Skeptics in the Park – Post Mortem
On a cold and rainy October 17th, the Atlanta Skeptics ventured out of the pub and into the great outdoors. Well, as great and outdoors as you can get in the middle of a major metropolitan area.
Overall, we had a good turnout for the first outing (approx 20), especially considering the weather. People brought kids, we grilled (eventually), and had some of Maria’s “fruit punch.” Fun was had by all. The event took place at a small picnic pavillion in Grant Park on the southeast side of Atlanta. The sun never came out and the wind was blowing making it a very chilly day, and there were periods of drizzle mixed with light rain here and there.
More after the break.
I don’t think the park choice was bad. The major problem was the grill. The grill itself was cold and wet and also apparently made for wood burning rather than charcoal, which is all we had. It took a lot of time and effort getting the grill hot enough to actually cook anything. Christian at one point had to leave to pick up more coal and also some wood. In hindsight, I should have had the grill prepped and going at least an hour before everyone arrived. This may not be as much of an issue in the warmer and dryer months.
People were told to bring what they wanted to grill, and my intention was that they would just bring enough for themselves with maybe a little extra. Unfortunately, this was not clear and there was an overabundance of food, some of which never made it to the grill. I also didn’t even consider how to handle buns (heh) until the day before, so there was a lot of those left over as well.
Those were the two major issues, which for the very first event of its kind, isn’t that bad. People brought kids who ran around playing, while the adults ate (eventually) and talked. There will not be another Skeptics in the Park this year, and the next one will not be until spring at the earliest. This gives us plenty of time to discuss things that worked and things that didn’t, which is where you come in. I’d like for those that attended to write what they liked and didn’t like in the comments, and even if you weren’t there any suggestions are welcome. I guess the one big question I have for the next one is if about the park. Do we need to find a new park? Should we move it around and go to different parks each time, inside and outside of the perimeter? Let me know!
James Severin
October 29, 2009 @ 9:27 am
I didn’t have a problem with location, the weather wasn’t too bad for me or my girls. I suppose that for the future we could take a collection up and designate people to pick up certain items, of course this way is fraught with danger so I don’t know if really there is anything to change with the food.
Other than perhaps a recon of the area to see what exactly we have there I wouldn’t change too much. There was some comments about getting the bigger pavillion but I thought we had enough space. The directions were a little obscure, but the map was spot on and helped me to find the location quickly.
I would have liked to have been closer to the playground but I understand everyone would have had to walk further into the park with everything they brought. All in all, as a first attempt I think that it was a success.
Now if next time someone could bring some tasers for the people who walk up and try to sell stuff or ask for money we would be set!
Stephen K
October 29, 2009 @ 9:36 am
Yeah, I was worried that the directions might be confusing, but I did ask people to tell me if they were when I first put them out there. No one did.
We did have things assigned for certain people to bring, just not the meat or the buns, pretty much.
The reason we couldn’t have been closer to the playground is that the park only has two picnic pavilions, the one we were at and the one across the path. They’re the only free first come, first serve pavilions in the park. Every other pavilion/gazebo has a reservation rate and we could get kicked out unless we reserved the space. So, that’s more a problem with park layout.
Maria
October 29, 2009 @ 11:19 am
The ‘problem’ of too much food really isn’t one. Pretty much every party or outdoor event I’ve ever thrown ends up with that problem. Most people will just take their leftovers home. It’s a good problem to have, and certainly better than the trouble of not having enough.
I’d rather take up a collection to reserve a pavillion – taking up a collection to get food a) puts all the burden on one or two people to decide on a menu, get the right amount of food etc b) means we risk running out if people don’t RSVP etc and c) means we probably don’t get the variety of food we want.
I had a great time! It was a shame it was chilly but overall, a good start and a great turnout. I think when we do this again in the spring, we’ll have a bigger crowd for sure.
Andrew Sevrinsky
October 31, 2009 @ 12:26 pm
This was so much fun, albiet way too cold. I also need to get my coat dry-cleaned, as it still smells like I was in a house fire.
Maria’s right as far as the logistics of bringing food; you ALWAYS get too much.
As far as concerns the location, I had no problems with it, although it would be silly not to look around and see if we can find something better; certainly we have months to plan.