Scandinavian Squeeze-In dates

[JimLucas]

Edited to add this warning: If you try to look at the poll results before voting, you won't be able to register your own votes.

 

In these concertina.net polls, looking at the results before voting counts as registering a "null" vote. I presume this is to insure that you register your own opinion, untainted by perceived "popularity" in the votes before your own. It has caught out people before, though, in other polls.

 

The following is what I posted before adding the above warning.

 

For the SSI (Scandinavian Squeeze-In), our usual venue -- the main scout house at Gamlegård -- is not available this year for our usual weekend (last full weekend in April, which this year is April 26-28). One possible alternative is to book the second "house" at Gamlegård. It's not as fine as the main house, though it served us well twice in the past. The other possibility would be to change the dates to the week before, when the main house is still available, though changing the dates in the past has proved problematic.

 

So I'm soliciting opinions and information, both in posted responses and through the accompanying poll. In particular:

• If you know of any significant events with dates on either of the weekends under consideration -- either April 19-21 or April 26-28 -- I'd like to know about them... concertina events especially, but also more general music events that might be expected to attract concertina players.
  
• If you would be likely to attend on one of those two weekends but not the other, it would be useful for me to know that.
  
• And if your decision of whether or not you would attend depends on which building we have for housing and activities (I guess this question would be for those who have seen both houses), then that is also important.
  
• Finally, if we were to change the dates, do you have a preference as to whether we should return to the "last weekend" schedule in subsequent years or whether you would prefer that we fix the third weekend in April as a new "permanent" schedule?
  

I note that spring normally arrives anywhere between mid-April and early May, so the later weekend would more likely (but not necessarily) be warmer than the earlier one, and with more green on the trees. On the other hand, the first of May is a time of many significant events, and I wonder if some potential participants would/do find the last weekend so close to May 1 that it presents a conflict.

Edited January 10, 2013 by JimLucas

[JimLucas]

Ouch! I'm asking for responses within a just a few days, and this thread dropped off the New Content list in less than 36 hours. (Maybe much less? I was travelling.)

 

Is that why there's only one response, so far?

 

Now that I'm back where I can send emails, I'm also using that method to solicit replies from those who have participated or expressed interest in the past, but I would very much appreciate responses here, as well... even if you're not planning to attend this year (or ever?).

 

I'd especially like to know if anyone knows of any concertina-relevant conflicting events -- and not just in Scandinavia -- during the third or last weekends in April. (I thought of checking both the concertina.net and ICA calendars, but the concertina.net calendar is completely blank for 2013 and the most recent entry in the ICA event calendar is from 2010. )

Edited January 9, 2013 by JimLucas

[JimLucas]

Ouch! I'm asking for responses within a just a few days, and this thread dropped off the New Content list in less than 36 hours. (Maybe much less? I was travelling.)

And in less than 12 hours, everything that was in New Content (including items I had not yet read) has once again disappeared from the list and only two new posts now appear there, although other times recently lots of posts have remained in the list for a week or more even after I've read them, with the list stretching into a second page.

 

So... bump!

 

And I guess I'll ask in the Forum Questions, Suggestions, Help subforum just what bizarre algorithm is used to determine how the New Content gets updated.

[Hasse]

Ouch! I'm asking for responses within a just a few days, and this thread dropped off the New Content list in less than 36 hours. (Maybe much less? I was travelling.)

 

Is that why there's only one response, so far?

 

Now that I'm back where I can send emails, I'm also using that method to solicit replies from those who have participated or expressed interest in the past, but I would very much appreciate responses here, as well... even if you're not planning to attend this year (or ever?).

 

I'd especially like to know if anyone knows of any concertina-relevant conflicting events -- and not just in Scandinavia -- during the third or last weekends in April. (I thought of checking both the concertina.net and ICA calendars, but the concertina.net calendar is completely blank for 2013 and the most recent entry in the ICA event calendar is from 2010. )

 

A nice relaxing weekend with lots of concertina playing and fellow concertina nerds, who can say no to that!??

 

One strange thing about the poll though, I started with first having looked at the poll to see the voting results and then it claimed that I had already voted? I must have messed up somehow, but the results pretty much covers what I would have voted anyway, besides the last options where I in the future if attending a SSI probably would prefer a early weekend, but well thats all in the future.

Edited January 10, 2013 by Hasse

[JimLucas]

Okay, one more bump.

I hope this will be the last time, as responses in private emails are showing a trend and I expect to make a decision over the weekend.

[Susanne]

I'm so sorry I missed this

I don't know what weekends I scheduled to work for April, and won't know until Monday. So likely I won't be able to go. (The trend is that if there is something fun going on, I work that weekend)

[David Barnert]

Jim, as I mentioned in the other thread, I have never been aware of posts disappearing from "new content" that I haven't either read or marked as "read." But if you created this thread and posted the first three entries, then it is, of course "read," so it won't show up in your "new content" but it will in everybody else's. If that's not what's happening to cause the above consternation, it may be aberrant behavior due to the interaction between your particular browser and the forum.

 

I voted "unlikely to attend..." although some year I hope to make it. I did send you an e-mail the other day, however, about the possibility of traveling to Denmark next autumn.

[JimLucas]

I voted "unlikely to attend..." although some year I hope to make it. I did send you an e-mail the other day, however, about the possibility of traveling to Denmark next autumn.

Hi David. I got your email, and I'll reply shortly.

 

As for the forum behavior, I'll reply in the other thread which is specifically about that.

[JimLucas]

Decisions have been made:

1. This year, the SSI will be held over the weekend of April 19-21, for which I have confirmed our booking of the main scout house at Gamlegård. I'm in the process of updating our web site, which should have current information by tomorrow.
2. Nevertheless, the preferred "fixed" scheduling of future SSI's will remain as the last full weekend in April (i.e., not including May 1 on Sunday), since conflicts with Easter on the third weekend -- 4 times over the next 10 years, including in 2014 -- look much more serious than potential proximity to May 1. (The next time Easter will fall in the last weekend of April will be in 2038.)

Edited to add: The web site has now been updated.

 

Now to update the concertina.net calendar and other related links, then send out the formal email invitation.

 

Anyone with questions or comments, feel free to contact me here via email or PM, or use an email link on our web site.

Edited January 18, 2013 by JimLucas

[Susanne]

Brilliant! It looks like I will be able to make it, since the work schedule for that weekend isn't set yet.

[JimLucas]

Brilliant! It looks like I will be able to make it, since the work schedule for that weekend isn't set yet.

 

It'll be great to see you, again.

[JimLucas]

The SSI web site has now been updated.

(I just edited this eariler post to add this information, but then I remembered that only completely new posts get picked up in "New Content", not edits. Hence this new post.)

 

At the moment the concertina.net calendar is giving an error when I click on the button to enter my event, but I'll enter the SSI into the calendar as soon as I find that it's working, again.

[Hasse]

Great Jim!!!

 

Springtime and concertinas a perfect combination! I'm already looking forward to this years SSI

[JimLucas]

This is a reminder, plus an announcement that the deadline for booking has been extended to Friday, April 12. (This has also been announced on our web site.)

 

That's still a week before the event, so that our caterer will still have time to figure out how much food to make and gather the supplies.

 

By the way, in case it matters to anyone, the food this year is going to be gluten free. (We have one participant with a serious allergy, and no one has ever been hurt by a few gluten free days. )