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We met at the Fremont main public library in the Fukaya Room. This room
was large, seats 96 folks, and we had (14) 2.5'x 5' tables set out for
our use, whith lots of chairs. We had a bunch of power outlets on the
walls, as well as in pockets in the floor. (A liaison for the library
had dropped in to monitor the event, and was happy to see that we were
welcoming walk-in folks, and we have been invited to return again! :-)
We had about 15 LUGNET/RTL folks there, plus 6 more family members.
We actually figured that the walk-in folks probably numbered closer
to 100 folks, based on a few counts during the day.
We had a staff reporter for the Argus (Alameda Newspaper group) drop
in, and she paged her photographer to come snap a few pics. She also
talked to many of us about LEGO stuff. We may see an article this week,
probably in the "Local" section. I'll post info if I get any. (I have
an email address, so we can pre-announce our next gathering, if it's
in the Fremont-Newark-Union City area.) This begs the question about
where we should meet next. If the Fremont site is good, we can try to
set up another get-together in a few months. Otherwise, who want's
to take on the next gathering, and where should it be? :-)
We also 'officially' kicked off BayLUG, signing up our first couple of
free members, and first paid member! (http://baylug.org/membership.html)
We had two tables pulled together for two train loops, and we rotated
engines from Tom McDonald, Mark Bens, Russell Clark, and myself. We had
an assortment of cars to run, including some that were built on-site by
a couple of the kids (Ross Benz and ???). There were a few accidents,
but no real casualties that couldn't be rebuilt. (At least, I didn't
hear about any...but my UP engine, and Tom's black/yellow deisel both
took some damage, and need to be strengthened...)
Mark offered some good suggestions:
Joe Greene had spread his big tub-o-LEGO out on the floor, so we
folks could pick through it more freely. This helped him sell plenty
of LEGOs, but it was also seen as an open building invitation by the
visiting kids. Unfortunately, as vehicles were built, they were
pushed/carried/rolled into other areas, and in a few cases these models
were either abandoned on someone elses table, or the kids started
adding parts from someone elses collections. :-(
We probably should have a building area, even if it's just bricks,
if we have the room open to drop-ins. (Or, we all tell the kids "No
building today, just show & tell".)
The Fukaya Room has whiteboards along one long wall, and push-pin
bulletin boards on the other long wall. We would use these for posting
signage, (rules?), other information above the tables, so folks know
what they can touch, and what they cannot.
As I was putting the trains away, I noticed a few small parts missing
from a few cars, but nothing drastic. We *did* have a few problems with
folks that thought they could take whatever they liked. One group took
a few of the color signs, and one persons building plans (we got those
back, thankfully). Someone else took a box of snack crackers. If you
think you lost anything else, please let me know, so we can make plans
for future meets to reduce or prevent loss.
I shot a short bit of video. The day was pretty busy,and I forgot to
roll the camera more often. I have a few photos as well, and I'll post
them when I get the film developed.
Thanks to Raymond F. for the grab bags, and to Mark Benz for getting
the room reserved for us at no cost! Thanks also to the BayLUG folks
helping to set up the website. (They were the first members, but they
get the 'paid' membership benefits for free, in return for their help.)
What did everyone else think? What things should we do next time?
What should we avoid doing?
-Z- http://baylug.org
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Message has 2 Replies:
 | | Re: First BayLUG meeting deemed "a success"!
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| (...) This was a very good sized room especially if we want to separate club and visitor activities - for now, not too small, not too big. I'm glad we were favorably received. We could line up the tables so half the room is for visitor interaction (...) (25 years ago, 25-May-99, to lugnet.loc.us.ca.sf)
| | | Re: First BayLUG meeting deemed "a success"!
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| A very big thanks to Zonker, Russell, Fred, Mark, and anyone else involved in the organizing of this event! It was much more ambitious than I'd been imagining, and I was quite happy to see how well it went. One conclusion that had been discussed (...) (25 years ago, 25-May-99, to lugnet.loc.us.ca.sf)
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