let me explain it in a way that maybe joe and the rest will understand. im not the entertainment. im not the band. you are. im not a promoter. this meet isnt a commericial venture with sponsors or advertisers offering clients expensive prizes. so, you can make this meet as fancy, expensive, and rewarding as you want. all im doing is providing you all a place to meet and shoot your fine guns among other dg-bbs members. and most importantly, you arent a customer with rights, youre a private guest in my home who acts accordingly. i agree. ive seen some shoots at some back yard invites in my time, and youre right. sometimes its a guy with a hand flinger in a muddy field. one visit to my website should eliminate those fears. maybe if i describe what happens to you like this... im offering you the banquet hall, youre bringing the wedding party to it. i have no control over who actually comes on the wedding day, but i will assist you all in making sure that at least 10 will be there. your 50 spot is a kind gesture on your part to show the others and me, that you are serious about coming. ive been to a couple of parties where everyone promises to come, so the host goes out and spends hundreds if not thousands on a party, and then no one shows up. its the ultimate insult to a host. im like you. im not excited about driving 3000 miles round trip if on shoot day, everyone that promised to come just rolls over and says im too tired. the 50 keeps us all honest. and to show my honesty, i even offer everyone the benefit of the doubt and let you roll it over to the next meet. how many shoots do that, joe? rocketman will vouch for me. gil will vouch for me. they saw the operation. they attended the april shoot. it works. im real. rocketman could only come for 1 day and had to leave and had 5 games left over. i even gave him a range pass to come and shoot them up in the future. how many events do that, joe? im not throwing the party, you all are. im just providing the roof over it all. you bring targets and i'll toss them out 5 professionally maintained machines on a bonified course. your 50 is a way of ensuring other posters here that you are commited to coming. and its a way to say... thanks bob for: offering us your home, offering us the club facility without a membership, giving us all a chance to meet in one place with fine guns, offering us free instruction and coaching, providing us night shooting, keeping thouands of dollars of machines running for us, providing us a camp ground, providing an evening event in town, providing us winchester loaners, and having a smiling face greet me in the driveway, (who just drove 1500 miles from conn to see me...:>) btw dave, conn is farther than new york. so its not impossible. i do it twice a year. come join us and i will pick up your ticket. afterall, this is your website. be my guest. how many shoots do that, joe? my range is very secluded. my unincorporated town has 150 residents and 10,000 cows. if you need to unwind, this is the place. its 30 miles to town in any direction. its 6 miles to gas. my website lists all the options you have for lodging and food in the area. best to view this meet like a retreat and come prepared accordingy. this is why i encourage campers and small rv's. its a very relaxing 3 days. if youre familiar with the ozarks, youd know this to be true. remember guys....this is your party. its for everyone here. help me create it. we have 5 months to do it. and to encourage you all, i have 14 names already geared up to come locally and from other places...in case you cant gin up 10 names. so its almost locked in already. in the 5 years ive been doing this, ive never had to give refunds. ive always made minimum attendance. come be part of it.