Doo Wops - The Best Good Example

RallyAnarchistas:

I think Ray Damitio's DooWops may be the very best example of a Stage Rally organized entirely for the benefit of Participants. It usually includes the famous Brooklyn Tavern stage. It has been run for 20 years and is now the last remnant of Stage Rally in Western Washington. I've posted this topic to hold it up as a GOOD example of what may still be possible elseware.

Competitors know and greatly appreciate that many people who organize and work this rally are also principals in other Rallys that seem, to me at least, to be organized around a different outlook and/or reasons. Yet they bring all their experience and energy out for the Doo Wops. ( God bless 'em.)

Here are a few comments made by Gene McCullogh on 6-07-08 in another topic about what has happened to rally in Western Washington over time, and Doo Wops this year:
____________________________________________________________

Heymagic said:

"No Green Diamond roads, no DNR, no USFS, no Port Blakley, no Rayoneer, no Weyerhauser and so on . Fees or not they won't allow us in. Currently we have only Grays Harbor roads on the whole western side of the Cascades. Lower entry fees don't matter, more entries don't matter, sanctioning body doesn't matter. No roads, no rally..all else becomes a moot point."

"...........We should have had 45 entries, I think we had 31. What's up with that ? $300 for 2 days too much ?"

____________________________________________________________

DooWops is the consumate grassroots Stage Rally in my book.

VIVA the DOO WOPS!!!! http://www.thedailyworld.com/articles/2008/03/12/sports/04sports.txt

Rich Smith

(ps: Gene, I promise not to take any shakedown runs west of North Bend.)





Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 06/10/2008 03:23PM by Rich Smith.

Doowop is why I even *have* a rallycar.

---

Jay Woodward
Snohomish, WA
'90 Mazdog Frankenprotege
Chronologically, 46...

Now the question is how can we replicate as near as possible the essence of Doo-Wops and hold it up as a shining example especially to those who are all dazzeled by shiney things?

---

John Vanlandingham
Sleezattle, WA, USA

Vive le Prole-le-ralliat

www.rallyrace.net/jvab
CALL +1 206 431-9696
Remember! Pacific Standard Time
is 3 hours behind Eastern Standard Time.

Without giving away too much, we have some new "surprises" for DooWop '09.

We need to keep JVL off the internet so he vcan get enuff parts done so some of these new guys gets to see what it's all about.

Since many of you live up in the great north, have you tried to find any roads, or even a couple mile hill climb road ?

heymagic Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Since many of you live up in the great north, have
> you tried to find any roads, or even a couple mile
> hill climb road ?

Gene,

Yeah, no surprises here. I make a few descrete inquiries every couple of years in the King County area. I ran the last Twin Peaks Rally out of Snoqualmie in 1994(95?).

In King County environmental concerns and worry permeate everything. Environmental "incorrectness" is perceived to be political death for proponents. That's the conventioinal wisdom and knee-jerk reaction. Landowners and permit agencies have usually seen the possiblity of lawsuits from the nameless "environmental groups" as being too risky. On the other hand, the development pressures are huge and all kinds of things have taken place within the past 5 years. Everything from a BIG new Casino being built right now in Snoqualmie (opens in the fall); to a new BIG gravel pit operation east of North Bend being approved by the Mountains to Sound Greenway Trust; and even approval by King County for North Bend to convert the protected MeadowBrook Farm into into soccer fields with AstroTurf (See Rich roll his eyes). So I don't think environmental issues are insurmountable. Many small town Chambers of Commerce would still be all for it. But, any organized rally would need to be presented as a very "Green Friendly" recreational activity for the benefit of the local community.

This circumstance pretty much rules out a "Big Time" event organized by anyone. You couldn't throw enough WRC money at it, let alone a RallyAmerica style National. But a non-threatening, low key, grassroots, "green friendly" local activity might now be possible.

Questions:
1. Has anyone we know prepared an Environmental Checklist and recieved a Determination of Nonsignificance that could be used as an example.
2. Could Doo Wops '09 be used to prepare a 10-15 min. promotional video for citizen viewing that shows how down-home and enviro-friendly rally can be. That they need not fear adverse exposure?

Rich Smith







Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 06/11/2008 10:13AM by Rich Smith.

Rich,,,and others...a big RA event is truly great...once a year. The associated publicity , good will, extra income ( sometimes) , all the excited kids is a huge benefit to rally as a whole and divisional stuff. We have that pretty much. Even if the only national was OT we'd be fine.

We need about 25 miles of road for "our" guys. 2 miles up on stage length. I think we're all on the same page here.

Seems like further north than KC or maybe on the western peninsula..Port Angeles , Sequim . I don't hang around up ther or have enough extra time to do so. Anyone have connections in those areas ?

Land at Tonasket is pretty cheap on Craigslist. We could form a collective and buy 40/50 acres...wouldn't the neighbors love that??

Gene Land in Eastern Washington with no water rights that will not grow crops is CHEAP!!

Fifty cents in a bet says that a thousand acres could be had in that form which could be owned by a club for less dough then many of us expect.

Derek Bottles has suggested this in the past.

---

JohnLane

Overkill is consistently more fun

I do Environmental Checklists all the time, they are not hard I have almost always gotten DNS's (Determination of non significance) or a very limtied area of study in a EIS (Environmental Impact Statement)

EIS's are all about disclosure not about limiting activity - they simpally inform intersted parties about what could happen. There are sections on noise, dust, carbon emmissions, traffic impacts (closing roads) etc. The real quetion is what is said in the comp plans and is there some good stuff about recreation that would show a rally is a compatible use or desired use in the last comp plan.

I truly think it is a wast of time to propose this type of event in King County even if it got permited one year it would likely not get permited the next. These things are better done in other counties now for political reasons - unless we buy out Hancock Timber.

I have long said rally is going to have a hard time of it till it controls the roads and I think something like a country club format might be in the best long term interest of the sport. There are many ways this can be acompished such as buying land and then leasing it to ranchers/loggers in an investment partnerhip or even a REIT etc.

Someday I will decide to tackel these issues and put something together but for now it is not high on my to do list.

---

In the long run reality always wins.

Derek,

I was thinking more in terms Public Land. At some point Rally will no doubt want to revisit Public Land Owners that have been skeptical, denied road use and/or closures due to environmental concerns. I believe a credibly prepared Environment Checklist resulting in a DNS or Mitigated EIS will be needed to reopen those conversations. Public hearings may also be a part of that process; hence the need for a 10-15 minute PR Film.

These kinds of things take time; a lot of time. They are sensitive issues for a lot of people that don't want their boat rocked. It requires a lot of advance work and politicing with interests not directly related to rally. It's a matter proving that Rally will responsibly use public land in a lawful manner for legitimate public purposes. Rally people are citizens too.

Rich Smith

ps: I don't think any rally group could purchase enough land. Even if you did there would still be laws, odinances and permits to deal with. On the other hand, there are a few new models like Environmental Groups buying development rights. I wonder if any landowners would be willing to sell perpetual "Road Use Easements". If so, it would be lot cheaper.