[Harp-L] SPAH 2013 numbers?

[Mick Zaklan <mzaklan@xxxxxxxxx>]

   Anybody have a final attendance count?  It should be pretty good.  I
knew something was up when I pulled in early Thursday afternoon and the
SPAH t-shirts were already gone---- unless you weighed 300 lbs and could
fit into an extra-large.  Which was a shame, because I thought this year's
shirt logo was probably the best one I've seen at these gatherings.   Later
on that afternoon, someone said the attendance number was over 500.  I'm
assuming it climbed even higher.
   At the Sacramento SPAH, a fest that people were initially worried about
because of low pre-registration, I spoke to one of the officials in
charge.  I was told that the organization could absorb one bad,
money-losing convention.  Two in a row and SPAH would probably cease to
exist.  That particular convention wound up doing fine.
Hopefully, especially after the 2013 affair, we have a bit of a surplus
built up to weather any future storms.
   I had a very disconcerting conversation with someone in St. Louis about
our list possibly being "euthanized".  I can tell you that if such a thing
was to happen and harmonica players were no longer able to communicate with
each other in numbers, it would not bode well for future conventions.
Especially with harmonica clubs currently withering on the vine.  I don't
have any proof, but I truly believe our list has alot to do with SPAH
attendance numbers.

Mick Zaklan