*throws confetti*
Midsummer 2017 IS HAPPENING!
Don't worry, we were getting kind of nervous too. There are those who would take a look at all of the things that have gotten in the way and simply assume that Something is telling us not to do it. Us being us, we looked at it all and figured that Something was asking us "How much do you want it?"
Midsummer 2017 will be Friday, June 16 through Sunday, June 18. Pre-registration is expected to go live in the next few days. Pre registration is very strongly encouraged.
There will be some changes from last year, because unlike last year we have a hefty site fee to cover in addition to other operational costs like ice and port-a-johns.
Don't worry too much, all of the things that everyone seemed to enjoy and appreciate last year will be coming back. We're already looking forward to the big potluck dinner on Saturday, a mix of ritual and discussion and workshops to learn and celebrate, story telling around the fire, and a whole pile of kid friendly fun so the entire family has something to enjoy.
The schedule of events and the registration spreadsheet are both ready to go and will become available for use as soon as registration is live. The registration sheet is the same format as last year, and is intended to organize the potluck contributions and give us a working number of guests to expect. The site rules will be linked here and on the Facebook page and displayed on site just like last year. We'll be coordinating firewood, sanitation, and other necessities over the coming days and weeks.
All of this does come at some cost. Prices will be slightly higher this year to cover the site fee. Our usage fees were waived by Historic St Mary's City in 2016 because the site had not been renovated. When you get there, you'll see that the site has indeed been renovated, and more changes are on their way from HSMC. We'll keep you posted.
Now the other order of business.
Also going live in the next few days will be a paid membership option. It's neither a secret nor a surprise that prices are going up everywhere, and space rent, event sanitation, event insurance, and website fees are a real challenge. We estimate that Midsummer is going to cost at least a grand, and that's only one event with no paid entertainment or speakers.
To be perfectly blunt, we don't have that kind of money. We've talked numbers and tested numbers and talked more numbers and tested more numbers until we found a way that we think will provide the best bang for everyone's buck. We're asking everyone who is part of the SMPC for $24 a year. That's it. If everyone pays in, Midsummer and FrostFest will be paid for, we think. Paying members would then expect nice discounts on large events (even at $24 per year, we'll still have some additional costs like insurance for large events like Midsummer) and no-additional-cost members events. Additionally, event costs even for non members and out-of-town guests could stay low if everyone pays in, and we open up the possibility of outside speakers and group field trips and the like.
We know that money and group finances can be a difficult topic to tackle. We've held back on asking for regular, predictable financial input for a long time, but I and the rest of the admin team would really like to stop losing so much money on events. Without going into too much detail on a public forum, last year's FrostFest was a hard lesson for us financially as group organizers and we'd like to avoid having that happen again.
All of this all being said and understood, we do not want this to be a financial burden for anyone. We've set the annual chip-in as low as we think we can, but we do understand that Life Happens. Should Circumstances arise which prevent you from becoming a paying member (and you want to become a paying member) please contact anyone on the admin team. We'll sort something out.
All of us at the SMPC admin team hope you'll stick with us through this change. We have so many talented, magical people here that we feel completely justified in our high hopes for our future.
