Miami Earth Day event, that at Bicentennial Park, it would nice to be represented there as well, in case any others of you would like to give that one a try. Please let me know and I will forward to you all the information, including contacts, application form, etc. ----- Regarding that venue of Bicentennial Park itself, more generally (and not specifically related to this upcoming Earth Day event there), and the link to the ariel view you gave of it (http://bayfrontparkmiami.com/media/bicentenial_aerial.jpg), Allan, do you know if that is a current ariel photo of it, or is that an old photo that is out of date and no longer represents the setup and layout on the ground there? I'll tell you why I ask. I've had some thoughts on my mind for a while now about that particular venue -- Bicentennial Park. You mentioned in your email below about it once having been used for auto races. That is clearly visible in that ariel photo as the most distinguishing feature of the park -- namely, that double-S/oval combo track layout. I'm wondering if that is still intact? Do either Allan or Cliff know about that? I remember seeing some episodes of the famous "Miami Vice" TV show back in the mid-to-late 80s where they actually raced cars on that track there at Bicentennial Park. Here is the thought that really, *really* intrigues me. I didn't specifically mention this particular venue to Shawn in some post-BBB discussions and ruminations I had with him, although I did allude to and speculate about splitting the event, by continuing to have the Friday night drag racing at Countyline, while having the Autocross and Show 'n Shine on Saturday at a more centralized location in or near downtown Miami, which would hopefully draw a much larger crowd of those lazy Miamians who can't seem to drag their rear-ends out to a swamp in the far northwest corner of the county on a Saturday afternoon. Well, this particular venue of Bicentennial Park (drawn specifically from my memories of "Miami Vice" in the 80s) is one of two venues I had in mind, the other one being the very south end of the parking lot at Crandon Park on Key Biscayne. (If you look at an ariel photograph of the enormous Crandon Park parking lot, you will see what I mean and why I say that the huge, completely open south end of that parking lot would be ideal for us to run an Autocross, as opposed to the north end, which is full of lane and row separators and barriers.) And here again, I feel that Key Biscayne is an ideal location and perfect demographic for us, as I had explained in my previous email below, and subsequently confirmed by Allan with his follow-up email, also below. I get so ambitious and manic just looking at that ariel photo of Bicentennial Park that it conjures up images in my mind of not just an EV Autocross but also of a track race sort of thing around that double-S/oval combo, although maybe just a "time trial" sort of thing where only one car races around the track at a time. (With the exception of Cliff, the rest of us being all amateurs who've never done any oval track style racing, it would be far too dangerous and unwise for us to have multiple cars racing around that track simultaneously, NASCAR style.) Insurance would probably be difficult to impossible to obtain for something like that. But maybe we could limit it only to qualified EVers who have passed an advanced weekend-long race car driver's training course like they give at Homestead and Moroso, something like that. Maybe that would make the insurance more doable and requirements easier to meet. I know I'm getting really manic here, and this is highly unlikely, but it's just a thought. I have some high-level connections to the Superintendant of Bayfront Park that I could try to pull, if there is ever any interest in us having at least an EV Autocross at Bicentennial Park. And with Steven Cayre soon to take delivery of his Tesla in Miami, ... wow! ... what kind of drawing power would that be?!?! Alan, Cliff -- Is that Bicentennial Park track layout still the same as in that ariel photo that Allan gave, or has it been torn up or deteriorated from neglect with multiple potholes, etc. since last used? ... Speaking of which, by the way, when was it last used for racing? ... Miami Vice vintage era late 80s? Anything more recent than that? Charles (always the dreamer :-) ----- Original Message ----- From: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: "Charles Whalen" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>; "FLEAA Mailing List" <[email protected]> Sent: Saturday, April 05, 2008 5:35 PM Subject: Re: [FLEAA] April 20 Miami Earth Day event(s) dilemma: 2 choices Hi Charles (and everyone) Here are my thoughts. Bicentennial Park is huge, so it takes a large crowd to fill the place...which I am assuming they are expecting. To understand the scale of "big", they used to have auto races in the park (see link). So, there is a chance that most of the crowd would never pass by a booth. Or maybe we could actually drive on the track. I do not know. I think I have seen them setting up this event. There are several "vendor booths" setup next to the port-o-potties. If my memory serves me, there looked to be about 20-50 booths (maybe for food vendors). I am also not sure if the organizers are going to sell tickets. And the demographic they are targeting seems to be the "under 30" crowd. If our purpose for participating is "public awareness" then this could be a good venue. So there seems to be large potential...but also a large chance that it would be an in-effective venue. http://bayfrontparkmiami.com/media/bicentenial_aerial.jpg As Charles implies, the Key Biscayne festival is a better setup. Even if it is not promoted very well, there are the loyal residents of Key Biscayne that will give it "word of mouth" promoting. Also, it is setup at Crandon Park on the beach, so you are guaranteed a few hundred folks every weekend. If the purpose of participating in the event is "new EAA members", then this is a great venue, but may or may not be a good "public awareness" venue. Just my 2 cents, Allan P.S. I am planning on participating in the Key Biscayne Event (if they want me). P.S.S I participated in the Key Biscayne Green festival in Feb, and had a great reception from the crowd. Quoting Charles Whalen <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>: > Hi everyone, > > This is addressed to everyone but especially those in South Florida who > would like to exhibit their EVs in Miami on Sunday April 20 at an Earth > Day event there. I am especially interested in Allan Miller's take on > this, as he is local and closest to both of these venues and as such > knows them best. > > The problem is that there are two different Earth Day events taking place > in Miami on the same day, Sunday April 20, at two different locations. > The two are separately organized, and neither has anything to do with > the other. We have been invited to exhibit at both. The decision we > have to make, for those interested in exhibiting their EVs at an Earth Day > event in Miami on April 20, is which one do we choose to go to? Or > maybe would some of us like to choose one of the two events and > others choose the other event? I don't think it really has to be a group > decision (which with as individualistic a group as EVers are, can be like > trying to herd cats :-) but rather should left to each individual in terms > of which event you want to attend. > > I will list the two events and what I see as the pros and cons of each. > These pros and cons are just my own opinion, and I may be way off base on > some of this, especially not being from Miami, which is why I'd really > like to get Allan Miller's take on this. The two events are: 1) The Green > Apple Festival Earth Day Celebration, being held in Bicentennial Park, > and 2) The Key Biscayne EarthFest, being held at the Biscayne Nature > Center in Crandon Park on Key Biscayne. > > -------------- > > 1) The Green Apple Festival Earth Day Celebration, being held in > Bicentennial Park > www.greenapplemusicfestival.com//index.php?option=com_content&task=blogcategory&id=17&Itemid=34 > > Pros: > > a) I'm not entirely sure about this, but this event *may* have a bigger > promotional/publicity/advertising budget this year than the Key Biscayne > EarthFest. This is a large nationally-based organization with a national > series of events that are taking place simultaneously in 8 cities around > the country: Washington DC, New York, Miami, Chicago, Denver, > Dallas, LA, and San Francisco. This could be seen as either a positive > or a negative, possibly a positive from a promotional/publicity/ > advertising budget point of view, but a negative in other ways, as I will > discuss below. > > Bands that have confirmed they will be playing: Menudo (the pre-pubescent > Latin boys group), and hip-hop group Arrested Development. I'm not sure > whether this is a pro or con, hence I've put it in between the pros and > the cons. :-) > > Cons: > > a) The main organizer of this event is in Berkeley, California, from where > he is handling all the Miami event details. There does not appear to be > any locally-based organization coordinating the effort. This is a decided > negative in my view. > > b) I'm not sure that Bicentennial Park is such a great location. First of > all, it is not near any residential areas. Second, there is all kinds of > construction going on right along that part of Biscayne Blvd. there, and > parking and accessibility always seem to be a big problem around there. > If they wanted to hold the event downtown, I think Bayfront Park > would have been a better location. What do you think, Allan? > > c) This is the first year for this particular Green Apple Festival Earth > Day Celebration in Miami. They don't appear to have any exhibitors > that have yet signed up and committed to exhibiting at this event. > > d) Exhibitors are responsible for bringing and setting up their own > display booth tents, tables, and chairs. > > -------------- > > 2) The Key Biscayne EarthFest > http://earth-learning.org/page.aspx?vpageid=1002&itemid=1383 > > Pros: > > a) This is the second year for this event. (I exhibited at it last year.) > > b) In my view, this location is very good, about as good as you can get in > Miami -- the layout, parking, ease of accessibility, the beautiful > setting. It is immediately adjacent to the upscale residential > neighborhoods of Key Biscayne, which is one of the most progressive > and environmentally conscious communities in Miami-Dade County, > actually in all of South Florida. There are more NEVs there than > anywhere else I've seen in South Florida, other than maybe Key West. > Most families seem to have two vehicles, a gas car for driving into > work in downtown Miami, and a NEV that the family uses for > all their local errands on the island, running the kids to school, going > shopping, going out for meals, etc. People on Key Biscayne already *get* > it about EVs. So the audience at this event is generally very receptive > and EV friendly. It's the right demographic. > > c) The event is locally-based and locally-organized, which I always feel > has a better prognosis for being a better event with better attendance > than an event that is being organized by outsiders 3,000 miles away. > > d) The bands playing are some of the same bands that played last year, > which were well received. They are locally-based bands, some of them > made up of local environmentalists, Miami Sierra Club members, etc. > > e) Exhibitors will be provided with display booth tents, tables, and > chairs, which the event organizers will have already set up in advance > for exhibitors. > > OK, now we transition from the pros/positives to the cons/negatives, and I > guess I will just do this narrative style with an explanation of what is > going on with this year's event that's different from last year. > > Last year, in its first year, this was by far, without a doubt, the > absolute best event, and best attended event, that I have ever exhibited > at anywhere in Florida in my 3 years of doing such events. But that was > no accident or happenstance. As I have learned in 3 years of doing such > events, the quality of any particular event and its attendance are > directly > related to and primarily determined by the quality of the organizers and > the effort they put into organizing the event. Last year, in its first > year, this > event was put on by two of Miami's best known, liked, and respected, well > established and best connected environmental movers & shakers -- Rebecca > Carter of GreenerMiami and Theo Long, Director of the Biscayne Nature > Center at Crandon Park on Key Biscayne. Rebecca and Theo were the > two primary organizers and literally put months and months of work into > organizing the event, about 6 months of continual hard work and > enthusiastic, passionate effort. They hired one of Miami's best > connected, > high-powered PR firms to handle the publicity for the event, and that was > also done months in advance. Every single Miami TV station was there > covering the event (which was a miracle for a Sunday, as it is extremely > difficult to near impossible to get the TV stations to come out and cover > anything on a weekend in Miami). I was interviewed on live TV with > my RAV4-EV. > > OK, that *was* the positive, at least for *last* year. Now we get to the > negative for *this* year. > > Rebecca and Theo had initially started the process of organizing this > year's event towards the end of last year. I got an email from > Rebecca in December telling me to expect updates from her throughout > the winter on the organizing effort for the April 2008 event. Well, I > never received anything from her after that, nor anything from anyone > at all. > > Curious, I wrote Rebecca several days ago to ask what is going with the > Key Biscayne EarthFest and if it is going to be held again this year. A > few days later, I got a short email back from Rebecca telling me that > she is on maternity leave and expecting to deliver her baby soon, so she > had to drop out of organizing the event this year. She also informed me > that her co-organizing partner from last year, Theo Long, had some > family issues that similarly required her to drop out of organizing the > event > this year. Rebecca didn't answer my question about whether they have > hired the same PR firm to handle the promotions, publicity, and > advertising for this year's event, but the answer to that is obviously > "no". > > Rebecca informed me that she and Theo have turned over the organizing of > this year's event to a couple of low-level Miami-Dade County Park Service > functionaries/bureaucrats and referred me to them. I started thinking to > myself -- Oh no, this event has been abandoned and is doomed, and > immediately thought back to that ill-fated 2006 Miami Beach Earth Day > event that was similarly organized by a couple of low-level City of > Miami Beach functionaries/bureacrats without the passion, enthusiasm, > energy, high-level connections, support, nor advertising budget to > organize a high-quality event, and we all remember what a flop and > fiasco that event was ... basically a complete waste of our time. > > I have now been contacted by these two low-level Miami-Dade County Park > Service functionaries/bureaucrats who are organizing this year's Key > Biscayne EarthFest. In looking over the material they just sent me, it > looks like this year's organizing effort is coming together very late and > that few exhibitors have signed up yet. Furthermore, it doesn't look like > there is going to be any serious publicity and advertising effort this > year like there was last year. In particular, I would not expect even a > single TV station to be there this year. I would also expect this year's > attendance to be way down from last year. Last year, there were probably > like around 2,000 to 3,000 people there during the course of the > afternoon. Allan Miller remembers; that's where I first met him. > This year, I'm guessing they'll be lucky to get a few hundred. > > -------------- > > So anyway, folks, that's the situation on these two events as I see them > and my read on them. As I said, I'd really like to get Allan Miller's > opinion on all of this and which event he thinks has the better chance > of being the better event to attend. As I said, maybe some of you would > like to attend the Bicentennial Park event and others attend the Key > Biscayne event. Despite my disappointment in the abandonment of > the Key Biscayne event organizing effort to low-level Park Service > bureaucrats, I myself am leaning towards going back to Key Biscayne > again this year, just judging and taking everything on balance. Also, > just the fact that it is still a local, community-based event means more > to me than a national series event being organized 3,000 miles away > with little-to-no apparent local organization. Maybe Andrew Roddy > or others would be interested in going to the Bicentennial Park event, > and then we could compare notes afterwards. > > Depending on what Allan Miller says, I think I am going to go ahead and > sign up for the Key Biscayne event. If any of you want to sign up for > the Bicentennial Park event, please let me know and I will send you the > relevant contact info and details. > > Sorry for the length of this post. Just wanted to give everyone as > complete a picture as possible with which to make your own > judgement/decision about which event to attend, if any (or maybe > neither). > > Best regards, > > Charles Whalen > Florida EAA > Delray Beach, FL > [EMAIL PROTECTED] _______________________________________________ Florida EAA mailing list [email protected] http://www.floridaeaa.org
