It's a mere ten weeks (as of yesterday) until Netroots Nation 14 kicks off in our fair albeit beleaguered city of Detroit, and we Motor City Kossacks need to be ready!
To that end, I am proposing a traveling road show of meet-ups in the very broadly defined catchment area of Metro Detroit. My plan to date is to have them in pairs: Detroit and Ann Arbor/Ypsi over the weekend of May 17th and 18th, and in greater Lansing and Oakland County over the weekend of May 31st and June 1st.
These will, I hope, be working meetings in part. If you take a look at my sister diary about NN14 preparations--link here--you'll see that there are many, truly more than enough, opportunities for local folks to get involved above and beyond attending the convention itself.
Just as a teaser, here are some of the possibilities I discuss at more length in the sister diary:
--Event Volunteering (many tasks just before and during the convention) A popular option for two reasons: to get connected, and to earn reduced conference fees!
--Hospitality Prep (creating resource lists for places to feature for NN14 visitors)
--Hospitality Staffing (helping newbies get oriented; setting up the Daily Kos lounge, etc.)
--Local Democratic Networking (reaching out to Democratic Clubs in the area to boost attendance)
So let's get on it, shall we?
My proposal for the Detroit meet-up is:
Saturday 5/17 dinner, 6-8 PM, at the Grand Trunk Pub, 612 Woodward, downtown Detroit (no Tigers game, so we should be OK)
My proposal for the Ann Arbor/Ypsi meet-up is:
Sunday 5/18 late lunch, 1-3 PM, at the Sidetrack Bar and Grill, 56 E. Cross St., Ypsilanti
We'll be taking off Memorial Weekend. :)
Our next set of meetings will happen over the weekend that ends May and starts June.
My proposal for the Lansing-area meet-up is:
Saturday 5/31 dinner, 6-8 PM, location TBD
My proposal for the Oakland County meet-up:
Sunday 6/1 late lunch, 1-3 PM, location TBD
Please note the significance of my phrasing. I say "my proposal" for two reasons. First, if you have other recommendations of where to meet--particularly in the Lansing area and in Oakland County--I'm all ears. Second, until I get some RSVPs, this is still all tentative. So I'd like to hear from people sooner than later whether they plan to attend; this is important for the sake of reservations and overall planning.
I'm looking for RSVPs in the comments, for any and all of these meet-ups. No reason you can't come to more than one; I certainly will be! So please go take a look at the diary with NN14 details and come back to let me know when you'll take part.
Oh, there's one more meet-up to announce now, though the details will have to wait a little while. Several folks in the area said they'd like to get together before going to NN14, to give us a chance to meet and hang out before the big event. The best time for that, I would think, is the weekend BEFORE 4th of July weekend. That would mean sometime between Friday-Sunday, June 27-29, date, time and place TBD. If you have any opinions about that event, please weigh in about that too.
In case you hadn't noticed: I am really psyched about NN14 happening in our backyard. The final panel agenda has just been announced; please see all panels here. Added to the trainings, listed here, the convention is shaping up rather nicely--and that's before including Sen. Elizabeth Warren as a keynote speaker on Friday morning, or any of the other great speakers and special events. I think we can make this a terrific opportunity for strengthening our local and state-wide activism, and I hope that as many Motor City Kossacks take part as possible.
9:49 PM PT (navajo): Added your banner graphic for you!