will be held over Memorial Day Weekend, 2010
2008 Extravaganza Caving Videos
2008 Extravaganza Slippery Rock Creek Paddling Slideshow
Huge Success for 13th Annual Outdoor Extravaganza
The 2009 13th Annual Outdoor Extravaganza sponsored by the Butler Outdoor Club had another successful turnout at Breakneck Campground. Thirteen was a lucky number for us this year...no bad luck for us. Beautiful weather all 3 days and we had about 250 people throughout the weekend! It is amazing how it grows and grows each year with not only people from all over Pennsylvania but many from other states. It is also surprising to find out where people come from and how they found out about the event. We had about 15 activities each day ranging from various hikes, various bike rides including a mtn.bike ride, various paddle trips including a raft trip, workshops, excursions, tours, sailing, horseback riding and pontoon boat tour.
Many comments are flowing in on the success of the Extravaganza such as: "What a variety of things to do." "I made so many new friends."I learned new things to do." I want to join your club." "I can't wait till next year." This is just unbelievable." "How wonderful this is."
It is not me, it is because of all of you! I have always had a wonderful BOC Board who backs me with the organization of the event. And I want to thank my leaders, co-leaders and volunteers for planning and/or helping to provide a trip, workshop, excursion, tour, boats, picnic wiener roast, meal time tags, registration booth, firewood, and last but not least, the set up and tearing down at the campground.
It took many people to pull this off: Fredrick Schwartz, Dan and Peggy Mourer, John and Alice Stehle, Dave and Jean Adams, Cecil Nelly, Andy Niedra, Tom and Boop Baumgardner, Patty and Steve Brunner, Dale Vilsack,
Paul Henry, Bill Klobetanz, Dana Asbury, John Powell, Eric Pederson, Mike Henderson, Charlene Wright, Dorothy Weisburg, Justine Lechner, Jessica and Jeff Kridler, Joel Platt, Sandy Devonshire, Laurie Krofft, Mark Pozzuto, Linda X., John Fleischman, Sue McCoy, Helen Coyne, Joanne Winwood, Rich Gemeinhart, Scott and Dana Workman, Jeff Rapp, Jerry Hoffman, Tom McCartney, Jan Berg, Steve and Carol Bickel, Diane Winston, Dave Galbreath, Joanne Sergeant, Carolyn Shriver, Pat Burns, and anyone I missed.
A big thank you also to Paul Egbert, Paul Henry, Russ Tague and Bill Klobetanz, for providing trailers with kayaks and canoes.
Then there was Tom Baumgardner who had the amazing task of helping me with an Excel spreadsheet to make everything work into trips, name tags, tee shirt sales, meals, kids, rentals and registration form. I absolutely must not forget to thank Paul Henry who does a lot of behind the scene work: working out the water trips which are the hardest activities to plan and pull off, helping me load and unload many things with many trips to and from the campground for set up of the weekend, and getting 4 hauling canoe/kayak trailers ready every day for 3 or 4 trips a day, then put a raft trip into the mix.
You can be proud to be a member of BOC. We are known throughout the state and out of state for this event. People often ask me how or why do I take on such an undertaking....all you had to do was look around the campground, go on one of the events, watch the excitement and happiness of the people, see friendships form, and just knowing that some people are learning how to do new things that will become a new part of their life....is why I have done this for 13 years!!!! That is what makes it all worthwhile. Again, I thank you all for helping me to "make this happen."
Get ready now and mark your calendars for next year over Memorial Day Weekend.
Joyce Appel, Coordinator