WOW! The Haunted Harvest Gathering is turning out to be much bigger than we
originally anticipated. It sounds like we may have over 70 people attending
and over 40 boxes.

We're excited that so many newer boxers plan to attend and impressed that
several have even created their first boxes for this event.

One bit of bad news is that when I received the Great Lakes patches last
month they only sent a partial quantity and I STILL haven't received the
rest of the order. I'm hoping they arrive this week because I only have a
few available for some of you who pre-ordered and wanted to pick them up at
the gathering. (And for those of you who mailed me your money recently, I
haven't mailed yours out yet, waiting for the remainder of the shipment).
Hopefully this will be resolved soon so everyone that wants a patch will get
one. The company is trying to expedite the order so I'm keeping my fingers
crossed.

On to better news: I've been getting more email about what people plan to
bring for the potluck and have been updating the website accordingly. If
you haven't decided yet, you could follow the "Harvest" theme and bring some
veggies or fruit. Other ideas are cheese, appetizers and other main or
side dishes. Remember that a large industrial size refrigerator is
available as well as electrical outlets and a microwave.

The weather forecast looks pretty good for Saturday - "Partly cloudy. Highs
in the lower 70s." However if we do have bad weather we have space inside
the building and a sizable covered patio with picnic tables. I'll be
bringing along some supplies for making logbooks and activities for the kids
in case the weather doesn't cooperate.

As many of you already know, we'll have the pleasure of seeing some of
Phineas Boch's Traveling Circus at the gathering. They have settled in for
2 weeks of performances in Wisconsin under the temporary leadership of
Ringmistress Felka Lechsinska. If you'd like to meet Felka at the
gathering, you'll need to tell Wisconsin Hiker or Martini Man the
origin/meaning of her name.

If you plan to attend the gathering and haven't already RSVP'd, please do so
by Wednesday to be sure you receive a clue packet. All details regarding
attendees, potluck items, maps, FAQ, etc can be found on the gathering
website: http://www.hauntedharvest.homestead.com/



We're looking forward to meeting everyone on Saturday and hope to have a
"hauntingly" good time!



Wisconsin Hiker & Martini Man


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