Thank you

[paramedick]

To all that came to visit us in Lexington, a sincere thank you. It was SO nice to see y'all in my adopted neck of the woods.

The hotel was complimentary of our group as a whole, and we are invited back anytime.......

To all those that made the TDIFest 2011 doable, allow me to say thanks. Below is a list of folks that allowed me to shine due to their competence.

Rich Corbett-Financials

Tim Hunter-Registration/OSCommerce issues

Peter and Julie Storey-TDIFest Pins, Awards, and general help

Steven Clem- Arrangements for the pig roast, and helping to put the Scenic Drive together

Jon Bartlett- Management of the Show n Shine, and putting together a new system for this event

Last but not least, my general helpers.
Aaron Bruckelmeyer
Luke Shell
Clint Shell
Kevin Bowling

Oh, yeah. Can't forget some dame named Zippy . She came from the Left Coast to hold my hand and to occasionally tell me to take a deep breath. She jumped in and helped where needed....Thanks, Shalon.

Our speakers were amazing. Y'all received them very well. Thanks Frank Irving, Brian Johnston, and Chris Hill.

A special thanks to my family. My wife Cheryl, daughter Evan, and G'daughter Rachel took very good care of the raffle and auction tables all weekend.

Fred, it was an honor. Thanks for all your help.

I'm looking forward to seeing my old AND new friends at the next TDIFest.

Bruce

 

[CoJoNEs]

Bruce, let me say as only my second TDIFest attended/planned I enjoyed this one much more then my first. I know how hard you worked for many months and it showed in the outcome of this TDIFest. Even in times of stress you were able to smile and keep the fest moving smoothly, if I wasn't behind the scenes I wouldn't have known there were any stress points.
Glad things with the hotel worked out, as a whole it was a good venue despite having to walk the stairs a few times . Their staff was always smiling even in the late hours and mix-ups.
Although I was glad to help with the registration and planning I am looking forward to relaxing for the next TDIFest and just being a regular attendee!

Please tell Cheryl, Evan and Rachel how much I appreciated having them there, they were always in good spirits and allowed me to do one less task. Also Kevin (korndawg) for jumping in and helping anyone that had problems with their car (even last minute) while he was running around performing 100 other tasks in support of the fest, he was tireless this weekend and I hope he earned a day to sleep in.

 

[oilhammer]

And thank YOU, Bruce, for a great weekend!!!

 

[greengeeker]

Do you have an idea of the turn out this year compared to past fests?

 

[Growler]

Bruce, this fest was a success because of you. without your efforts, this fest would have been in jeopardy.

Thank you.

 

[paramedick]

Do you have an idea of the turn out this year compared to past fests?

The official numbers were 164 regular registrations, and 74 companion registrations. There were probably a few more. On Sunday, I just told new folks to enjoy......

I don't have the numbers for other fests. I do know that this was very close to Cinci.

 

[VeeDubTDI]

Great job, guys! I had a great time, really loved the area and thought you had a great agenda. Some of the format and time changes were a refreshing change and I think the overall layout was outstanding.

My only gripe was the quality of the hotel's food, but that's a small complaint once everything else is taken into consideration. Everything else about the venue was very nice.

Thanks again for all of your hard work.

 

[mo_focus]

My only gripe was the quality of the hotel's food, but that's a small complaint once everything else is taken into consideration. Everything else about the venue was very nice.

Thanks again for all of your hard work.

we had breakfast the on Friday morning and decided we should not eat there anymore! ate at the bookstore cafe the rest of the time and ofcourse the fish place was awsome as well.

Great place, great time and great ppl! feel sorry for Mrvermin lossing his keys and the blue Jetta had hit his oil pan. Hopefully it didnt cost those guys lot of money!

 

[jdhunt0]

Thanks Bruce! I enjoyed my first TDIFest and hope to be able to make it to the next one.

My car also seems to be running better after its "douce"

 

[CoJoNEs]

The official numbers were 164 regular registrations, and 74 companion registrations. There were probably a few more. On Sunday, I just told new folks to enjoy......

I don't have the numbers for other fests. I do know that this was very close to Cinci.

I know we had several walk ups on Sat/Sun bringing registrations closer to 170, we had ~17 no shows due to unforeseen circumstances, so ~155 registrations + 75 companions in attendance

 

[owr084]

The official numbers were 164 regular registrations, and 74 companion registrations. There were probably a few more. On Sunday, I just told new folks to enjoy......

I don't have the numbers for other fests. I do know that this was very close to Cinci.

How many TDIs does that translate into?

 

[CoJoNEs]

I can't be sure, i didn't check in a TDI, just a user

Should have been close to that number, although some were not able to drive and some didn't bring or have a TDI, I know there were over 100 around the lot.

 

[VeeDubTDI]

I'd estimate around 120.

 

[PeterV]

Bruce did a fantastic job this is not an easy task. You can not please everyone every fest has that every fest is different. To get TDIers from all walks of life together and help Fred keep this site free is not an easy feat.

We all gather good info on how to keep these TDIs running well and this is how we return our appreciation to those whom keep things running smoothly. As a group we only meet for 3 days a year, but daily we are only a key stroke away from help.

Interesting how things transpire.

 

[krauthammer]

Lexington Ky was a great time, the scenic drive was one of my favorite parts. The Old historic district was fabulous and the quaint pubs and bars in downtown. Spent half of Monday touring the Kentucky horse park, and taking another scenic drive around horse country. I think I could live in Lexington if not for the fact it's 9 hour drive to the beach ! Thank you to everyone that took the time to put this together. I plan on returning to Lexington in October just for the hell of it. I really need about two or three more days to see all the city has to offer.

 

[cevans]

We had a blast. Thanks for the great weekend to everyone that organized and spent time making this one happen.

And for all the east-coast members - I hope everyone made it back in one piece, I myself hit 16 hours straight of heavy rain, and at night with all the kickup from the trucks driving through it was white-knuckle to say the least. To top it off the PA turnpike was closed due to an accident in a tunnel, which just created a really great traffic jam.

 

[airwolf]

Bruce,

Thanks for a well put on fest. I have only been to two fests, my first one I was an actual planner so I really did not get to relax and 'enjoy' things. This one was definitely enjoyable. Knowing the amount of work that one of these takes, and how smoothly things seemed to go this year made it all the more enjoyable.

The wife and I are talking about going back to tour more of the horse country, we made to the horse park on Saturday, but did not get our fill. Also, want to hit a few more of the distilleries. We made to Woodford Reserve on Sunday. I was amazed at how 'rustic' the process was, I was expecting it to be much more sterile and automated.

Good times, and congratulations again on a well put on fest.

 

[Shikaroka]

Thank you Bruce! And thanks to everyone who helped and attended. I had a good time and so did my buddy that I dragged along with me. We wish we could have been there the whole weekend.

 

[bhtooefr]

Thank you for making this happen! Really, a great Fest that went quite smoothly.

 

[MayorDJQ]

Job well done, Bruce! Despite the heat and storms, it seemed to me that everything went off very well.

The pig roast was a good new item. Hopefully future Fests will continue with a similar community dinner Saturday evening.

 

[VW Derf]

Bruce and crew (and familiy of course). Awesome job. It was a lot of fun and you guys did an awsome job.
While it was hot on Saturday, I'm not sure how you did it but you held those rain drops off just long enough ensure the outdoor stuff was done before the monsoon arrive!

 

[bhtooefr]

The pig roast was a good new item. Hopefully future Fests will continue with a similar community dinner Saturday evening.

And, ending the scenic drive at the pig roast was an excellent touch.

 

[jjpilot]

Great job !!!

THANK YOU Bruce and the entire crew for a great event. Sorry I could get to LEX Sat. but my time at the TDIFest on Sunday was GREAT...

Again THANK YOU.....

Dave

 

[tomo366]

I don't have the numbers for other fests. I do know that this was very close to Cinci.

Without the bugs!
Thanks Bruce and crew!!

 

[jbleu101]

Bruce, You were great. The fest was great. The hotel was very nice, and very nice staff. We had a lot of space in the parking lot dedictated to TDI's which was pretty cool.
To many of you who played with and looked out for the safety of my daughter Grace, I thank you from the bottom of my heart. Clearly she is the light of my life, and watching her interact with all you strangers made me a very proud dad. We had a great time and would happily drive 2x as far next year.
Special thanks to Rachel for babysitting Saturday afternoon so I could actually go see some cars! You are a smart and kind young lady!

 

[paramedick]

Without the bugs! Thanks Bruce and crew!!

Never gonna let me forget that, are you?

Jeff, Gracie was a joy. Always a smile and a playful flirt. The kisses and hugs at the banquet made it worthwhile! In about 12 years, you are in so much trouble........

As for the pig roast, I have to admit it worked out far better than expected. Original plans were to charge $10/head and have it at the county park pavilion in Versailles. Y'all were originally gonna get a drive past more major horse farms and Woodford Reserve on the way. I'd say you'd need a major sponsor to make it a free tradition. Don Jacobs saw my exploratory post, and stepped up. Dealer/VWoA ponied up $2K to pay the cookers for prep/sides. A fest organizer donated the pigs/pork.

 

[MayorDJQ]

Bruce, You were great. The fest was great. The hotel was very nice, and very nice staff. We had a lot of space in the parking lot dedictated to TDI's which was pretty cool.
To many of you who played with and looked out for the safety of my daughter Grace, I thank you from the bottom of my heart. Clearly she is the light of my life, and watching her interact with all you strangers made me a very proud dad. We had a great time and would happily drive 2x as far next year.
Special thanks to Rachel for babysitting Saturday afternoon so I could actually go see some cars! You are a smart and kind young lady!

Was Grace the kid driving the elevator all day Saturday?

 

[Growler]

No that was Diana, StealthTDIs Daughter. she was bored after coming off a 5000 mile roadtrip...

 

[TDIDaveNH]

Bruce,
You have my sincere thanks to you and your team & family which pulled this off- As a first-time Fest goer, I was in need of enlightenment as to the nature and magnitude of labor that goes in to producing an undertaking such as this....you left a lasting impression. Very professional. Although I missed most of the action, I'd gladly travel to another fest no matter the distance that you'd be involved with.

All the best,
Dave Little

Oh, and thanks again for blessing deegingerkid's timing belt job- It went off without a hitch and she's all set for another 100K

 

[jbleu101]

Was Grace the kid driving the elevator all day Saturday?

no, Amazingly she only did the elevator one time. She did however, take a dip in the fountain just in front of the elevators on Friday. The fountain was turned off and you could barely see the 5" of water. Over the wall she went. And then she cried! Kinda funny. maybe not to her.