History
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Heheheheh...all this
talk of Roundups and FÛçkups reminds me of a couple other stories...if
you got time, pull up a chair...
The
way the Dodge City Roundup got started was more happenstance than
anything. At the time, we'd just expanded from one group to three.
In order to facilitate cooperation between the groups, share a
joint birthday night, etc., we'd formed an Intergroup Committee.
I was appointed Chair of that committee.
We
were at a birthday dance one night, and someone asked, "Hey,
why couldn't we have one of those things weekend things like AA
has? You know, a Round Robin." I asked what NA termed that
type of event, and one member said, 'Heh...how about a Square
Blackbird?' However, another experienced member who'd moved to
Dodge from Louisiana via Hays said, "They're called
Roundups.'
So
the idea was born. The Intergroup Committee members passed the
idea around throughout the groups and everyone was in favor, so
we decided to give it a try. We had a number of very successful
fund-raising events that summer, including a picnic with well
over 200 attending, dances, etc. and we got the bucks together.
The
Roundup Committee members were picked mostly from the Intergroup
Committee and after the success of the first Roundup, the
Committee voted to disband.
Probably
the *worst* I can remember is was the 2nd Roundup, when we'd
reserved the VFW hall WELL in advance. Well, it got down to less
than a month before the Roundup (I seem to recall it was only a
couple of weeks before), and we went to check with them on some
details. Anyway, the guy managing it says, "Hey, we don't
have you booked for that weekend. We're having the state VFW
convention here that weekend, so you definitely can't have it."
(Thanks for letting us know you arbitrarily cancelled us, you
dumbfu...!)
Oh-shit!
time...
The
guy that was in charge of the arrangements with the VFW had a few
very, very tense days until we could secure the Armory instead.
That was me, of course. ;) I still shudder at the memory of that.
(Mike's
note) It was Freeezzzing cold in the Armory, as they did not have
time to get the heat turned on.
Probably
the most poignant memory, was what happened after I printed the
schedule of events for the 1st Roundup. Since I was doing the
printing, I took a little poetic license and printed a story on
the schedule that had been told to me by a Kansas City lawyer-member
about the first NA group in Dodge. The story goes, that the group
voted that marijuana was NOT a drug, so they took the group funds
and went out a bought a bag. Shortly thereafter the group folded.
Everyone got a very good chuckle out of that.
Between
that first Roundup and either the second or third, a member came
to me in private and mentioned that story about the first Dodge
City NA group.
Seems
she had not only been a member of that first group, but had
actually helped start it. And yes, they did vote that pot was not
a drug. And yes, they did buy a bag (I think she told me it was a
whole nickel- bag ;) ). And yes, the group did fold.
But
what really got me where I lived, was that her brother had also
been a member of that group. And subsequent to the group folding,
he died of the disease. And every time I told that story at a
meeting, or every time someone repeated that story, it about
killed her emotionally. So we had a good cry and hugged each
other, and I think she forgave me.
And
she's still around. :)
Ken
Ken, (my brother)
made Slug Man back in the days, when a 386/16 was hot stuff.
We used our old
thermal paper FAX to send Slug's head to the pooter.
The body was
downloaded from some site, perhaps on AOL.
Ken got the Logo on
Slug's chest by painting it pixel by pixel.
Ken actually got
permission from the Head Honcho's at World to use Slug, right
when Slug was in the middle of controversy.
Seems some members
thought that Slug presented a Negative View of Members.
Truth is, Most
members are actually Worse than Slug.
Any
Crusty Old Timers with Service or Recovery WAR Stories
may submit them to...