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Bill Grumbine
02-12-2007, 10:14 AM
This is the official announcement! Five Barns 2007 is now in the works. Now many of you reading this already know what of what I speak, but maybe there are some who don’t.

The five Barns Picnic is a woodworking get together hosted by the Grumbine family and has its roots in people from the forums meeting one another going all the way back to 1995! For years we hosted small gatherings at our old home in Easton, but now that we have some ground, we have made it a bigger event. The picnic is a two day event in eastern PA, just west of Allentown. It is open to anyone who wants to come. All you need to do is tell me you are coming, how many are coming, and when you are coming. We endeavor to provide food for all, but it is also a pot luck sort of thing, and we have all come to anticipate all of the regional delicacies that folks like to bring along. Nothing is required, and there is no admittance fee, but contributions are gratefully accepted.

For two days there will be all sorts of things going on in a woodworking way. There will be turning demonstrations (of course!) but there will also be other demos. In years past we have had router demos, tool sharpening, marquetry, and even a Woodmizer bandsaw mill operating in the barnyard. Last year featured a planing contest with handplanes donated by a number of business entities.

But, this is a family event! Wives (husbands) children, significant others, are all welcome. We have a large food court type of area covered and away a bit from the shop for those who want to get away from the noise and dust for a while to eat and chat. We have a small pool, 18’ round, which is open to anyone who wants to get in. You are responsible for your own children at all times, regardless of where they are or what they are doing!

People bring wood and tools and all sorts of things to swap. If you have made arrangements with someone else to buy or sell a tool, piece of machinery, etc, that is fine, but this is NOT a commercial event. There are no booths, no vendors, or anything like that. It’s a picnic!

There are some requirements for attendance. First, you need to write me via email, bill@wonderfulwood.com. I appreciate the responses to this post, or private messages on those forums so equipped, but it is an email that gets you on the list. I have enough to do without having to sort through every possible medium of communication to make sure I didn't miss someone. Send an email.

Please, please, please, if you write me and tell me you are coming, come. If you write and say you are coming, and then cannot because something came up, please let me know. It is very frustrating to have a list of 40 people who write to say, I might come, or I’ll see if there is nothing else to do that day, and then never show. It is also frustrating to have people say they are coming and then never show or bother to write and say so. We know things come up, but please consider that we need to know whether or not to plan for 20 people or 200.

Second, I need a real name. This is my home, and while I suppose someone could very easily lie to me, it makes SWMBO a lot happier to know that we have guests coming with real names.

Third, PLEASE do not bring your dog. We have had several dogs here, all unannounced, and while they have been very well behaved, if we get 20 or 30 dogs running around, it is going to be a madhouse. Not only does it get my dogs wound up, but then I have to explain to all the people who did not bring their dog why I let someone else bring theirs. I love dogs, but this is too big a gathering to have more than the two who live here, and even they can be a problem.

Lodging. People come to this thing from all over. There are a number of hotels close by. There are two campgrounds, one five miles and one 10 miles away. We also have plenty of room on our property for those who want to rough it in their tent or trailer.

Alcohol. In years past we have allowed it, and everyone has acted responsibly. I will continue to do so as long as everyone else behaves, but I have no qualms about dealing with someone who cannot control themselves. Alcohol and tools do not mix. If you want to drink, do it responsibly and stay away from the tools.

The dates are Friday and Saturday July 13 and 14. Sunday is our day of rest and we go to church. Anyone who wants to come along with us is welcome. Festivities start Friday after lunch – i.e. after 12:00 PM. If you show up early you will be put to work.

I will be making announcements and updates here on the forum, but the important stuff is always going to be by email. Directions and other information are conveyed by email. If you plan on coming, email me. In your email, PLEASE put Five Barns in the subject line. I get over 200 emails a day, mostly spam which I cannot filter out since the filter traps the good stuff too, and I do not want to inadvertently delete something I shouldn’t. Thanks, and we are looking forward to seeing you all here – well a lot of you anyway!

Bill

Art Mulder
02-12-2007, 12:38 PM
Hey Bill,

I read about this last fall, and said I'd love to come. I understand that
even us non-turners can have a good time there...:rolleyes:

The downside is that maps.google.com tells me it is an 8hr drive from London, Ontario...

So, anyone from the area... what else is in SE PA that would make this a good place to take my family on vacation so that we can also stop by the 5B picnic? Help me convince SWMBO!

(And my kids will be 3,6,8,10 this summer, so younger-oriented things are the attraction... )

Bill Grumbine
02-12-2007, 12:59 PM
Hi Art

If you like touristy things, Hershey Park is about an hour west of us. The Crayola Center is in Easton, about 30 minutes east of us. That is the home of Binney and Smith, the crayon people. An hour to the southeast is Philadelphia, which has all sorts of attractions like the Franklin Institute. There is a lot of stuff of historical interest - if you are interested in US history, especially colonial history. If spending money is an interest, the outlets in Reading draw people from all over the northeastern US, and they are only half an hour south and west of us.

Bill

Rob Bodenschatz
02-12-2007, 1:02 PM
So, anyone from the area... what else is in SE PA that would make this a good place to take my family on vacation so that we can also stop by the 5B picnic? Help me convince SWMBO!

(And my kids will be 3,6,8,10 this summer, so younger-oriented things are the attraction... )

You & the kids could come help me wire my shop. The subpanel should be hooked up by then. :rolleyes:

Rob Bodenschatz
02-12-2007, 1:07 PM
Art, if you like amusement parks, Dorney Park is very close to Bill. There's a Six Flags in NJ and a place called Dutch Wonderland in Lancaster. It's more geared to the little ones. Sesame Place is in Langhorne.

You could also drive another hour and a half to the Jersey Shore. You could easily spend a fun week there.

Tyler Howell
02-12-2007, 4:46 PM
Had a great time last Year.
Let me check with the daughter and see if she'll let me come back.:D :D

Charlie Knauer
02-12-2007, 8:43 PM
Art, there are caverns to explore in Hellertown. Not to far away and also the Martin guitar factory and museum. The area is probally one of the neatest areas in Pa. The Lehigh Valley is some beautiful countryside. All right, my favorite spot is Cantelmi hardware in Bethlehem. Hope they are still there.

Charlie

Dennis O'Leary
02-12-2007, 10:55 PM
Wow Bill - this is the most generous thing that I've seen. Good for you - I wish that you were only 6hrs away from here, I'd come!

Be careful having your e-mail on the BB - I think this makes it easy for spammers to harvest, which may be your problem. Why don't you have people PM you from this BB - they could then communicate via e-mail safely.

Ryan Cathey
02-12-2007, 11:23 PM
Sure would like to go but alas aside from it being a days drive at least I don't even have my license! LOL!

-Ryan C.

Bill Grumbine
02-13-2007, 8:51 AM
Art, I forgot completely about Dorney Park. It is one of those nusiance things to the locals so much so that I have blotted it from my mind. It is a nice park from what I hear, but the traffic really gets in the way of getting from A to B a lot of the time it is open.

Dennis, I appreciate your concern, but my email has been public for 10 years now. I don't know that it can get much worse. Besides, there are things I have done to ameliorate the spam. It just helps if people put Five Barns in the subject line. I get emails all the time where the title is "Hi" or something like that. They go straight into the deleted items folder unless I happen to notice and recognize the name of the sender, since "Hi" is a favorite header among spammers.

Bill

Fred Voorhees
02-13-2007, 5:58 PM
Hey Bill,

I read about this last fall, and said I'd love to come. I understand that
even us non-turners can have a good time there...:rolleyes:

The downside is that maps.google.com tells me it is an 8hr drive from London, Ontario...

So, anyone from the area... what else is in SE PA that would make this a good place to take my family on vacation so that we can also stop by the 5B picnic? Help me convince SWMBO!

(And my kids will be 3,6,8,10 this summer, so younger-oriented things are the attraction... )
Art,

I know this is a rather narrow focus, but there are also some great local dirt track stock car tracks that provide some absolutely fantastic family entertainment.

Mark Pruitt
02-13-2007, 9:40 PM
Hmm....Me, a lathe, and Friday the 13th.
Sure, why not?!!!:rolleyes: :D

Curt Harms
02-14-2007, 4:20 AM
Hey Bill,

I read about this last fall, and said I'd love to come. I understand that
even us non-turners can have a good time there...:rolleyes:

The downside is that maps.google.com tells me it is an 8hr drive from London, Ontario...

So, anyone from the area... what else is in SE PA that would make this a good place to take my family on vacation so that we can also stop by the 5B picnic? Help me convince SWMBO!

(And my kids will be 3,6,8,10 this summer, so younger-oriented things are the attraction... )

Hi Art

If You need youth oriented attractions to make the sale, how about this:
http://www.sesameplace.com/sesame/pa/index.aspx
in addition to the other good suggestions. I live about an hour from the 5 barns complex but am not sure what I'm doing next week, let alone months from now. One of these years though......

Curt

Heather Deans
02-14-2007, 11:32 AM
There are so many things to do around here it makes my head spin sometimes! Many have been already mentioned, but don't forget that we're under two hours from NYC and all the museums, ect. Under two hours from Philadelphia and all the museums and history. Under an hour from the Pocono mountains and all sorts of history and outdoor stuff (including my personal favorite, whitewater rafting/kayaking!). If you want to make it a family vacation, I'm sure you can find LOTS of things to do! :)

Wow Bill- that's a very cool offer you've made! I can't wait to figure out if I can make it or not!

Heather

Charles McKinley
06-05-2007, 8:26 PM
For those looking for other things to do while in the area:

http://www.lehighvalleypa.org/
the local travel site.

Also do a search on visit PA for travel info for the whole state. Lots to see and do in the Keystone State.

Lee Schierer
06-06-2007, 12:44 PM
Hey Bill,

I read about this last fall, and said I'd love to come. I understand that
even us non-turners can have a good time there...:rolleyes:

The downside is that maps.google.com tells me it is an 8hr drive from London, Ontario...

So, anyone from the area... what else is in SE PA that would make this a good place to take my family on vacation so that we can also stop by the 5B picnic? Help me convince SWMBO!

(And my kids will be 3,6,8,10 this summer, so younger-oriented things are the attraction... )

Its a hop skip and jump to Philly where you can see the beginnings of the USA, take in a ball game, eat a cheesesteak. There are numerous state parks in the area, some with covered bridges.

If you hunt there is a great Cabelas store nearby, which is fun to visit even for the non-hunter. Lots of stuffed animals, large fresh water aquariums and good clothes.

Tubing on the Lehigh river is fun for your kids age ranges.

New Jersey has a nice aquarium and the battleship New Jersey.

NYC is close by also.

Art Mulder
06-06-2007, 7:10 PM
Unfortunately, I don't see this happening for us this year. :(
I think it'd be a blast, but the distance, combined with my recent "enjoyment" of sciatica (pinched nerve, lower back) puts this out of reach.

Maybe in '08...

Charles McKinley
06-07-2007, 5:40 PM
C'mon Art,

Pick something to do half way here to do comming and going. :D

Hope your back gets better. Make sure you do your exercises even the days you feel good.

Bob Moyer
07-13-2007, 11:16 AM
Bill,

Being a newbie to this forum and woodworking, hopefully, GOD willing, I can attend next year!