Jamboree Update
By Dan Nitzel
As I am writing this article, we are beginning to plan our Fall Jamboree. The Fall Jamboree will be held at the Headworks OHV Park on October 20th and 21st, 2007. Due to scheduling conflicts, this fall’s event is a bit later than we would like to hold it. Our originally planned date did not work for the local Sheriff’s Department as a simulated emergency practice drill was scheduled for the same date as our Jamboree, so we had to move the Jamboree date. This fall’s jamboree will be similar to the event held in June except we expect the crowd to be a bit smaller.
The Spring Jamboree held in June was our 30th Jamboree and it was our largest. Based on the number of arm bands handed out, we calculate that 1,700 ATV riders attended. Most of the jamboree participants arrived Friday afternoon and evening, and stayed until Sunday afternoon. Most of the riders were from Nebraska, Iowa, South Dakota, Kansas, and rider drove as far as Texas and Oklahoma.
Concerning our upcoming fall jamboree in October, on Saturday there will be a barrel race, followed by a timed tree trail race, an ATV sled pull and a poker run. On Sunday, we plan the usual ATV drag races. Don’t forget that the gates to the riding area close from 11 PM to 7 AM. If you are out riding after 11 PM and the gates are closed, you will have to leave your machines at the gate until 7 AM. The riding area has a curfew every day from 11 PM to 7 AM.
The Jamborees serve as fund raisers for NOHVA projects. The Jamboree in June made enough money to pay for our annual insurance bill, the jamboree ambulance service, event security, rest rooms, trash pick up, and overflow parking. The insurance to cover four riding areas in Nebraska including the Headworks OHV Park amounts to about $10,000 a year. During the June Jamboree we made enough money to replenish our emergency fund, which was totally drained to pay for this year’s insurance. With the fall jamboree we hope to make enough money for next years insurance and maybe put a down payment for some staging and timing lights for the ATV drag races in 2008. A full light set up including starting lights, elapsed time (ET) and digital speed read outs cost about $6000.
While we are talking about the Jamboree, the number of “dis banders” tripled from previous events and cost us over $3000. A dis bander is someone who is at the Jamboree but does not want to officially participate, even though they try to watch the events and try to participate in Jamboree events for free. At the spring jamboree I heard about people going from camp site to camp site telling riders that they do not have to pay to watch the events by simply getting a dis arm band. I would like to remind the riders who attend our jamboree that the jamboree is a fund raiser. About 40% of the 1700 riders at our last jamboree asked for a dis band or did not sign in or.
The dis banders are by far leaving the most trash and causing the most damage to the parking areas. This is evidenced by the abundance of red arm bands laying on the ground in the trash they left for “US” to pick up. While we found very few green arm bands on the ground from those who volunteered to support us, there were a large number of red arm bands laying on the ground with huge amounts of trash, half burned and still hot trash and firewood and fire pits that were not filled in. At some of the dis bander camp sites we found the white trash bags that we handed out for free thrown in camp fires.
Beginning with the fall jamboree, if we see anyone close enough to see any part of an event with a dis band, we will stop the event and we will point the dis bander out to the event participants and spectators. The spectators and event participants can then deal with the dis banders. Security will be called in to escort the dis banders from the area as well.
If we see an increase of people asking for the free arm bands at our fall event, and we can’t make enough money to pay the bills, we will stop holding the jamborees or will have to charge the paying spectators and participants more money to cover expenses. With this said, we are leaving the fate (and cost) of future jamborees up to the riders who attend the events.
Copyright © 2003-2009 TBQ Sport Club, Inc. / d.b.a. Nebraska Off Highway Vehicle Association
Reproduction of any part of this web site is prohibited without permission.
Read our Disclaimer for information
This Site is Designed and Maintained by
Off Highway Vehicle Management
and Consulting
This
page was updated on
Sunday, March 01, 2009