So are we going to have a SETTFest this year?
 

[Mojo resurfaces! Must be January...]

Are we going to try this year? Last year I advertised a gathering for the Houston area and got no response. Granted, it was at my house, but at least I saved on reserving the spot at the park... I'm only asking this early b/c I'm trying to set my summer schedule with regards to travel.

I hope so.

Hi Mojo! Did you freeze your toes off last week? There were icicles hanging off my garage. :lol:

Thanks for starting this thread!

Hey. I would like to come if I can get my schedule strait. Working nights and all over the place makes it hard but I would like to try!

If there is an event this year in Texas, I hope it is successful, but it won't be called SETTFest. I'm officially retiring the name. For the 5 years that Suze and I hosted the event, we never lost money despite the park rental, and it only took us about ~12 hours of work each year to make the event happen. Too bad nobody has that kind of commitment these days.

[QUOTE=feldon30;390033]If there is an event this year in Texas, I hope it is successful, but it won't be called SETTFest. I'm officially retiring the name. For the 5 years that Suze and I hosted the event, we never lost money despite the park rental, and it only took us about ~12 hours of work each year to make the event happen. Too bad nobody has that kind of commitment these days.[/QUOTE]

I wouldn't say lack of commitment totally.

It might be that people are just too tied up with everyday life.
Then there is the reality that every year I see where one person will say they cant make it on this date and another at another date.

Why does it have to have a name anyway?
Why cant people just get together.:(
I myself am not a schedule oriented person at home on my free time.
I never know what I will feel like doing from one day to the next.
I have a strict schedule at work and I leave it there.:lol:


Worth

[QUOTE=Worth1;390042]I wouldn't say lack of commitment totally.Then there is the reality that every year I see where one person will say they cant make it on this date and another at another date.

Why does it have to have a name anyway?[/QUOTE]People associate a name with a brand, and if they have a good experience, they want to repeat it. I am not trying to sound like an ego trip, but we put on a quality event for 5 years, and with not that much effort and no cost out-of-pocket, someone could have stepped up and kept it going and had a built in guaranteed audience of at least 60 attendees based on the last year the event was held.
[QUOTE=Worth1;390042]Why cant people just get together.:(
I myself am not a schedule oriented person at home on my free time.
I never know what I will feel like doing from one day to the next.[/QUOTE]
I understand it's frustrating to have to pick a day several months out, but a park has to be reserved, and people have to make plans. For some people, it's a 3 hour drive and not something that can be done impulsively, as with people's age or health they prefer to get a hotel room. Some years, SETTFest has fallen on the same weekend as Father's Day, so family members have to arrange in advance what's acceptable and what's not.

If you can announce a date and time and public venue a few months in advance, then it actually REDUCES your stress and the stress of people attending because they don't have to worry about it changing. Now I'll admit that on the negative side, some years, the event has been near the tail end of peak tomato harvest. Because Central and S.E. Texas don't really peak their harvests at the same time, I figured that we'd see 2 events start up, inclusive of each region, and requiring less driving on everyone's parts.

I know planning ahead is a bummer, but the alternative is, we haven't had any kind of tomato event in Texas for the last few years. Trying to just "wing" it doesn't seem to be working.

[QUOTE=feldon30;390049]People associate a name with a brand, and if they have a good experience, they want to repeat it. I am not trying to sound like an ego trip, but we put on a quality event for 5 years, and with not that much effort and no cost out-of-pocket, someone could have stepped up and kept it going and had a built in guaranteed audience of at least 60 attendees based on the last year the event was held.

I understand it's frustrating to have to pick a day several months out, but a park has to be reserved, and people have to make plans. For some people, it's a 3 hour drive and not something that can be done impulsively, as with people's age or health they prefer to get a hotel room. Some years, SETTFest has fallen on the same weekend as Father's Day, so family members have to arrange in advance what's acceptable and what's not.

If you can announce a date and time and public venue a few months in advance, then it actually REDUCES your stress and the stress of people attending because they don't have to worry about it changing. Now I'll admit that on the negative side, some years, the event has been near the tail end of peak tomato harvest. Because Central and S.E. Texas don't really peak their harvests at the same time, I figured that we'd see 2 events start up, inclusive of each region, and requiring less driving on everyone's parts.

I know planning ahead is a bummer, but the alternative is, we haven't had any kind of tomato event in Texas for the last few years. Trying to just "wing" it doesn't seem to be working.[/QUOTE]

Didn't I go to the one the year before last or was that 3 years ago now?:?!?:

Planing in advance is the best way I cant imagine have Christmas at random times.
OK folks Christmas is on month from now this year.:shock:
No I dont think you are on an ego trip, you guys did a real good job.:yes:
The year I went I didn't get to meet you I think you were out of country.

Worth

[QUOTE=Worth1;390055]

Planing in advance is the best way I cant imagine have Christmas at random times.
OK folks Christmas is on month from now this year.:shock:


Worth[/QUOTE]

You mean like Easter ( and yes, I do know how it's figured out).

As far as trying to pick a date that's will work for everyone, it's not going to happen. Choose a date that doesn't conflict with the big stuff and works for you and go for it.

Has the name SETTFest been trademarked?

[QUOTE=neoguy;390063]Has the name SETTFest been trademarked?[/QUOTE]

Yes. In the same way that Tomatoapalooza[tm] has been
trademarked.

If someone is genuinely interested in putting on a SETTFest event like we used to do, with a picnic pavilion in a public park and so forth, then I would be thrilled to support it in any way that I can. If it's going to be smaller gatherings at people's houses, then that would be nice too, but calling it SETTFest may confuse people or set the wrong expectation.

Suze and I didn't do anything miraculous. We picked a date on the calendar, reserved a park, announced the event, and showed up. The rest just kinda happened. And we have never been out-of-pocket for the expenses. On-site donations have always covered it.

What were the biggest expenses?

I have some experience planning things like this, but I never actually went to a SettFest, since I got into tomatoes just after they ended.

[QUOTE=greentiger87;419074]What were the biggest expenses?[/quote]
The park pavilion rental ($75-125) and paper goods. A donation basket set out with a recommended/requested donation of $5 per adult was more than enough to cover that cost.

[QUOTE=greentiger87;419074]I have some experience planning things like this, but I never actually went to a SettFest, since I got into tomatoes just after they ended.[/QUOTE]
Check out the SETTFest photos on our website from past years and you can get an idea of what we did. We mostly just showed up and set things up.

One point to make: There is no requirement that the host/organizer brings all or most of the tomatoes. I know it's caused a lot of stress for Tomatopalooza and other events where the success of the event is entirely on the shoulders of 1-2 people bringing the bulk of the tomatoes. If you can get a few people to bring enough tomatoes (at least 50 varieties), then you can focus on the organizing and setup.

I couldn't possibly bring the tomatoes... I grow less than 10 plants a year, at least half are hybrids, and the rest are boring tried and true heirlooms.

But I'd be happy to do the other logistics, and paying for the pavilion rental / paper goods is no problem. I would pay a lot more than that to taste tomatoes that I would never be able to grow myself, and pick the brains of the experts. It would be great if I could team up with at least one other person though. This would be for NEXT year of course.

Given that no one knows me, and I've never met anyone here in person, I'm not sure anyone would want to come to a tomato tasting hosted by me alone :P

Also, I'm 26. And Indian. From looking at the pictures, I'd stick out just a little ;) That's fine with me, it's par the course for a lot of my interests. I have to ask though, if anyone thinks that will be an issue for the group. Hopefully that question doesn't offend anyone, it stems from a prior bad experience.

I live in southeast Houston, but using Washington-on-the-Brazos for continuity would be just fine with me.