Good day and welcome to DKos Asheville. This is the weekly DKos Asheville open thread for Saturday, March 28th. We try to get together every weekend to share with everyone what we're all up to in Western North Carolina and beyond. We hope this group and others serve to invigorate us locally and regionally here on Daily Kos, building on the sense of community that's grown through our online engagement. DKos Asheville and other local and state groups can give us all a better sense of connection, a better understanding of who we stand with, work with, and share with. We hope this local and wider community can help leverage our orange passion for progressive politics to elect more and better Democrats.
Please join us below as we plan for our April 25-26 meet up in Roanoke Virginia.
For our next meet up on April 25-26 we will be offering a dynamic community and networking experience focused on bringing together a diverse group of people who share our goal of electing more and better Democrats. In 2016 and 2018. And this time we will be taking the meet up on the road to Roanoke Virginia! Please sign up by dropping me a Kosmail.
This is an open invitation for all Kossacks to unite in a beautiful and relaxed setting as Spring arrives to the Roanoke Valley and wakens the dogwood and apple blossoms.
We are actively recruiting Virginia candidates, everything from State Senate, State House, City/County Commissioner, School Board, Treasurer, Registrar, et al. We have secured several interested candidates already with more to come.
Contingents from the local League of Women Voters and Drinking Liberally will be represented as well to encourage voter registration and offer face time with a variety of Democratic candidates. We have also invited many of the caregivers from the huge VA Hospital to come and face the candidates with their thoughts and concerns.
Our very special guest on Saturday evening will be Dr Ferguson Reid. "Fergie" has recently turned 90 and has offered to be at our gathering to acknowledge GOTV efforts not only in Virginia and North Carolina, but all of DKos as a whole. We are blessed to have this vibrantly beautiful and compassionate person grace us with his presence, advice and wisdom together with encouragement and recognition for what we have been striving for since DKos first opened it's doors.
I had the pleasure of speaking on the phone for an extended time with "Fergie" last week and I was inspired and in a short time got myself educated about grass roots, boots on the ground techniques for bringing together a neighborhood and a precint to get out the vote.
Essential to voting is voter registration of course and that is the focus behind the 90 for 90 model of local and effective political action and engagement with potential voters. The name is based on its Virginia roots but the model can apply anywhere.
An enlightening interview in video and text
A great article on Fergie.
An article on Fergie's 90 for 90 Voter Regisration Project
Please see details below and let me know if you would like to attend.
What A DKos Asheville meet up in Roanoke, Virginia.
When Saturday and Sunday, April 25-26, 2015. 1:00 pm Saturday till 1:00 pm Sunday.
Where Hotel Roanoke, Conference Center, 110 Shenandoah Avenue, Roanoke, Virginia, 24016-2025, USA
540-985-5900
Built in 1882, the Tudor-style Hotel Roanoke is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and is a member of the International Association of Conference Centers.
We will start our day with lunch on the top of a mountain at Mill Mountain Park and then go to the hotel in the afternoon.
Here is a Roanoke map from Mapquest
This is a Blueridge Outdoors look at Roanoke
This is the state of Virgina's official reference to Roanoke.
The more you read about the history and the vibrant nature of Roanoke, the more you'll want to visit with us on April 25th!
Why After seven successful and engaging meet ups, DKos Asheville's core members decided to take our next gathering on the road. The first reason is personal. Thankful for the friendship and generosity of his support for DKos Asheville meet ups over the last two years, we felt we needed to give back and spend time in Gordon20024's beloved city of Roanoke VA. He told us that for us to come and spread some DKos Asheville love would be the best "Thank you" ever. So after some scheduling and early planning, a spring meet up was born.
The second reason is that it offers us the opportunity to meet more Kossacks and other progressives from around the region including Virginia and parts of North Carolina to the north and east of us.
We would love to have members of the Virgina Daily Kos community join us as well as other regional activists and bloggers like the folks that contribute to and read the Blue Virginia blog.
We are also super happy that the Roanoke Chapter of Drinking Liberally along with the local League of Women's Voters chapter will be represented and are promoting the event. Gordon20014 has been working on local organizing and participation like a Democrat and an active Kossack, attending meetings, inviting guests and being active. Thanks G!
Details Please Kosmail me, randallt, if you would like to attend.
Let's get local, grow our network, build this community and help win elections.
We are excited to be adding Kossacks to our growing list of attendees and hopefuls every week.
RSVPs:
1. gordon20024
2. davehouck
3. randallt
4. Joieau
5. LamontCranston
6. Steerler Grrl
7. Steeler Guy
8. Otteray Scribe
9. DawnN
10. emmasnacker
11. Joy of Fishes
12. TexDem
13. VeloVixen
14. Vet Wife
15. Mr Vetwife
16. Guest
17. Chun Yang
18. MySpentYouth
19. Guests
NEW!