Hello friends,

As you're all aware, our Cat Jam show was put on hiatus in 2009, and that continued to 2010. There have been various reasons why--some obvious, some personal--but in an effort to keep everyone well informed about Cat Jam in general, I thought I'd take some time to share some thoughts.

It is with tremendous effort by lots of people that Cat Jam has even existed in the first place. From the planning, organizing, shopping, cooking and event-day activities such as parking, it takes an unusual amount of energy to accomplish this level of success year after year. To be honest, some people have a rather thankless job. But we all agree that it's been fun, we met lots of great people, and we'd like to do it again, and that's why keeps the idea of Cat Jam alive. It is definitely a worthwhile effort.

Ultimately I suppose the ball is in my court, since I've been the planner and organizer of Cat Jam since day one, and I don't see anyone else clamoring to take over the duties. So here are my observations:

- I'd like to revamp how we do the food. My family and some of the participants have been relied upon for years to do all the cooking. Yes, the food has been awesome. Yes, we've had great deals on the food. But yes, it's back-breaking for preparation. And it puts a LOT of strain on me and the family; that's drama I'm not willing to put up with anymore. So, catering it is. We tried that once and it backfired miserably (2006)…however, I have found a few other places and they should be reasonable and more reliable. That is a decision to be made closer to the next show.

- Obviously to have catered food, we're going to have to shell out more money. We have roughly $750 US in the coffers right now for the next Cat Jam, which isn't a bad start. But we're going to need more if we want to continue the level of quality that we've had in the past (park pavilion, T-shirts, quality food).

- I'd also like to hire someone to do all of the official photography and to collect everyone's digital photos after the event so that we can make a DVD. Yes, we've done this before, but it's always been solely on my shoulders, and that's something I don't really want to handle anymore. The show has matured enough to warrant professional photography and handling outside of my reins. I do have a friend that can possibly do this for us, but if you are a photographer that's attending the show and would be interested in taking on the job, please contact me. Remember, this is a paying job, not a freebie, but you are expected to handle all of the above criteria.

- So all this obviously leads to a higher registration fee to cover the additional costs. How much higher? I can't say…it could be under $5 or as much as $10. Again, we'll have to break that down closer to the next event. The last thing I ever want is to dictate (or control) how much you spend. But the reality is that things cost money and I can't be expected to absorb everything out of my own pocket.

- In the absence of Cat Jam, there has been an alternative show in 2010 held in Kentucky. Everyone had a good time, and I understand that plans are in the works for a second show in 2011. Obviously we don't want to have competing or interfering shows, so we'll have to do some coordination in the future.

With all this in mind, the burning question remains: when is the next Cat Jam?

Without getting into too much personal information, it's not going to be feasible for me to plan a Cat Jam show for 2011. I simply have too many things going on right now to even think about a show. And even if the stars aligned the correct way it would be too late to get a show together in '11. Besides, I like to give everyone as much advance notice as possible, for those that have to put in for vacation time at the beginning of the year. (And to be blunt, it's been pretty nice to have that kind of weight lifted off my shoulders for the past few summers--it's done wonders for my psyche).

The way things look right now, it should be possible to have a Cat Jam show in July 2012. I will know more in the fall of 2011 and will announce things here when they're available to report. Until then, I am always open for discussion about suggestions. And if you can help out in any way, it would be greatly appreciated. Remember that YOU make the show what it is; I'm just the organizer.

Thank you for your time.

eric@coolcats.net