Someone asked on the Smoke Ring if there was a MI/OH/PA BBQing organization or club.
It turns out, yes, there's something called the Great Lakes BBQ Association that's supposed to be the "sanctioning" body for official events and cookoffs. So, I decided to go over to their website and take a look, and here's what I get.
There's a nice front page with their logo and a bunch of navigation links.
I decide to try "News and Events" - after all, maybe they have something going soon and I could see about going by and checking it out to meet some local BBQers, network a bit, get some tips or ask questions about their sources for wood, meat, etx.
*BZZT* - Membership required.
Oh-kay. A little odd, you'd think you'd want people to know about the current events for the organization to drum up some interest, but whatever.
Um...there's a link to Recipes. How about that?
*BZZT* - Same thing.
Forum?
*BZZT*
Sponsors?
*BZZT*
Mailing list information?
*BZZT* *BZZT* *BZZT*
Contact Us?
...ok, that worked. But it's just an email address and PO Box.
About Us?
That works, but it doesn't actually say much about what they do other than a mission statement about spreading outdoor cooking.
Well, let's check out the "Join!" link.
$35 to pay for a membership for one year?
That's not a totally horrible price, but to be honest, I'm really not psyched about signing up when I can't find any information about how much they do around here, when the events are, or even a chance to ask questions without paying in advance.
Even just a "sample recipes" or "This month's events" page that were publicly viewable would make a huge difference. As it is, it almost reminds me of the Jacket Backers before Julie really dug in to start cleaning it up - a "public" club that was really intended to mostly serve the egos of the founding clique, regardless of what came from the membership.
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