The recent announcement that members will no longer be admitted to the Sowbug Roundup unless they buy a ticket is a big mistake. Why would the club make members pay admission when it cost us nothing to allow them to attend. I believe this will inpact attendance and club membership. In addition to paying dues, members contribute prizes, assist in show set up and teardown, buy raffle tickets and bid in the auctions at the Sowbug Roundup. Members who live out of state receive nothing for their $20 dues except the Tale Waters, Sowbug admission and a free barbecue. What will be their incentive to continue membership now that all they receive is the Tale Waters?
I think that if there are good reasons for the club to charge members admission then it should be brought up at a meeting, discussed and voted on by the membership. This is not a decision to be made by the Sowbug Committee.
I'm a new out-of-state member and won't be attending Sowbug because we won't be in the state at that time, but Fred has a good point.
If you have ALL or the majority of local members working or aiding in the show, then you have a quandry. If you gave a free ticket to those who help in setup and tear-down, then you're rewarding them for their help, and giving others a reason to contribute time & sweat to the event, too.
It sometimes depends on what you want the event to accomplish. If it's your only fund-raiser, then you want money. If it's to raise the interest and knowledge in fly fishing, then maybe charging your members to attend might do more harm to your club "morale". If you really need the money, maybe you should give a discount to club members...
Regardless of the reason for the change, I agree with Fred in that the membership -- or the full club board -- should make the decision regarding admittance, not just a committee.
