POST EVENT Roundup - ScooterPaooza 2003: Scoot Almighty (1 Viewer)

[Scooter]

Well...another one under our collective belts! This was the best one yet!!!! The rainstorms, literally, split in half and went around us, the food was great as always, the company superb, and the activities of the day a BLAST!!!!

From the hypnotist Garry Gewant to the prizes from Elite, JVC, Digital Eyes, First Run, and Poppin' Glows to the incredible images on the out door screen via the INFocus projector lent to us by Michael Lee!!! And speaking of Poppin' Glows...they were a HUGE hit as well!!!! I also want to thank Pete Apruzzese for the free passes we handed out to his classic cinema series here in New Jersey! And The Sign Connection for the great banner that hung from my deck.

So for all of you who came..and those who wish they had..here is a thread for impressions of the day from old and new friends of ScooterPalooza!

 

[Ed Faver]

This was a great day. It's nice to be with so many fine people and laugh so much. Thank you Scooter and family. Thanks Ron & Parker and thanks to Michael for providing a fantastic projector.

The feature was great, thanks to the provider of the film, and to Ron who apparently worked very hardin delivering a special film.

Looking forward to seeing the pictures.

 

[Leslie W]

Scooter and family, ( Morgan, Gregg, & the lovely Michele ) Ron and Parker and everyone who showed up ... thanks for a great time. Calvin and I had a blast. Even with the " Omens of Doom " on the trip down, we are both so happy we made it to meet ya'll and B.S. with people who have so many varied backgrounds, yet have so much in common.

The food was great, the after dinner entertainment was wonderful.


Thanks for the interviews for our show. We WILL be sending you copies of the show as soon as it is a done shoot and DVD'd. So please Ron, Parker and Scooter, either PM Calvin or myself with mailing addresses.

 

[Greg Z]

Gotta chime in. A BIG thank you to the usual suspects. You know who you guys (and gals!) are. My family have a fabulous time. Great food, great people, and COOL glow pops!!

 

[Lloyd S]

ScooterPalooza V was the best ever. The InFocus ScreenPlay projector was very impressive. The picture looked perfect whether you were 5 or 80 feet from the screen. The glow pops were really good; I had 2 - one blue and one red. Oh, by the way Steve, thanks for the great cigar.

Scooter and family (and friends) deserve our thanks for pulling this one off, and making it better than ever. Thanks to Ron and Parker and anyone else involved who assembled the great sponsors, like Digital Eyes and Elite Entertainment and the great prizes they provided. Even though I didn't win any, I was impressed with the prizes that were offered. As usual, the main feature was also special.

My only regret is this may have been the last ScooterPalooza in New Jersey. In any case, I hope Scooter finds a great place to re-locate, and I hope it's not too far away. Wherever Scooter winds up, if there are future SooterPaloozas, you should all know this is an event you don't want to miss.

 

[RAF]

What can I say? I echo the sentiments already expressed here (and, undoubtedly, the ones to follow). ScooterPalooza is one of the greatest social gatherings ever to come out of this common community known as The Internet. It goes way beyond hardware, software and great sponsors. This is much more than simple friendship. It's family - only without all the usual baggage that comes with family gatherings.



I want to sincerely thank Scooter, the sponsors, the participants and everyone else involved in making the day a runaway success. On a personal note, it's been exactly one year tomorrow since my wife, Therese, lost her battle with a glioblastoma and as I reflect on how quickly the time has passed as I rebuild my life it's assuring to know that there is support of family and friends like those I encountered yesterday to make the transition much easier. I was deeply touched by the tribute Therese was given last year during the last phase of her battle and being able to attend this year's event (for obvious reasons I had to cancel last year) gave me an opportunity to thank the many people who supported me on many levels during some rough moments. If last year's event was dedicated to Therese then I'd like to dedicate this year's event to the future.

Scooter, you and your extended family are one hell of a class act and I wish you well in your own personal "future" as I continue to explore my own. This may be the last ScooterPalooza in New Jersey, but I trust that our paths will cross again at future events.

Take care, my friend.

The past is prologue.

 

[Nathan*W]

A heartfelt "thank you" to Scoot, the lovely Michelle, Greg, Morgan, Parker and Ron for another great event! The Scootplex was great as always, as well as the feature presentation.

Also, thanks to JVC, Elite, Digital Eyes, First Run, Sign Connection and Poppin' Glows for the great prizes and treats. (Even though I didn't win anything.:frowning: ) And Micheal Lee, thanks for the incredible show on the outdoor screen via the INFocus projector. Also, thanks to the studio that provided our viewing material; top notch stuff. And to the hypnotist Garry Gewant, even though I couldn't tell if it was real or fake, it was a good show. (it's not a kitten, it's a RAT!!)

 

[Andres Munoz]

What a great time. I've been to 3 paloozas and I think this one was the best for me.

It was great to see some old friends and meet new faces as well.

Scooter, Gregg, Morgan, Michelle...thank you so much for your hospitality. You guys are the best. You really make everyone feel welcome. Ron, Parker, thank you so much for making this possible. (Very nice to finally meet you in person Parker).

The hypnotist was fun. I also wasn't too sure if it was real or not. But it was entertaining. Gregg seemed to be the one easiest to hypnotize but then again, he told me he was an actor.

The Infocus projector, oh my God! What a beatiful image! This thing projected an image onto a huge screen outdoors, with no lighting control, right out of the box, not calibrated at all, and still the image was so clear and beatiful. What a great piece of machinery.

The JVC receiver, man, that thing is a tank! I was intimidated by just looking at the back. So many inputs. And the sound, very clear and crisp and again, we were outdoors.

The food was great. Special mention the apple and cinammon "empanadas" . Delicious!

The Poppin' Glows were very cool. The door prices great. I came away with a JVC car audio T-Shirt, a Jazz CD, a JVC pen and a Tomb Raider mini poster.
May thanks to DIGITAL EYES, ELITE ENTERTAINMENT, FIRST RUN FEATURES and any other sponsor I might have forgotten. The door prizes were excellent.

There's a small chance that this might not be the last palooza (please let it not be). But just in case it is, what a fitting ending.

Scooter, I know you're tired of living in NJ and looking to move to another state. Come to NY! And make sure you get a big back yard.

 

[Sam Posten]

Christmas comes in August =)

First, Scooter thank you and your family so much. I cant imagine not having a Scooterpalooza to look forward to, please dont move too far away. It is an amazing talent to be able to invite 100 strangers to your (awesome) home and not be worried in the slightest about how they will treat it. I hope everyone was respectful!

Garry was hilarious, I think he thought I was out of my mind when I told him he wasnt allowed to hypnotize me, but its true! =) If I didnt have this restriction I definitly would have been into trying his tests.

Thank you to all the sponsors! I continued my losing streak and didnt win a thing, but the JVC tape measure rocks and I still have the jazz fest CD to check out. I was worried about the Glow pops, before I got there I thought the glowy stuff was edible, not that they had a glow stick in the center! They were better than similar good humor bars and the glow effect was really cool. And they were brighter than any glow stick I had seen before. NO LIE I am getting at least 200 of these next year for my firemans fair, I will be contacting Scooter for directions on making this happen.

Mike Lee, I hate you =) Seriously, I couldnt believe that a projector that looked that amazing (as good as the super costly one from last year, at least to my eyes) on a 20' screen could be so affordable! Someday, someday it will be mine, oh yes!

The feature, oh my god. It was beautiful, funny, and just so right! Thank you to Studio X! Flaming Robot Ninjas from Hell couldnt get me to divulge what it was, so dont worry!

Fingers crossed that this isnt the last one, we'll have to do something as a group even if it isnt at chez Scoot. I had a blast and cant imagine that there was anyone who did not. Except maybe Gregg, who looked a little groggy after his hypnosis session! =)

Sam

 

[Shawn Sefranek]

As a seasoned veteran of all the previous Scooter events I must say that this one was the best.
Mother Nature tried her best to scare us all day, but all she could muster was a few short drizzles and lots of nearby thunder.
Someone close by must have been getting hammered, but all we got were sprinkles and not a single drop after the sun went down and the show started.

The “final” New Jersey Scooter event will be one to remember. Everything from the awesome sound & Video to the great conversations with fellow HTF members.
The sponsors came through with great stuff once again.
The JVC Receiver that was on loan is a great piece of hardware and it looks to give some high end separates a run for their money.
Especially once the Subwoofer AMP was connected properly.
I absolutely LOVED the Infocus Projector (model 5700 I think). I heard several groups of people discussing jumping Michael Lee while their accomplice ran with the goods.
I was one of those thinking the same thing.
When I’m in the market for a projector, the Infocus will be at the top of my short list.
While we’re sworn to secrecy on the night’s movie selection, I can definitely say it looked AWESOME on the big screen.
I took some screen shots during the show that I’m sure will be posted once Ron is allowed to do so.

While I didn’t win any of the many DVD giveaways this time, I do have to thank JVC for the handy tape measure and the Jazz Festival 2003 CD that I’m listing to right now.

The Glow Pops were an interesting item. I’ll be sure to keep an eye out for these at my local grocery store.
I tried to snap a couple of picture while everyone was consuming them in the dark, but it’s hard to see in the photos.
PHOTOS….Yes, lots of them.
I sent over 100 to Ron last night. I’ll let him go through them and post the best ones that he likes.
The group photo(s) I took came out great. One will be posted in Ron’s update.
Thanks everyone for your cooperation.

I wish Scooter and family the best in their search for a new home.
Hopefully the location he chooses will be within a days drive for me. He’s got lots of east coast fans/friends that want to keep him around the area.
If his new location is not too far, I will definitely make the trip for 2004 and beyond.

Shawn S

 

[Jason Merrick]

COME TO LOS ANGELES SCOOTER!!!

 

[Woo Jae]

THANK YOU SCOOTER FOR YOUR GENEROUS USE OF YOUR HOME, FOR SHOWING US YOUR AWESOME THEATER, AND GIVING US A PLACE TO JUST CHILL, HANG, AND SEE AND MEET THE BEST CROWD ON THE 'NET. (NOT TO MENTION CONVINCING MY MOM THAT A HOME THEATER IN THE BASEMENT IS WORTH THE TIME AND MONEY )!

My family had a wonderful time, as did I. It was a blast to meet fellow posters, etc etc.

 

[AVspec]

When I got the email from Ron saying this could very well be the last ScooterPaooza, well I was very sad, only my second trip to ScooterPaooza and boy I sure wish I started going years ago! I mean I have been a HTF member since 1998 and I only started going last year! Boy am I kicking myself now!

Scooter is truly the nicest guy in NJ and the next state that gets him will be one lucky state! It was great seeing the lovely Michele again and Greg well what can I say about Greg, except... you were sitting to close to my girlfriend Tammy while hypnotized!!! LOL!

My daughter Kyria had a blast of course and it was all she talked about when I told her we would be going this year as she still remembered the 2002 ScooterPaooza were Ron hooked her up will one heck of a lollipop! This year she even managed to win a door prize!

My girlfriend Tammy was very hesitant about going to a Home Theater party but I think about 2 seconds after being around such fine folks she was glad she came and had a blast with Garry and the hypnotism show and found out that all the talk is really not all about Home Theater gear!

I would also like to mention how good the Infocus Projector looked. As most of you know I have a Barcographics 808s CRT which I just love but I must say the Infocus Projector is one heck of a great projector and is so small. It is oh so tempting to make the move from CRT just to free up space above my head, well that and the fact that if the Infocus Projector falls on my head it wont kill me unlike the Barco.

Thanks Michael Lee for bringing the projector.

The movie was drop dead gorgeous and the sound was fantastic! Great demo material for sure!

The glow pops not only looked cool but they were the tastiest Ice pops I have ever had! Puts those plastic freezer pop things to shame!

Well I think I covered most everything…. Thank you Elite, JVC, Digital Eyes, First Run, and Poppin' Glows

And most importantly:
Scooter, Gregg, Morgan, Michelle, from my family to yours, thank you so very much for inviting us into your home and I am glad I was able to help with the subwoofer connection Scootman!

-Mark

P.S. Almost forgot to thank CHEF RON! Ron you did a great job on the grill, the burgers, the chicken, it was all fantastic and you made sure that anyone and everyone that needed anything from the grill got it!

GREAT JOB & THANK YOU!

 

[Calvin Watts III]

This being my 1st ScooterPalooza, I was a bit nervous about making the roadie & attending. But, after my "adventure" of a trip, I must say that both Leslie & I are so glad that we did.

Being able to meet people who you have "read" & interacted with over the years, people who are into the same things you happen to enjoy, cannot be overstated

It was great to be able to meet Ron,Parker & Steve Simon in person. Also, finally meeting some of the guys who I game with online - Woo Jae,Jeff, & Morgan, (to name & few) was most excellent as well.

Thanks to JVC for lending us use of the receiver. Great sound to go along with a great film! Also, thanks to Michael Lee for bringing the Infocus Projector. The last time I can remember seeing something of that quality was at a DLP theatre up in Boston. Absolutely incredible visuals with it,to be sure.

I even liked the Glow Pops! The lemon-lime ones were incredibly tasty - & I happen to like the glowstick. Cool idea - I hope I can get them here in my neck of the woods soon.

As for Hypnotist Garry Gewant - he put on an excellent performance for the attendees. During one demostration, Scooter's son Gregg was so freaked out, he broke the chair he was sitting on! I,ever the skeptic, was impressed.

Even though I didn't win any door prizes - props go out to Digital Eyes, Elite Entertainment and First Run Features for their sponsorship. There were some excellent prizes given away - (you know they are cool when Scooter himself wishes he was in the running to get one of those aforementioned prizes).

Speaking of Scooter, it was so incredibly giving of you & your family to open up your house for the HTF to use. I sincerely hope that you have another event, whether at that location, or wherever you end up. This is too fun an event to let it die. Thank you Scooter, Gregg, Morgan, & Michelle for making our stay a wonderful experience.

In closing - Leslie & I had a lot of fun! We had some tasty food,saw an excellent film, made new friends,got some interviews for my cable show (Thanks Ron,Parker, & Scooter!)
and had an absolute blast! I'd highly recommend anyone who was thinking of going this year to go to the next one - whenever that may be...

 

[Holadem]

On Saturday afternoon, I realized that I had left Scooter's contact at work. I looked online at past palooza pages without success. I called that hotel, they didn't have his contact either (or at least so they said). Luckily, I remembered Gregg Loewen usually leaves his number in those ISF tour threads. I searched, found, called his cell phone, told my story, then realized that I wasn't speaking to Gregg, but some guy who had ended up with his number. Luckily, the house number proved to be the right one . Gregg gave me Michael Lee's number, who finally gave me Scooter's. Phew!

So I made it to my 2nd Palooza at 7PM, fairly late, but still had one hell of a time. And I brought the good stuff .

It was great seeing familiar faces such as Michael and Arlene (thanks again), Morgan, Sam, Ron, Parker etc... and special mention to the utterly lovely Michelle.

Also met new faces like Woo Jae, RAF, John Berger, Kleist, Andres and many others. I only wish I had been there much earlier and had had more time to really chill with everyone.

The Infocus projector brought by Michael was impressive, I did not know it was possible to fill such a huge screen with such a crisp picture at that price . The movie itself was excellent.

Oh, believe it or not, I won AGAIN. I am 2 for 2 as far as Palooza's go .

In all, a terrific time, thanks to all the sponsors and mostly, thank you Scooter for opening your home to us.

--
Holadem

 

[DarrinH]

What a great time!
Thank you Scooter, Michelle, Greg, Morgan, Ron and Parker for all of the work you did to make this one of the best Scooterpaloozas ever!
Thanks to Micheal Lee for that great Infocus projector!
Thanks to JVC for that great receiver!
The prizes were great!
The blow pops were cool!
Elite, JVC, Digital Eyes, Sign connection and Poppin' Glows we all appreciate the sponsorship.
Special thanks goes to Ron for the great, great feature presentation.
Those that could not make it boy did you miss a great party!

Scooter, I wish you the best with your relocation. Tom and I had a great time.
If need be, the next HTF cookout in 04 could be in the great state of WV at the Holmes compound.
Home of the West Virginia Home Theater Group.
I have about 4 times the room and that means we can get achieve a larger image size for the feature.
Problem is...everyone would have to be willing to travel to the country.
Keep it in mind guys and let me know.

 

[Tony-B]

Do you have any idea when or if a report will be up?

 

[Michael Lee]

What can I write that has not already been posted? This was a great time indeed. If this was truly the last Scooterpalooza in the Northeast, this was a great one to exit on. I sincerely hope there will be more though. I feel like we are establishing a family reunion of sorts everytime we go to Budd Lake.

It was wonderful to see the friends from the past like Ron, Parker, RAF, Holadem, Dave, Shawn, Sam, and of course, Scooter with his family and friends.

Meeting new people was also a highlight. The folks from West VA, Woo Jae, Andres, and many others whose names elude me were all fun to meet. As mentioned previously, it is great to finally meet the people after reading their posts for so long.

The feature DVD was a true "catch". My wife, Arlene, was so excited when we learned what it was going to be. Truly reference material...

The InFocus ScreenPlay 5700 projector is a very new product. It is a native 16x9 piece that employs the new TI Matterhorn DLP chip. As seen at Scooter's place, it is an extremely bright projector that renders blacks very well. We find that most projectors inflate their ANSI Lumen rating...but this one is true to its word. The demo piece was in my hands a month ago, but time did not allow me to really look at it until Saturday. When I first received it, I plugged it in to make sure it was working. So it really was a brand new projector when we plugged it in at the Scooterpalooza! They come from the factory dialed in at 6500K so the picture should look pretty darn good right out of the box. I was also impressed with its performance...as I had only seen it in very improvised conditions when the InFocus rep showed the prototype model in June.

Thanks again to Scooter, Michelle, Morgan and Gregg!

 

[Jeff Kleist]

Thanks everyone for another memorable Scooterpalooza.

Oh, believe it or not, I won AGAIN. I am 2 for 2 as far as Palooza's go .

While I am still _0_ for 4 as far as prizes go, I'm not bitter And I'd like to thank everyone who provided the prizes I got to stare at, and Michael for his wonderful projector, and JVC for their neato reciever

If you have $5K to burn. Buy that projector, preferably from Michael. If I had that kind of $$, he'd already have it.

 

[Scooter]

I LOVE reading the resonses here...thing is during the event itself, I hardly have any time to talk with anyone.

This year we had maybe a day and a half to really prepare. We all got sick..REALLY sick here. Michelle right now is hitting 102 fever in relapse! I was out of work all last week. But..thanks to the wonderful family I am blessed to be in...it came together!

To all who came..thank you for being..you! To those who sponsored...you can see the gratitude here...and how impressed we ALL were with what was given.

So all of us here are considering a get together this Oct...or as Jeff likes to call it:

ScooterPalooza2: Electric Boogaloo

Not sure I would call it that..but who knows!

Anyhow..this was a GREAT saturday....and I know that this was one of the Top 10 highlights of my life!

The report pages are not far behind.