| Massachusetts Striped Bass Association Since 1950 |
MSBA EXPO 08 This year the Expo moves from a Gillette stadium clubhouse to a new venue, the Sally Blair Ames Recreation Center on the Stonehill College campus. While this venue doesn't have quite the same public flair of Gillette, it is, in many respects, much more suitable to our needs. Located only a half mile off of exit 17B on route 24, the venue offers unparalleled access from all the major highways in the area. The Center offers around forty thousand square feet of unobstructed floor space, a ceiling high enough to accept sailboats, ample parking, and load in and out access directly from a parking lot as well as a drive in door. Those last, for those who have worked at past Expos, means no stairs or freight elevators! There has been over fifty successful MSBA Expo's and what has made them successful has been the work of the club membership. For the visiting public the show, it starts on Sat. March 1st from 10AM to 5PM and Sun. March 2nd from 9AM to 7PM. For the vendors and the volunteers from the club, the work starts early Fri. AM and ends late evening on Sunday. The work required to put on the Expo can be hard and the hours long but it is a heck of a good way to meet and make friends with your fellow club members. Many of our volunteers come back year after year because the work can be satisfying and comradeship something special. Whether you take advantage of them or not, the MSBA offers it's members a myriad of benefits far beyond those paid for by the short money thirty dollar membership fee. The Expo is a major contributor to those benefits and it needs the membership to step up and take on some some of the work needed to make the Expo the success it has been in the past. The unfortunately small number of hard core volunteers needs the support and physical presence of every one who can spare four or more hours during the period of Feb. 29th through March 2nd. This is not a case of let Joe do it. There just isn't, I'm sorry to say, enough hard core Joe's around to do what needs to be done. Volunteers who put in four hours will be free to see the show before or after their shift. Those who put in eight hours over the three days period will be pretty much free to wander around as they wish. Members who do not work the show will be paying regular admission prices along with the general public. There will be senior discount tickets offered prior to show day. This year there will be a carefully kept list of who works when. On a related note, the first quarter of the year in New England is show season with major events in Springfield, Worcester, and Providence with a variety of other smaller events where your club will have membership booths. Volunteers are needed to man those booths. I can tell you from personal experience that working these booths isn't a bad way so spend a winters day. It's more like a long social hour with the members sharing the booth with you. the public, and the vendors. It also get you in to see the show for free. The MSBA is your club and yes, you do have a responsibility to support it and your fellow members with more then just the membership fee. Mike Glennon, Expo Chairman mglennon@msba.net 781-985-6263 MSBA HOMEPAGE |