I have just retuned from my 3rd Texas MeatUp and here are some thoughts and reflections on the event. I hope those who attended will add their thoughts and reflections.
- I have come to believe that one of the most important keys to the success of the Texas MeatUp is the central meeting place at the Rainbow Inn. Without going into details it is based on my experience of taking youth to camp years ago. When camp construction changed the central meeting place from easily accessible for all adults to more difficult to access we lost the camaraderie that existed. It went from a short walk to see if anyone was hanging out to far too long of a walk to checkout whether others have gathered. On the other hand Rainbow Inn doesn’t take too much more than a walk out of your room. For anyone seeking to start an ongoing MeatUp I would suggest that they make sure they have an easily accessible central meeting place.
- If it is true that laughter makes folks live longer, the people at the MeatUp are going to live a long time. Laughter dominated the weekend.
- Regular attendance at the MeatUp makes you feel like the old 1980s sitcom "Cheers." It becomes a place you want to go where everyone knows your name.
- The ages of the participants seems to be irrelevant. One attendee was surprised to learn that there were attendees who were twice their age.
- Spouses shared they weren’t sure they would enjoy it the first time they attended. Their uncertainty has been alleviated and are now thinking of ways to encourage other spouses to attend.
- No MeatUp can be successful without leaders. We have been blessed to have multiple people willing to take responsibility for the MeatUp. Especially am I thankful for Panhead John and Troutman to tirelessly search for other affordable locations that will allow us to sample new BBQ venues.
- This year we were anticipating the largest MeatUp we ever had, but life and work kept quite a few from attending. What a bummer! It turned out to be our smallest, but it didn’t stop us from having our usual fun and sampling great BBQ. My advice to anyone seeking to start a MeatUp is begin small and post often both leading up to the event and and following. Pictures go a long way. Make sure you have a camera man.
- While BBQ and cooking posts brought us together and were a part of the weekend, there was much more that has brought and keeps us together.
- On a final note we forgot we were now in 2022. The old MeatUp banner read 2021, so we didn’t have one. It may have been a little tacky, but I still think we could have changed the 1 to a 2 with a permanent marker. If you are just starting a MeatUp it is probably a good Idea to leave the year off. Your digital camera will tell the year.
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