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Proposed Shark Week in Maine, part 2

43K views 323 replies 97 participants last post by  reficul 
#1 · (Edited)
A couple weeks ago I had posted a thread to try to gauge the level of interest that the membership would have in attending a Shark Week in Maine/NH. This thread isn't about what has to be done to host SW4 in Maine or how it needs to be presented. We simply are trying to gauge the level of interest of the membership in attending an event in the White Mountains of Maine and New Hampshire.

We can promise:

- excellent mountainside lodging options at a reasonable rate (for New England in the summer time)

- extraordinary mountain views everywhere you look and opportunities to take a chairlift or gondola to the top of one of the area's major ski areas. Or for the more adventurous, take a zip line ride part way down the mountain

- roads to ride that will leave you breathless and will make you think about "calling in sick" and extending your vacation time here

- a day ride that will include a trip up the world famous Mt. Washington Auto Road for those who aren't faint of heart. Here's a sample: http://api.viglink.com/api/click?fo...=hT0YzS_sV6w&jsonp=vglnk_jsonp_13525622313414

- a day ride through the Lakes Region that's host to the oldest motorcycle rally in the U.S. - Laconia

- and an opportunity for you to enjoy some of Maines best seafood and lobster along with some wonderful craft beers

Please give us your thoughts as to whether you'd be interested in doing this as a National Shark Week Rally. Thanks in advance for your input.
 
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#85 ·
#86 ·
I've been to coastal Maine several times, spectacular seafood, local beers and scenery. Plus, the locals always seem gracious to visitors--prolly cause they ain't got to tolerate but two months (July, Aug,) of touristy activity every year. :D
 
#87 · (Edited)
It gets real crowded in the summer just because it is a really pretty state. Tourism and fishing are one of the mayor income producing activities in the state and paper manufacturing. I recommend people, if the raly is decided to be in Maine on 2014, is to get here few days early and ride the coast of Maine that is very special, and during the rally we will hit the mountains, wild country, incredible views, lakes, twistis and friendship. We might try to get a long ride to the coast to some incredible spots but the traffic is wicked for a big group to be in and will depend on time.:) The locals are used to seeing big groups on bikes, because is fairly common in the summer for local clubs rides and out of state groups that come to Maine.:)
 
#94 ·
Nutter, I appreciate your concern, and I think everyone wants SW to be bigger and better. From what I've read about SW3, along with what I know about that area of Utah, I'm very confident that we're well on our way to achieving that goal.

Regarding our proposal to host SW IV in Maine/NH, my partner in this caper (Gman SERGU) has attended both of the previous Shark Weeks. The 'third leg' of our organizing 'stool', "Workman", went to SW2 and will be attending SW3. I'm 60 years old and bought my first motorcycle at the ripe old age of 14. While I regretfully haven't had the opportunity to attend a SW event, I've spent my entire carer as a sales and marketing guy and have personally planned literally dozens of multi-day national and regional sales meetings and recognition/award trips for 10-300+ attendees. In addition, I have attended 5 Sturgis Rallys, 3 Daytona Bike weeks and close to 20 Laconia Bike Week events/rallys. Be assured that our group has plenty of experience with past SWs and many other even larger events.

We're very confident that we have the organizational skills, experience, and spectacular and unique riding roads that will allow us to continue the trend of having each Shark Week be bigger and better than the ones that have come before it.
 
#92 ·
It probably depends on whether we get the approval to do this as the National Shark week, or if we do it as a regional rally. Most likely dates would be mid-August of 2014 if it's SW4.
 
#97 ·
Maine sounds great for Sharkweek IV! I was planning to visit Maine last year and things didn't work out. So I was thinking about going this year, but if Sharkweek IV is there in 2014, I may put off my trip to Maine until then.

I'm glad there are so many favorable responses to this location. It sounds like it would be a great location and you seem to have very experienced organizing skills. So I hope someone presenting another location and attending Sharkweek III doesn't get more consideration especially if the location isn't as good. I think it is much more important to select the best locations rather than worry about if someone attended the previous Sharkweek. As far as being at a previous Sharkweek "to know how it works", important information can be shared through emails and phone conversations. And actually, I'd like to see new ideas which may make the rally more fun and interesting each year.
 
#99 · (Edited)
RLAF75 and Ozoneman thanks for the vote of confidence.

Karlcin18, you do realize we're talking summer of 2014 right? We won't set any dates until we find out if we are to host SW4 or not. If SW4 is to be here in Maine, we would look closely at sometime in the first 3 weeks of August of 2014. If another location is chosen for SW4, then we'll likely do a regional rally here but won't schedule that until they announce dates for SW4 because we wouldn't want to conflict or even be within a month or more of those dates for sure. As our membership has skyrocketed in recent years, the participation in SWs is growing to the point of hosting one will become a very large undertaking in the very near future and whoever hosts one deserves all of our support. So hang in there and let's see what happens.
 
#101 ·
With enough notice (work) count me in a meet and greet. ( I'm always looking for excuses to take off work and ride off this sandbar I live on :D )
 
#106 ·
Anyone else want to weigh in on the possibility of Shark Week 4 being held in Maine?

Possible day rides include:

The White Mountains of N.H. including several "notch" roads, the Kangamagus Highway, and the "Road to the Clouds" - the Mt. Washington Auto Road!

Twisty riverside roads in the western mountains of Maine.

A scenic loop around Lake Winnipesaukee and into Laconia - site of the oldest bike rally in the U.S.

Resort lodging with multiple classes/rates of rooms and condos available, and also camping facilities.

On site brew pub, chairlift rides to the top of the mountain, zip line rides, and much more. Shopping in North Conway, N.H. One or two hosted group dinners featuring Maine lobster or some other traditional local menu items.

I could go on and on, but it's really all about the setting for the event and the riding roads that are spectacular and will leave you wanting to extend your vacation time here.

So, what do you think? Is this something that you'd support if we made a presentation at SW3 this coming summer?
 
#107 ·
It all depends on what else is presented. I'm all for whomever wants to put together a plan and understand its a lot of work, but, we have an event they are already working hard on in Utah that I feel we should be concentrating on. Just MY 2 cents.
 
#109 ·
SW IV Proposals

It is up to members to take the ball and run with it. So far the Maine crew is getting the job done. They did exactly what was asked. They brought their ideas to the table. Maine would be great.

Before we pack our bags I am very interested in seeing any other offers too. Maine is not a done deal. It is on the table and I hope others.... CLEVELAND/Great Lakes area/ North Carolina/ Texas and any others bring proposals too!

Happy New Year!
HUTMO
 
#122 ·
Being from RI, I have ridden the roads of ME, NH and VT many times and would love the opportunity to do it again. I say that, even if it is not an 'official' SW event, a regional event to meet and ride would be great.
We like to to plan a national SW, but if the tank is not interested we will have a regional. Why start the planning for 2014 so soon? One reason is that the group is getting big and finding central locations is difficult for the whole group to stay together. We have been talking to a local resort that can accommodate large groups but they need to have an idea because they also have to plan their season ahead for reservations to ensure enough room for such a big group to be together. It is not easy to plan such an event with 100 plus bikes. Therefore, we need to see interest first. I am sure our friends planning SWIII are busy with arrangements and working hard, to ensure a pleasant experience for all. Have a Happy New Year and prosperous 2013.
 
#126 · (Edited)
Yes, we certainly are not trying to at all look past SW3 this summer in Utah, that is the next "Big Event" for RG riders and it should be fantastic. As GMAN mentioned above, the more successful these rallies are, the more attendance you get, and the significant growth that we're having on this forum is a strong indicator that before long we'll be counting attendees by the hundreds. This is all great but it takes a long time to find a good location, plan an event, and then present the plan to your fellow members, and gets even more difficult when the head count starts getting above a certain size.

We're simply looking to get ourselves in a position here in Maine to host the 2014 SW Rally if our proposal is chosen. I would strongly suggest to the admins that starting at SW3 this coming summer, we start to make sure we're locking in SW locations 2 years in advance, not just the one year we plan on now. These things are a lot of work to plan and that work grows exponentially as the number of attendees grows.
 
#127 ·
Bump to keep it alive for your thought input
 
#128 ·
A couple weeks ago I had posted a thread to try to gauge the level of interest that the membership would have in attending a Shark Week in Maine/NH. Because we realize that Maine is a long way to come for those west of the Mississippi, I merely was trying to see what people thought of the idea. Unfortunately the thread was hi-jacked and turned into an argument by a member who said Maine was way too far to go to attend a Shark Week because it would be a 3,400 mile trip for him, but then in the next breath insisted that myself and others who have expressed an interest in hosting a Shark Week here, should ride 3,100 miles to SW3 to give our proposal. Otherworldly intelligence I guess.

This thread isn't about what has to be done to host SW4 in Maine or how it needs to be presented. We simply are trying to gauge the level of interest of the membership in attending an event in the White Mountains of Maine and New Hampshire.

We can promise:

- excellent mountainside lodging options at a reasonable rate (for New England in the summer time)

- extraordinary mountain views everywhere you look and opportunities to take a chairlift or gondola to the top of one of the area's major ski areas. Or for the more adventurous, take a zip line ride part way down the mountain

- roads to ride that will leave you breathless and will make you think about "calling in sick" and extending your vacation time here

- a day ride that will include a trip up the world famous Mt. Washington Auto Road for those who aren't faint of heart. Here's a sample: http://api.viglink.com/api/click?fo...=hT0YzS_sV6w&jsonp=vglnk_jsonp_13525622313414

- a day ride through the Lakes Region that's host to the oldest motorcycle rally in the U.S. - Laconia

- and an opportunity for you to enjoy some of Maines best seafood and lobster along with some wonderful craft beers

Please give us your thoughts as to whether you'd be interested in doing this as a National Shark Week Rally. Thanks in advance for your input.

PS: If the interest level isn't high enough we'll likely do it anyway, as a regional rally.
I would love to be a part of a Shark Weeek, but the timing of the events just doesn't fit my schedule! Maybe when I retire I can make some of those trips! By then I will have a H2O cooled Harley! :) I suppose Maine would be a great ride as well.

David
 
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