Here is the rundown on what you need to know for logistics for ManDown Weekend…
Saturday Only Attendees, please arrive on Saturday morning by 8:00am to join us for session two at the conference center.
Travel: You have two options. Travel on your own or connect with others from your church. You can travel on your own or arrange a separate plan with others you know are going. You’re an adult, you’ll figure it out.
The address for the Northern VA 4-H retreat center is : 600 4-H Center Drive Front Royal, VA 22630. Check-in will be at Fairfax Shelter which is also the same location of the cookout on Friday evening.
If you travel on your own please note that it is about 1.5 hours from Stafford, 1.25 from Dumfries, 1.75 from Fredericksburg and 1.5 from DC . The cookout starts between 5:30pm and 6:00pm but you are welcome to come as early as 3PM. If you are coming straight after work, just get there when you can and we will have the grill ready. The evening session will start around 8:00pm.
What to Bring: Linens are NOT provided. You will need to bring your own, like a sleeping bag and pillow. Beyond that I will let you decide what else you need, but you should bring a Bible. Additionally it would be good to bring your favorite Snack Food to share for the hang out time after the Friday Night session. Also consider bringing any favorite games that you like to play.
Cookout/Meals: We are kicking off the retreat by cooking out at the Fairfax Shelter.Here is what we will provide at the Cookout: A Large Hot Grill, Drinks, Hotdogs and Buns for those who need them, a side. Many of you aspire to better food over a hot grill than Oscar Mayer and I want to make it perfectly clear that you may and should consider bringing your own upgrade. I myself am planning to feast on a couple of Ribeyes. We would consider it a victory to return with the same amount of hotdogs that we came with. The Grill (Friday Dinner) will be hot by 5:30PM. Breakfast Saturday is provided for at the facility. Breakfast will be at 7:30am and Saturday Dinner will be catered by local BBQ at 5:30pm at the Fairfax Shelter.
No Alcohol: Out of respect for one another and recognizing that among those participating there are brothers who may have differing convictions and life struggles related to alcohol, we ask that you would not bring alcoholic beverages to the retreat.
Lodging: Everyone Needs Their Own Bedding. We will be staying in both Robinson Lodge and Congressman Lodge. Depending on which lodge you end up in the rooms sleep either 6 people or 4 people. We are using 50-75% occupancy at this point. Participants will be arranged with other participants from their local church.
For those of you who signed up for the “Bring Your Own Tent” option. We will designate areas there when we arrive on Friday and give you the info at check-in.
Check-In: When you arrive, you will want to come to Fairfax Shelter and find out where your lodge is. For a map of the facility follow this link.
Games: After the session on Friday night we can do whatever we would like. Many of us plan to hang out, play cards or some other competitive game. If you have ideas you should bring them along.
Schedule: The event is intended to be informal and enjoyable for those who participate but here is a rough idea of what we’ll be doing throughout the weekend.
Friday, October 14
4-8:00pm – Check-in and Setup (Fairfax Shelter)
5:30pm – Event Kickoff: The Beast Feast (Fairfax Shelter)
8:00pm – Teaching Session #1 (Conference Center)
9:15pm – Excursion Planning, Relaxation
Saturday, October 15
7:30-8:00am – Breakfast (Dining Hall)
8:00am – Teaching Session #2 (Conference Center)
9:30am-4:30pm – Excursions
4:30 pm – Breakouts (Conference Center)
5:45pm – Dinner (Dining Hall)
6:30pm – Teaching Session #3 (Conference Center)
8:00pm – Event End
Conference Sessions: Our main sessions will take place in the auditorium at the conference center.
Activity Plans. In general, we work to provide you some good options for activities that you can jump in on. Ultimately, from 9:45am-4:30pm you have free time to do things with other men who are attending the weekend. The options provided are just a starting point, and you can arrange or plan additional options yourself. The price of the activity is provided for your planning purposes and not provided in the overall retreat cost. If you are interested in a particular activity but cannot swing the cost please e-mail [email protected] and we will figure out a way to make it happen. We want you to have a great experience!
We will have open activities from 9:45am-4:30pm Saturday. We will be doing some planning for the Saturday activities together on Friday night following the Main Session. You can read a separate activities update below for clarifications and information about how to prepare to engage in the activity you selected.
Looking forward to a great weekend together,
-Colby Garman
ACTIVITIES INFO for SATURDAY
General Principal: We work to provide you some good options for activities that you can jump in on. Ultimately, from 9:45am-4:30pm you have free time to do things with other men who are attending the weekend. The options below are just a starting point, and you can arrange or plan additional options yourself. The price of the activity is provided for your planning purposes and not provided in the overall retreat cost. If you are interested in a particular activity but cannot swing the cost please e-mail [email protected] and we will figure out a way to make it happen. We want you to have a great experience!
Golf. POC Cody Davis ([email protected]). If you signed up for Golf, tee times are arranged at Shenandoah Valley Golf Club. The price is $45
Gun Range. POC Frank Mckinney ([email protected]) We will go to the Elite shooting range in Manassas. It is about a 40 min drive from the 4H grounds. If you have never been there you will have to pay $10 and watch a 10 min video to get a range card. We can put 4 people in a lane. The initial fee per hour is $20 for the first person and $10 for the other 3. You can buy targets and ammo at the range. If you don’t have a gun and want to shoot, come along, there will be plenty of guns and we can take turns shooting. After we are done we can all meet up at a local eating establishment and have lunch before we go back to the 4H grounds
Float Trip. POC Chad Thompson ([email protected]) Front Royal Outdoors supplies Canoes, Kayaks, Rafts, and Stand-up Paddle Boards for float trips on the Shenandoah River. Prices vary from $30-$40 depending on the type of watercraft you choose. There will be a time to connect and make a plan on Friday night after the first session.
Hiking. Several people have mentioned plans to do hikes in the Shenandoah. There will be a time following the Friday night session for people to connect and plan for day hikes for the following day.
Fishing. There are two options for those interested in fishing. 1.) Flyfishing: POC Colby Garman ([email protected]). We will take a drive out to Barterbrook Trout Farm and do a little fly fishing (or any other type you want). You will pay for what you catch. The drive is a little over 90 minutes and we space for 10-12 Bring a cooler so you can bring home some fresh trout. . 2.) Float and Fish: POC Mike Garlem. For more traditional fishing, Mike will be leading a group down the Shenandoah and will have some available lures and excellent guiding. For both: If you have a pole and gear bring it along. Approximately $20-$40 per person depending on options.
Small Plane Ride. POC Clint Clifton ([email protected]). There are a handful of guys going to take a small plane ride with a fighter jet pilot over the beautiful Virginia skyline.
Other. After the session on Friday night there will be time to connect with other people about possible plans. If you want to try and rally a group of people for a particular activity, let us know and we will announce how they connect with it. Otherwise, feel free to make whatever plans you would like or just plan to hang out on the grounds of the retreat center.
Looking forward to a great weekend!
Colby Garman’s Ghost writer