IMBA Trailbuilding Class in Memphis

[Mark T]

If I am free I would like to be there...

[andrea]

After emailing with Steve and Chris from the North MS Trail Alliance, it looks like the weekend of choice is April 26th-27th.
Brad- how many people can fit in the Shelby Farms visitor center meeting area?

[Brad C]

The weekend of April 26-27 could be a problem. I can check but here are the issues.

Both days are the Memphis Velo Crank-It-Up MTB races at Herb Parsons. Many MTBers will be there one or both days either as racers or volunteers. The TT is Saturday and the XC is Sunday.

April 27, is also the Shelby Farms Earth Day 5K. Shelby Farms will be using the building for staging, registration, and other event uses. We could find another location, but how many MTBers will forgo the race for the trail class is unknown.

[muddymatt]

Bummer on the date. Really want to attend this event.
To Brad's point, I will be getting some stank on my crank that weekend at Herbs.
As much work as I do there, I may as well tear it up for once.
Watch out for the Clydesdale!!!!

[WOXOF]

I didn't realize that was the Herb's race either. That would potentially take out several of our directors and a couple of members also. I can mention that date to the NMTA group and see how it would affect us. I would rather not skip a local event but Steve is doing us a huge favor.

Chris

[Brad C]

Andrea PM'ed me that she will contact Steve to find out about an alternate date. That weekend has too many conflicts. I am sure that Steve would not want to force people to choose between race or trail class.

[MorrisM]

I know of a number of people, as well as myself, who will be at the "Cohutta 100 and Big Frog 65" on April 26.

[Brad C]

After kicking this around and around we have come to the conclusion that we can't make everybody happy. The alternate weekend Steve from IMBA could give us was the same weekend as Syllamo's Revenge.

So here it is. We decided on having the presentation session of the trail building class Friday evening April 25, at 6:00. IMBA South Central Director Steve Schneider will be leading the class using a sustainable trail building program. That day and time threads this around the Memphis Velo event at Herbs.

After searching far and wide for a location, we decided on Newk's Express Cafe in Cordova. This is the same location as the MSTA meeting Last October. They have a new policy of charging $20/hour if the cumulative bill is under $100. (guess too many people use the room and don't buy anything) I told him not to worry because we would probably do that in just Heineken. When I said it was for MSTA he said he remembered us. He had to go to a convenience store to buy more that night. We drank them out of Heineken. So, everyone arrive hungry and thirsty.

[KenG]

Sorry I'll miss. Will be in Nashville that weekend.

Brad, can you forward any handout materials afterwards to those that can't make it for informational purposes, at least?

[andrea]

Here's a link to the Facebook event page: https://www.facebook.com/events/665210603538623/

If you're not "on" Facebook, please send me a private message to RSVP. Otherwise, just join on the official page.

[Brad C]

Good meeting with IMBA and SORBA. We had quite a few MTB'ers, other interested people, and two of our land managers. Larry Pickens and Natalie Wilson from Shelby Farms attended. James Wilkinson from Meeman-Shelby Forest State Park attended so we got to meet face to face for the first time. I gave James an information package about MTB and MSTA. It looks promising to get an MTB trail at Shelby Forest in the future.

Of course, there was discussion about the IMBA chapter program. That is a decision we will have to make as an organization in the future.