A long while back we had asked Nick Stanton and the band to return to That Thing for 2010. Unfotunately, Nick had hit a conflict at his local church that was going to prevent his involvement. So, the search began.

After a ton of research, I hit upon a guy in the Chicago area that I thought was a great fit.  After some conversations, he began the process of working his schedule at his church.  

Time passes….just this morning I was thinking to myself, "Self, I need to call him on Monday, when I’m back from vacation, and close this up one way or another."

So, tonight at dinner, 5:59pm, Labamba’s with the family; my wife and I are having a conversation about the latin Nick Stanton working the grill…then I get a text from Nick Stanton. So, I call him up and we chat; his conflict is gone and the band is free. Cool, but I was pretty sure I had the right fit looking at his schedule for the last three weeks. (Can you feel the turmoil?)

I get home, check my email and discover one from the worship leader I’d been speaking with. It’s official and final, he won’t be free. The time on his email: 5:59pm. 

So, I just spoke with Nick again.  He and the band are on board and ready for 2010. Fantastic.   

I’ve had a couple of inquiries about the lodge, Huntington Trinity, over the last few weeks.  Here’s the scoop.

Huntington Trinity, is a privately owned lodge by Trinity United Methodist Church in Huntington, IN.  Last summer we were able to work an agreement for the rental of the facility because of a fire that had burned one of our cabins, Redwing, to the ground.  Our insurance company provided a temporary replacement for the lost capacity (the rental of Huntington Trinity). The groundbreaking has begun on the new lodge(s) at Epworth Forest CC so the insurance did not provide for any rental spaces this year. Had we again acquired the lodge and rented it to churches, we would have become a middle man applying a mark-up on the space; not who we want to be.

If you are interested in using Huntington Trinity for That Thing 2010, here’s how it works. You would need to contact Trinity UMC in Huntington (260) 356-0961 and speak to them about renting the facility. Then, you will just need to buy day tickets for your students. You can do this with any off-site housing that you want to use (Decatur Heights, Kokomo Grace, etc.)

Hope this helps clarify.   

This year, we’re featuring an activity with two purposes. First, long before That Thing it helps your students begin thinking about the hungry and the needy. It helps them get involved and put their creative minds hard at work.

Secondly, it provides Churches who participate in Canned Hope an opportunity to win a $1,000 scholarship to That Thing. 

Canned Hope is a canned goods sculpture. Your group needs to compile a large collection of canned goods, build a sculpture of some sort, then get the most votes at the online (post That Thing) contest. 

• Start by collecting the necessary supplies, run a food drive or try contacting a local grocer or business to partner and sponsor your art sculpture; (sponsors will be acknowledged online and in photos of the art). 
• Need Ideas? Do a google image search on “canned food sculpture” to see what other people have done.
• Your scultputre concept can be anything: a social statement, religious, themed, funny, artistic, etc. It’s open to whatever you and your group can dream. 
• Develop your concept and creation before the event, then transport to That Thing and rebuild on-site. 
• At the conclusion of the summer, all of the canned goods will be donated to food pantries to help provide for families in need next fall. If you would like your canned goods returned to your local food pantry, you can pick them up after July 27.

The online voting contest will be open to anyone…from That Thing, your church, family, friends, etc. Photos and information of and about each sculpture will help people decide who to vote for. The contest will begin shortly after That Thing ends and will run for 10 days. The sculpture receiving the most votes will receive a $1,000 scholarship to That Thing 2011.

Q. I have multiple students coming with our group who who need financial help; our church is doing everything we can. Is their other help?
A. Sure is. Impact 2818 Outdoor Ministries, the ministry that develops That Thing is wholly committed to getting kids to camp. In 2009, over $100,000 in scholarships actually. On December 1, the paper and online applications will be available at http://www.impact2818.com/i_financial-scholarships.html

Q. How does a camper getting an Impact 2818 Scholarship affect our group ticket purchase?
A. Once the camper is approved for a scholarship, they need to contact their youth worker. You will need to collect the iCash code they were sent in their confirmation email and contact the Camp Registrar 888.MAT.2818. The Camp Registrar will apply a note to your account. Once the participant is verified in attendance at That Thing, the scholarship will be applied as a payment.

Q. So, do I owe 100% of the balance before That Thing if somehow, 50% of my students were to use scholarships.
A. No. You will not have to owe for any approved scholarships you have applied to your account. If a student doesn’t show up to camp, you will be billed for that final amount after the event. 

What happens if you’re trying to get your tickets and there isn’t a lodge available that is big enough? Or, what if you booked in and now your number of students/adults is growing out of your cabin?

Call us, ask for Gern: 574.834.2212.

We want to make sure you get the best arrangement for your students.

• We have overflow lodging available that is only sold as an overflow space. it’s essentially a space for 12 students and 2 adults (one gender only) with a roof, doors, windows, curtains and beds, but no running water…you’ll have a portable bathroom outside the building and your overflow students will be using the showers and food service in your main lodge.
• When we can, we’ll shuffle the campus houses around so long as we feel confident about capacities and availability for individual students. 
• We help make arrangements for groups to book out 2 lodges like they’re booking one, (one deposit, feeding for many, etc.)

 But, in order for us to serve you, we have to know your unique situation.  Call us up, fill us in and we’ll do our best to serve your need.

By the way, sorry about the sabbatical, registration launch kept us quite busy.

This morning as registrations started moving quickly on week 1 we had a discussion about how a group could still get lodging if they’re bigger than the cabins available but can’t switch weeks.

Choose two smaller cabins, we’ll register them as one space in regards to your payments and deposits. You’ll have to call us to take care of the second cabin manually (574.834.2212). But, go ahead and register the first one and then call in.

Elkhart Faith UMC will be doing this with North Star and Forest and then they plan on brining in a large tent to provide a common meeting space for dinners. Additionally, we have some other meeting spaces that can be used for evening devotion times and such. 

But, the best idea, book it now and book it fast!

We’ve only got 3 spots left on week 1! 

We’ve reposted information about the day tickets. The new price is available on the tickets page and provides the information about when it’s best to buy to get a great deal.

Sorry about that. 

It’s time to start planning your summer calendar. Epworth Forest CC will be opening registration for That Thing on Tuesday, November 3, 2009.

See you online Tuesday morning!

it’s time to book yourself up for 2010.  Starting this Tuesday, November 3, you can start booking your lodges.  

If you haven’t had a chance to choose a lodge, check them out on the lodge finder.

YOUTH SPECIALTIES!!  If you’re down in Cincinnati this week for Youth Specialties, stop by and say hello.  We’ll have a booth in the exhibit hall and we’d love to see you.

So, we’ve added a little widget to the new website, we call it the Extra Tix Widget.

It’s a great little space to browse for/purchase overflow tickets or to sell them.  But, it’s also designed as a means to help groups connect with other groups even before you purchase tickets.

So, check it out; jump on gotothatthing.com and look for the little "Tix" logo at the top of the page or find it on the tickets page. It’s got some nonsense filler data for now so you can see how it can be used.  But, keep the widget in mind if you’re looking for a few tickets or you realize you have a couple open beds. The closer to capacity you can max out a lodge, the better the cost for your students.