What a weekend !!!!

[Ms Grumpy]

This was the best show we have ever held !!


The hotel was great, the staff was very helpful, ready to get us whatever we needed.

The exhibitors seemed to have nothing but great things to say about AKfest '08.

We had members who have never been to the fest before, along with those who have never missed a fest before.

Music Saturday night was unbelievable !!!! One of the best guitar players that I have ever seen.

There was a restaurant, with edible food.

There was a bar - with a liquor license.

I could go on and on but I can't wait until I hear what other members have to say.

I do have to say thank you to all the AK members, whether you were here or not, you have helped to make Audiokarma one of the best sites that anyone could ever be a part of. Without all of your enthusiasm toward music, and the equipment that you use to enhance your listening enjoyment, AKfest may have never come to be.

It has been my pleasure and my honor to be a part of AKfest 08.

Nancy

[BajaGringo]

:worthless:

[Ms Grumpy]

There were many photos taken during the fest, and I am sure that they will be posted soon. Please remember many people are still traveling home tonight. And those of us who worked the fest did not have alot of time to take pics. Be patient they are coming......

[Celt]

Very cool. Wish I could have attended.

[Wigwam Jones]

:worthless:

I am currently uploading several thousand photos. Please remain standing.

[JHS2RT]

This event was "TOP NOTCH" -- and I enjoyed every minute!!!
James -------JHS2RT:banana:

[spaceman]

I am currently uploading several thousand photos. Please remain standing.

Sorry, I didn't realize I was supposed to be standing. :D

[Andyman]

Nancy, there's really no way we can ever come close to thanking you Dave, Ernie, Luther, and all the unnamed others for the all they do and sacrifice to make this weekend what it is. Maybe just the smiles, laughter, and general wonderful feelings one has and sees there is a small indication of what a wonderful event you folks have produced.

Thank YOU!!

[spaceman]

And those of us who worked the fest did not have alot of time to take pics.

Ms Grumpy, I've never met you, obviously, but I imagine you're a heck of a nice lady. Thanx for all your work, and all the others who helped, too. :thmbsp:

[Mark B]

How many AK'ers attended AKFest 2008?

[BajaGringo]

I know they were busy but I still want pics...

:music:

[JHS2RT]

Saturday at the Fest

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Well -- what a day Saturday was. I arrived at the fest around 10:00AM with a friend in tow who wanted to check out some Mac gear.
Everyone was so nice. I met Ms. Grumpy who was so nice and kept the check in line well organized and answered all of my questions. Turned around and met Mark W and off to the rooms I went and that is when the fun really started.
Everyone including the dealers were so friendly and helpful and would demonstrate their system any way you wanted to hear it. My friend brought one of his own CD's so we could hear the same songs on different systems.
I went into the Mac room where they had the new MC 2301 and I closed the door and said to the demo person -- Take it "Balls to the Wall". He did for a few seconds and WHEW !!!!
Room after room was a new adventure,some I went into twice.
Around noon I handed my Pioneer 1250 to Echowars (Glenn) for him to take back with him and "bring it to factory standards" or "Better". Talking with Glenn is another experience in itself. First and foremost a very friendly person who's knowledge of the Pioneer line and the electronics aspect just blew me away.
I wandered around some more and my aching feet told me it was time to leave.
Last but not least ---the hotel staff was very kind and helpful.
Mr. Grumpy ----- Sorry I did not get the chance to shake you hand and tell you face to face what a very fine job you did in getting this event underway.It was in my opinion a smashing event.
I'm sure I passed several members who I did not recognize but EVERYONE made each other feel at home and at ease. I will never forget the look on peoples faces when they would come out of a sound room.
I just cannot wait until AK Fest 2009---Thanks to all.
James --- JHS2RT :thmbsp:

[Wigwam Jones]

How many AK'ers attended AKFest 2008?

Only the good ones. We talked smack about the rest of ya'll.

[Wigwam Jones]

Sorry, I didn't realize I was supposed to be standing. :D

Consider yourself informed!

[Strawman]

Nancy, there's really no way we can ever come close to thanking you Dave, Ernie, Luther, and all the unnamed others for the all they do and sacrifice to make this weekend what it is. Maybe just the smiles, laughter, and general wonderful feelings one has and sees there is a small indication of what a wonderful event you folks have produced.

Thank YOU!!

Well said Andy, I can't add much more to that.

[botrytis]

Nancy is ACES in my book - I mean anyone that puts up with Grumpy (kidding bud!)...

Serious, you and Dave ALWAYS put in 500 percent!!

I know all AK members will join me in saying - THANK YOU!!! :tresbon::tresbon::thmbsp:

[Drybasement]

Yes indeed, what a weekend. I thoroughly enjoyed every minute.

A big thanks to Dave and Nancy for pouring their heart and soul into making this a premier event. You folks are the best. You have such a nice and helpful family too. Great kids.

I'd also like to thank the volunteers for donating some, if not all, of their time to help make this a wonderful event. Big props to Ernie and his wife Linda.

Got a chance to meet some new faces this year including the Carolina Mafia. A great bunch of guys. And it was cool to spend some time with Modge who came all the way from the UK just to attend this event. Cheers Mate. Ken (Urizen), it was a pleasure to finally meet you. EKManning (Ed), the pleasure was all mine. AlleyKat (Bill) and his wife Debi thanks for everything. You two were fantastic. Our member of the year, Jaymanaa, you're quite a character bud and one of the nicest people you could ever meet.

And a special thanks to all those vendors and AK members for providing all those great listening rooms.

Cheers

[Markus111]

A big thanks again to Mr. and Mrs. Grumpy and all of the people who made this fest possible. I wish I could have spent more time there this year, but from what I saw they did an extrordinary job of making everything work smoothly and making the fest enjoyable for everyone. Bravo!

Markus

[Kuma]

Did not get to meet Grumpy, but the Mrs. was really nice and helpful. You guys did a heck of a job putting this show together - thank you!

[ricmon]

I had a great time at the fest. It was well worth the drive from DC. The best part of the fest for me was the AK member rooms.

[ekmanning5]

Ms. Grumpy,
You and your staff at the registration table had probably the most important and difficult jobs there. First impressions often set the tone for the whole event. You were all cheerful, knowledgable, and extremely patient. With a start like that how can you go wrong.

[Urizen]

Ms. Grumpy, thanks for your abundance of hard work, and overcoming the obstacles thrown in your way the past couple of months.

I had a great time!

Ken

[NOSValves]

I've been a vendor/member from year one and every year the fest takes a leap forward.... but I have to say this year was like a large step forward for man kind........the previous venue was really holding us all back. While the display rooms at this place are a bit small I'd say it's a compromise worth it since the place is perfect in every other way.

Awesome job


Huge thanks to all the hard working folks that put this together big and small.

I've said every year before the fest that this one may be the last but after its over I always end up deciding I can not wait until next year. It will shock me if next year we do not completely fill two floors. I say double the vendor rooms and double the members rooms.

What a complete blast.
Craig

[RichPA]

Nancy, there's really no way we can ever come close to thanking you Dave, Ernie, Luther, and all the unnamed others for the all they do and sacrifice to make this weekend what it is. Maybe just the smiles, laughter, and general wonderful feelings one has and sees there is a small indication of what a wonderful event you folks have produced.

Thank YOU!!

What he said! :thmbsp::thmbsp:

[grumpy]

I can honestly say that without the help of the lovely ladies at the registration desk there would be no show. Not only do they help with that but in so many other aspects of the show it would take a week to list them all


Kuma,

I did meet you and we spoke for a few minutes. Enjoyed that even though some of the conversation was about Tom :)

Grumpy

[Ms Grumpy]

I want to say thank you to some very special people..

Ernie (luvvinvinyl) - This is one of the finest people that you would ever want to meet (that is why Ernie was a past recipient of the member of the year award). Ernie is an invalueable help to Audiokarma and David. Ernie, your input, ideas and help was huge in making this years AKfest unforgetable....Thank you !

Linda (Ernie's wife)- Linda has been an important part of AKfest for the past 2 years. We ask and Linda steps up. Even with her fear of heights Linda still made sure that she was there to help. Linda, I would never have been able to do this years fest without you knowledge, patience and sweet disposition......Thank you !

JoAnnn (Linda's friend) - JoAnn has also been helping at AKfest for 2 years. When Linda asked her to help again, there was no hesitation. JoAnn you are so funny and you make it an enjoyable experience for all of us at the registration desk......Thank you !

Leann, Matthew and Jeff.....For all of your hard work, before, during and after the fest...Thank you !

For many of the others who volunteered your time, I say Thank you - your time did not go unnoticed and I sincerely appreciated all the help that was given.......

Nancy

[Strawman]

Yes indeed, a round of applause for the unsung heroes. Thanks for bringing them out of the shadows and into the spotlight for a little well desreved recognition. :thmbsp:

[Kuma]

Kuma,
I did meet you and we spoke for a few minutes. Enjoyed that even though some of the conversation was about Tom :)

Grumpy

Grumpy, I think (like Squidward) you also believe I am a Japanese woman!

There is a very nice lady (whom I had the pleasure of meeting) that also goes by the moniker "KUMA" - but on Audiogon, not AK. We both happened to name ourselves after our dogs.

I am somewhat forgetful, but unless you remember me being a long-haired 44 year-old white guy with glasses and a chipped tooth - I'm not the Kuma you spoke with.

But it's all good, Grumpy. I can't thank you enough - not only for the FEST, but for putting this website together. It's changed what I do in my spare time, and rekindled my love affair with music.

THANK YOU!

[jeffsab]

I had a great time. I have spent every spare second since I got home from the fest online Googling and learning about all the cool stuff I saw there. What an eye-opener for someone whose gear all came from thrift stores and dad's basement. I only wish I could have attended both days and seen the concert Saturday night.

Thanks to everyone involved.

[DRCope]

EXCELLENT SHOW!!!!! :banana: :tresbon: :thmbsp: :thmbsp: :thmbsp:

The show was awesome. Lotsa people really diggin' the music, great conversations. And that was just in the Audio Note room. (A big downside to doing a show alone. Ya never leave yer own frickin' room! ) But it was a blast even from that narrow vantage point!

There were only two flubs that I was aware of and they were both mine:

1) Gotta request gear from the other side of Homeland Security SOONER to get it into the &$^*# country in time.

2) I feel like Kevin Kline in the last scene of A Fish Called Wanda. Drove home in a 13 hour continuous shot in a car without cruise control. Anybody get the license plate on that steamroller? (Remain standing? Hah! Maybe tomorrow. Or the next day.) :boring:

We'll be back next year, with two rooms if my arm-twisting counts for anything.

Thanks Mr. and Mrs. Grumpy and the extraordinarily polite and helpful Grumpy Kids!

Dave

[dividebytube]

wish I could have attended - but I'm facing an acute cash shortage as we prepare to move to our next house. *sigh* maybe next year.