Ok, the dates for the sixth annual Gun Blogger’s Rendezvous have been set, Sept. 8-11, 2011. The venue is again the Silver Legacy hotel and casino in Reno, Nevada. I’ve been to all five so far, and I don’t plan to miss this one.
Last year’s schedule of activities will give you some idea of what to expect if you’ve never attended one of these, but bear in mind that for most of us, the reason to attend is to get together in person with people we know and like on-line, and have long, uninterrupted face-to-face conversations about the things we care about and find interesting. Oh, and we get to shoot a lot, too. Not to mention, EAT a lot.
Plus, there’s great swag to be had, provided by the heavy hitters in the firearms industry. Last year Midway USA gave us pistol pouches and other neat stuff (cups, hats, shirts etc.), Brownell’s donated another of their very nice top-of-the-line range bags, lots of AR-15 magazines and other stuff. The National Shooting Sports Foundation bought us pizza dinner one night, and the NRA bought us breakfast one morning. Glock gave away a certificate good for any standard handgun, and MKS supply gave away a 9mm Hi Point carbine. Para-USA gave away a 35%-off discount certificate for one of their handguns. Crimson Trace donated a certificate for one of their products, and there was much more. We raised $5,088 for Soldier’s Angels’ Project Valour-IT.
This year is shaping up to be as good or better. Our oldest attendee, Bea, who first attended GBR IV in the company of her grandson, came back last year because she had so much fun. Her grandson couldn’t make it, so she twisted her son’s arm and made him bring her! Bea shoots .22 and .45 Ruger revolvers (and anything else you put in her hands) and reloads for her .45 Blackhawk. She and Ruger’s representative Lori Petoske got along great, and Bea has convinced Lori to convince Ruger to donate a convertible Blackhawk for this year’s Rendezvous. You’ve got to read that story.
Year before last, I donated a Para GI Expert 1911. (2009 was berry, berry good to me. Until December.) Last year, I donated a set of La Rue QD rings. This year all I can donate is $400 worth of air travel to the Rendezvous. If you want to come, but the air fare is going to be a problem, let me know. I’ve got $400 worth of travel vouchers from United Airlines. United makes actually using these vouchers as difficult as possible. You have to book the flight over the telephone – no internet booking – and they charge a premium for doing it that way, but tickets purchased with the vouchers can be in anyone’s name. I just have to be the one picking them up at the United counter, since it’s my name on the vouchers.
You have to be SURE you can make it. Tickets purchased with these vouchers are not refundable or transferable (see what I mean about making it difficult to use them?) If the tickets cost more than $400, I cannot pick up the difference. If you can, great, but we’ll have to figure out how to handle that. Contact me at the email address on the left sidebar (<—— ) and tell me your story. If I get more than one person interested in going, I'll review and compare your stories and your ticket prices and make a selection. All decisions are final. But the earlier we get the tickets booked, the less they should cost overall. I'll wait until the end of March or so before making a decision (and there will be follow-on Rendezvous posts linking back to this one in the mean time).
You don’t have to be a blogger to attend. Readers are more than welcome. I really hope to see the biggest turnout ever for a Rendezvous!
