Did You Come to the Hummer?

by Betty Roberge

If you didn’t, you missed a great one. I can honestly report that everyone I talked with had a blast. (Am I dating myself by using the term Blast?) We had one of the best musical line-ups ever, that kept attendees under the big top, engaged, singing, and dancing. Thunderstruck made their way here from Louisville, KY and End of the Line arrived from Nashville, TN. Other bands/entertainment were local to WI. In addition to the music, Driftless Axe was on site to give us some tips on axe throwing – not to mention blindfolded axe throwing. One of the highlights was the Executive Director axe throwing challenge between John Reblin and Chubby. Who won? I’ll never tell. Next year let’s get some regional challenges going, shall we?

One of the favorite places to work for me is the gate, because you get the first opportunity to meet people coming to the Hummer. What impressed me the most this year was not only the number of people that joined ABATE, but also the number of locals that came to see what ABATE and the Hummer is all about. Several people from Greenwood and a few couples from Thorp attended. One local resident arrived at the gate on Saturday evening about 9:30 and paid a $25 day pass to get in. EXCELLENT. We need to get our neighboring community members more active at the Hummer.

The committee needs to thank everyone involved in making this fundraiser a success. It is humbling to know that if you need help all you have to do is ask and there are people you can count on to help you get it done. They don’t hem and haw, they don’t ask questions, they just fit it in to their time schedule and get the job done. So thankful to those of you that did just that. That’s a major reason we are successful at what we do.

The numbers aren’t quite in yet so we can’t report on how we did financially, but I can tell you that our attendance was just slightly larger than last year. Did we meet our goal? No. Our membership somehow has to figure out a way to bring our own members to the event. 25% attendance from our own membership would make this party the biggest fundraiser we ever had. Can we do it? Of course, we can. How can we do it? That’s what we need to work on. Bring the committee your ideas.

Of course, as with any major event, there were a few minor glitches that need to be corrected for next year. Are we disappointed that those things happened? Yes. But those stumbling blocks teach us what we need to tweak in the future, so in a way they are helpful because they are steppingstones to bigger and better things to come.

The committee needs to express our appreciation to our very own committee chairperson, Worm. He attended the Hummer this year with some major injuries suffered about a week before it was go time. Did that stop him from being there? No. Did that stop him from working it? No. True dedication right there. Thank you, Worm for doing a lot more than what was expected under the circumstances.

So, what happens now? Is it over? Does the committee get a break? HELL No. We start over. In July we start making plans for next year. Budgets need to be worked on, bands need to be booked, sponsorships need to start coming in, poster and T-Shirt designs need to be created. There’s a lot to do while it’s still all fresh in our minds.

THANKS FOR COMING!

THANKS FOR LETTING US HAVE THE SUMMER HUMMER AT YOUR LAND!

SEE YOU NEXT YEAR!

As always, forward any and all Hummer ideas to: Robert.grasse59@gmail.com or news30letter@outlook.com.