The Actual Truth, if you dare...
Wow, I didn't realize there were such negative people in the ukulele community. This is Doug Reynolds, founder of the Reno Ukulele Festival and of the upcoming Tahoe Ukulele Retreat. Not wanting to be accused of false advertising again, my phone number is 775-783-9247 and I am using my partner Rich Dann's UU account to respond to soarcj. So this is not some semi-anonymous or vindictive post and we believe in full disclosure.
As a 30 year resident of both Lake Tahoe and the valley that lies just below Heavenly Valley Ski Resort, I can personally attest that the ski areas up here
WISH 2 feet of snow at Tahoe was the norm in early November. Unlike soar, I don't pretend to be able to predict weather 7 months in advance and I will readily admit that the possibility exists that there could be snow on the ground during our retreat. But if a storm hits that time of year, it is generally very light. That's probably why we can't get any more rooms. Why would all these people be staying at the place if it's a miserable time of year? The resort will be
FULL. The ski areas
WON'T be open.
Still, yes, it could be a bit cold. And that's why, on the Details & Pricing page of
http://tahoeukuleleretreat.com, I write…"After dinner,
if the weather is accommodating, we'll strum around the campfire!"
Furthermore, I never allude to using the amphitheater, (although if the weather is good we might!) That is just another photo from the resort's website. The other photos in the right column were taken 4 days ago, just a few days after a snow storm. Looks pretty nice doesn't it?
But your allegation does allow me to advertise that
we will have the best of both worlds available to us at the retreat. If the weather is cold, we'll be inside. If it's nice, we have a lawn overlooking the Lake, a fire pit, and the amphitheater at our disposal. And finally, if a freak giant snowstorm does hit, the resort closes down and refunds our money.
The truth is, early November is typically gorgeous weather up here. It's my favorite time of year and I am NOT a fan of snow or cold weather! The percentages for good weather in the fall are much higher than the unpredictability of spring, (as hundreds of the attendees of our Reno Uke Fest who travel I-80 can attest to!) The nights
might be too nippy to sit around the fire, but it might also be spectacular. We can decide as a group where we want to play.
So, soar… I'm not sure whether you are an agent for someone who might also put on festivals or retreats in the region that feels threatened, or if you just don't like us for some reason. But I can assure you that there is no false advertising going on. If you do view us a competition, rest easy, we only have 20 rooms at our disposal and can only accommodate about 50 total attendees.
For everyone else, if you will be unhappy
if there's snow on the ground, please don't chance it. There is always that
possibility in the Sierras. Over 30 years we've had freak snow in every month but August.
And if you've never been to our Reno Festival to see how we operate or if for some other reason don't trust us, please contact us so we can put your mind at ease. And if you are in the uke community, you must agree that you can trust Gordon & Char at Mya-Moe who have been helping us coordinate the retreat from day one and who are our presenting sponsors.
Have a beautiful day. and Keep Strummin'!
Doug