Billville Feed & Fun '08

[trailangelmary]

The Annual Billville Feed & Fun will be July 4, 5 , 6 in Duncannon, PA. Mary is planning the feed menu and is asking for donations from Billville members and friends to help cover the cost of food, beverage and paper supplies. If you would rather donate an actual item contact Mary. Time is coming quick!! Don't Delay.

[TheTank]

Mary, could you use help preparing food, or setting anything up ahead of time, if so when? I am not sure when I will be able to get off work to come down, but I may be able to come and help out if it is needed.

[trailangelmary]

Hey Tank,
your help would be great. Let me know when you can get here.
Thanks

[Newb]

have fun everyone. I'll be in Illinois doing the family thing.

[angewrite]

Hi Mary-

I already told Tricks I'll be there in all my glory and I'm more than willing to help out in any way I can. I'll be good for the last minute stuff. I'll probably show up Thurs night.

-Bobcat

[Jesters Mom]

Even though Jester, sadly, will not be there, I'll still be bringing the desserts. If anybody has a request for a particular dessert, let me know. Looking forward to seeing everybody.

[trailangelmary]

Hi all,
Because of the great number of Billville members that will not be able to come and help, I have decided to feed less meals. So I will be at the park on Friday and hope the Billvillians that can come will help transport hikers to the fireworks on Friday evening. I have a great spot I have traditionally taken hikers to see the fireworks of Harrisburg and I would like to do that again this year. However, since there will be less help this year I feel I can only handle so much and will only feed the two Saturday meals and Sunday morning breakfast. I have several ideas in mind for contests but no hiker AT in 5 minutes or less this year.
Still looking forward to putting together a great Billville event in Jester's absence. And I appreciate anyone's help and contributions. Thanks to all.

[seaside]

The Annual Billville Feed & Fun will be July 4, 5 , 6 in Duncannon, PA. Mary is planning the feed menu and is asking for donations from Billville members and friends to help cover the cost of food, beverage and paper supplies. If you would rather donate an actual item contact Mary. Time is coming quick!! Don't Delay.

I would like to thank you for your hospitality in Damascus. The jambalaya was very tasty. I gave you a bag of potatoes before I left on Saturday morning (didn't know if I told you who I was or not). My son, Chaco, is NOBO, left Bland VA yesterday, travelling with Wakapak.

I am sure Chaco and Wakapak will see you when they pass Duncannon. Again, many thanks.

[seaside]

Hi all,
Because of the great number of Billville members that will not be able to come and help, I have decided to feed less meals. So I will be at the park on Friday and hope the Billvillians that can come will help transport hikers to the fireworks on Friday evening. I have a great spot I have traditionally taken hikers to see the fireworks of Harrisburg and I would like to do that again this year. However, since there will be less help this year I feel I can only handle so much and will only feed the two Saturday meals and Sunday morning breakfast. I have several ideas in mind for contests but no hiker AT in 5 minutes or less this year.
Still looking forward to putting together a great Billville event in Jester's absence. And I appreciate anyone's help and contributions. Thanks to all.

To all you hikers, would the NOBO"ers out of Damascus at Trail Days, be in Duncannon for this "happening"?

[Lone Wolf]

To all you hikers, would the NOBO"ers out of Damascus at Trail Days, be in Duncannon for this "happening"?

they'd have to average about 15 miles per day. it's about 673 miles

[trailangelmary]

To all you hikers, would the NOBO"ers out of Damascus at Trail Days, be in Duncannon for this "happening"?

I would think they would arrive in Duncannon right on time for the feed. I do hope so.YEAH!!

And thank you seaside for the potatoes. It was great to meet you. Hope to see you again sometime. Tell Chaco & Wakapak I said Hi if you talk to them.

[trailangelmary]

Because of the great number of Billville members that will not be able to come and help, I have decided to feed less meals. So I will be at the park on Friday and hope the Billvillians that can come will help transport hikers to the fireworks on Friday evening. I have a great spot I have traditionally taken hikers to see the fireworks of Harrisburg and I would like to do that again this year. However, since there will be less help this year I feel I can only handle so much and will only feed the two Saturday meals and Sunday morning breakfast. I have several ideas in mind for contests but no hiker AT in 5 minutes or less this year.
Still looking forward to putting together a great Billville event in Jester's absence. And I appreciate anyone's help and contributions. Thanks to all.

P.S. The event will go on, just the planned meals may have to decrease because of lack of donations. I will keep eveyone updated on the food plans. Maybe we could do a DUMP STEW on Friday. Every one bring a can or two of anything and we dump it all together in a pot...therefore dump stew!

[Jesters Mom]

Below is an e-mail that Mary received regarding the Billville Hiker Feed in July. I won't say who sent it to her, but I felt that it needed to be posted and the individuals mentioned might want an opportunity to respond. With what's going on with Mary's grandson, I don't think she needs this kind of aggravation added to what she's already going through. Mary does all this work out of the goodness of her heart, as does everyone who helps out with this event, but Mary is the one who put so much effort into it and does the planning and coordination, etc. Maybe I got it wrong or misunderstood, but the first time I went to the feed with Jester a couple of years ago, I thought it was great that people were doing this and going to such trouble for the current year hikers to give them a break and feed them for the weekend and see that they had a good time. It's sad to see the e-mail below and maybe this person has another agenda - I don't know. In any case, with the state of the economy, it's going to be a struggle for Mary to put this all together this year, so I'm hoping some of you will help out, if not by being there and working it, then financially. Since Jester is unable to be there this year since he's hiking the PCT, I think it's up to all of us to make it the best feed yet.

"If the individuals like Blister, Chomp, Ray, Old Pfart Woody, Rif Raf, Redneck, Funky, Boo Boo, and possibly Bust Ace? are not going to be there along with Jester’s absence to support or even help out with their own name sake feed then why in the hell our we having it. Please tell me I would love to know. I’m out and so is the t-shirt money Vickey has, unless some of the above named individuals make a commitment to come and help out. I’ll be damned if I’m waiting on a group of hikers all weekend long…, no thank you."

[A-Train]

I’ll be damned if I’m waiting on a group of hikers all weekend long…, no thank you."

Ahh, the spirit of trail magic....

[A-Train]

Didn't mean to erase the quotation marks. To be clear, that wasn't Jester's Mom who said that.

[RedneckRye]

Since I've been named by someone as being some type of party-pooper, I'll take a minute to "defend" myself.

Mostly it is economics. Gas money for me would be about $160 round trip. It was about the same amount to get to Trail Days. Slightly less for the Winter Warmer as gas was only $3 a gallon then. Luckily the Gathering in WV this year will be a bit closer. I can only spend so much money and time driving around to see my friends and feed hikers. I've got an actual backpacking trip to Wyoming planned for the end of July and I gotta pay for that somehow.

As far as feeding hikers, I'm planning a trip down to Virginia in a couple of weeks with a few friends that will involve feeding a few hikers who will unknowingly walk into where we are set up out in the woods. A hell of a lot less work and much more rewarding than helping put together an in town catered feast for a bunch of hikers who have known about the "event" for weeks and may have hitched in for a free meal.

I'm sorry that a bunch of folks can't make it this year and things may have to be scaled down a bit, but life will go on. Maybe a bunch of the hikers in attendance could skip a bar tab somewhere and chip in. Oh, wait. Then wouldn't be "magic".

[chomp]

Ok, I am going to respond, but this being the internet and all I'm sure what I am about to say will be misconstrued or misread. I'm not trying to bash anyone, but I also don't like being called out either, so I feel like I need to say something in response to the email that was sent.

First off - I won't be there this year, that is true. July always a busy month for me, plus the feed is right on the 4th, a time of year when I traditionally have other plans. But even if the feed wasn't on the 4th, there isn't a weekend in July right now that I can make due to other obligations, which includes a hiking trip out west to Olympic National Park.

Also, I have supported the feed both monetarily and with my attendance for several years. Not that I feel that it’s anyone's business, but I won't be doing either this year. I'm sorry that I won't be able to help out with the Feed this year, but I have other priorities right now. I don’t feel like I should have to defend myself.

And this is what bothers me the most, I think. I feel like I *do* have to defend myself. Normally I don't give a crap what anyone thinks of me, but among my friends I expect more I guess. And while I don't mind the good-natured harassment we give each other when someone can't show up, I really resent being made to feel like I have an obligation and that somehow I'm being a bad friend or Billvillian or whatever.

Truth be told - the Feed isn't really my cup of tea. I mean, I like hikers and I like Billville and I like food, so you'd think it would be a slam dunk. But the Feed is a bit too busy for my tastes. Too much food, too many events, too many hikers hanging out for the entire weekend, etc… I’m more a fan of the surprise-magic. But regardless of my feelings about this, I do support it. Why?

Because the Feed *is* important to my friends, so I show up, I contribute, I participate; not just to help out current hikers, but to support something that my friends care about even if its not something that I would do otherwise. I showed up and supported it when Tricks organized things in Port Clinton, and I showed up and supported it when it moved to Duncannon. And it’s not like I am never going to go to the Feed again, I’m just taking this year off.

Finally – as for the email that was sent to Mary, it’s entirely uncalled for. Not only does it demean those of us that will not be there, but it’s rude and abrasive to Mary. This wouldn’t be OK to sent to a contra-dancer, never mind someone who is completely unselfish and cares more about helping other people more than anyone I know. While there might be a valid point in there somewhere, whatever message the author was trying to convey was lost with their negativity and bad attitude. And yes, I know who wrote it.

[Lone Wolf]

too much drama. simple solution, cancel the event

[Jesters Mom]

Aw, come on, Lone Wolf, you know you wanna come. I'd bake you a cake ...

[StarLyte]

"If the individuals like Blister, Chomp, Ray, Old Pfart Woody, Rif Raf, Redneck, Funky, Boo Boo, and possibly Bust Ace? are not going to be there along with Jester’s absence to support or even help out with their own name sake feed then why in the hell our we having it. Please tell me I would love to know. I’m out and so is the t-shirt money Vickey has, unless some of the above named individuals make a commitment to come and help out. I’ll be damned if I’m waiting on a group of hikers all weekend long…, no thank you."

Hey yall,

I didn't write this

Dontcha hate the Internet sometimes?

I cannot make it on July 4th. That is a holiday and I want to be with my family.

Had it been any other date, I would be there.

I'm sure there will be hikers there and someone to cook and serve the food.

I am reading the words this person has written in that quote...this person has a gripe. They want to be heard, and I'm sure they have a good reason whatever it may be.

Hope everyone has a great time!