I've been looking hard at our Cookout numbers so far this year, and its getting depressing. We only have 124 signed up so far. Thats about 10 less than last year at this point. I've been trying to make sense of it.
I wanted to expand the All Mitsu Cookout this year to be a full weekend in the hopes of drawing more people from out of state. That part has kind of worked because we have 30+ sign ups from out of state. Thats more than ever before. But I also know that the out of state sign ups are also the most likely to bail on coming to the Cookout, which makes the disappointing 124 sign ups look even worse.
I know there are a lot of you that are really excited about having the Dyno Challenge and the Cookout and making it a fun Mitsu weekend. But I'll be honest, if we can't break last year's mark of 166 cars, this will be the first and last "All Mitsu Weekend." I'd still do the All Mitsu Cookout next year, but if numbers were to decline two years in a row, I'd simply just give up on it.
If your not a big fan of the whole weekend thing, your in luck, you can just sit back and do nothing, because it really looks like this will be it for it. Every Mitsu owner in the area gets to vote on whether they like the All Mitsu Cookout or not. There vote is simply showing up or not showing up to the Cookout.
For those of you who really want to see this new format survive, take a look at the current sign up list at:
http://www.mn3s.org/cookout-list.html and see which of your Mitsu buddies are not on this list and go ask them why not?? Where is everybody?
I'm hoping people are just procrastinating on signing up, but I also know people procrastinate every year and we get a small surge in sign ups the last two weeks. We need more than a small surge this year. Last year's sign ups were 183 by the time of the Cookout. We are way off that mark. We are only 18 days away!
So I really hope we start getting more sign ups. Heck, I only have seven people who have pre-paid and four people who have pre-paid for shirts. Its bad.
Sorry for the venting, but I feel this info needs to be out there.
later,
Curt