Prairie Village News 8/30/16

Faron Wahl, Manager

      After months of preparation we suddenly find ourselves in post-Jamboree mode. What a great event to log in the books for 2016!
      While we are instituting some new processes to better track numbers, that gleaning of information will take a bit of time, especially as we’re rolling it out for the first year. Nonetheless, I believe anyone who was on the property for Jamboree will attest the crowds were thick and the excitement was real.
      I spoke with many folks who have been part of Jamboree for many years, and across the board they indicated our normally-lighter Thursday traffic looked and felt much more like typical Friday volumes. Certainly Friday’s steady stream of vehicles entering the grounds was impressive, and Saturday’s took that up another few notches.
      Many annual events have difficulty amassing significant attendance on their final day, but Sunday’s crowd certainly made it clear that our final day is anything but anemic. A very healthy crowd came through the gates throughout the morning, and the exhibits and events that day were attended and appreciated by many.
      We are thankful for the understanding shown by many regarding a few adjustments we made to the gate admission process this year. As the Steam Threshing Jamboree, and certainly Prairie Village as a whole, continue to grow and build, it is critical that we implement new systems of processing and tracking admission. That information becomes key as any organization looks to manage their growth in a smart and effective manner, but gathering the data requires new and different steps. We will analyze thoughtfully what worked, what didn’t, and how it helps Prairie Village in the large picture, and then make decisions for next year based on those findings.
      A huge thank you to all of the fine folks who were here as part of the Massey Expo of North America. You made excellent work of filling the role of “feature tractor” for 2016, with organization, friendliness, and an overall impressive show and appearance. Certainly our Jamboree was all the richer for having hosted the Massey Expo. We’re so glad all of you called our facility “home” for your organization this week.
      So many thanks are in order, and beginning to try to name them here would quickly fill more of the Leader’s page than is available or reasonable for a weekly column. I do, however, just want to say a heart-felt thank you to the many, many individuals, families, and organizations who stepped up and volunteered in many roles during this huge event. A number of you missed much or all of the Jamboree yourselves because you were so busy serving others. Such can be the nature of selfless volunteerism and service, but I want every one of you to know your work is not lost on us. We needed every one of you, and we’re filled with gratitude for your work.
      Much remains to be done this fall tying up details, but the first steps of planning for Jamboree 2017 begin now. We look forward to that great event August 24-27, 2017, where we’ll feature Allis-Chalmers.
      It’ll be here before you know it.