Blogging about the next Boomershoot, by people other than Ry and I, doesn't usually start until after the first of the year but it seems everything is happening early this year. Kirk made a blog post about it nine days ago: Boomershoot 2007. I expect that after Christmas people will start counting down the days and the blogging will get more intense. As last year I'll try to link to everyone that puts up a post mentioning Boomershoot.
In the past 90 minutes the last two "regular" positions for Boomershoot 2007 filled up. One was from Arlington, Washington and the other was from Florence, Montana. There are still six positions left in the .50 Caliber Ghetto and I'll let people without .50 cal toys to play there but they will be restricted in the available targets. This is amazing--64 positions have been taken up by November 20th which is over five months before the event.
I'll have a waiting list so send me an email if you want to attend and didn't get your position reserved in time. It seems there is always something that comes up for someone and they just can't make it and I nearly always give them their money back unless they insist that I keep it--in which case I just write them down as a free entry for the next year (yes, Phil, I'm talking about you for the second year in a row). The clinic is sold out too and again there is a waiting list. See here for details on that.
Speaking of places where people are coming from we have someone coming from Minnesota this year. That is a first from that state. See the map here for a complete list of where people have come from. It looks like Kirk (above) and Scott K. will be coming from essentially the same place on the East Coast and will be traveling the greatest distance.
In a day or two I'll be ordering most of the supplies--the cardboard boxes, zip-lock bags, and the vinyl gloves we use when mixing the chemicals. I'll probably order the potassium chlorate soon too. I have the money and want to put all the expenses I can into this year. Remaining will be the 800 stakes, batteries (for our walkie-talkies and our electronic scales), rubber bands (to attach the boxes of explosives to the stakes), baby wipes (clean up supplies for the chemical handlers), 25 pounds of [secret ingredient #3], 50 pounds of [secret ingredient #4], road flares, and gasoline. Most of these last items will be purchased locally at places like Costco and Wal-Mart. The stakes come from the local builder's supply place and will wait until just before before the event so I don't have to load and unload 800 stakes an extra time and store them in my already overflowing garage for months.
I had my first Boomershoot nightmare a week or so ago. Odd... I don't recall having any for Boomershoot 2006 although they were common for both Ry and I on several previous events. This nightmare was that I looked at my watch and realized it was 10:30 in the morning on the day of the event. It was 30 minutes past when the shooters meeting was supposed to start and I hadn't started making the explosives yet. All the shooters were patiently waiting on the grassy knoll, ready to start shooting, and I needed another eight or ten hours to make the targets. Not a pleasant thought.
I got a call from a woman today asking if there was room for her and her sister to park their RV's on-site and if it would be okay to cook some snacks for everyone the night before. Of course! And they aren't even planning on shooting. They are going to be driving several hundred miles to watch their husbands shoot (the wives are giving the entries as Christmas presents). I've had both of these wives call me now, as well as exchange several emails and they continually express a great deal of enthusiasm for the event and I'm beginning to wonder who the present is really for. Barb frequently asks, "Why do you do this?" I keep telling her it's for the explosives groupies--but I don't think she believes me.
This will be the 11th event I have put on. It was the 10th event before things really clicked well and the biggest problem I had only took ten minutes to completely resolve. Boomershoot 2007 should be a real winner for everyone.
There's plenty of room for spectators so bring your ear plugs, lawn chairs and we'll see you on April 29th. The directions are here. It'll be a blast!