Several MMD readers have asked me to write about how to put on a
successful organ rally.  This is like asking me, who has a half built
Castlewood, to advise Don Stinson on how to build a band organ!
I will share some ideas, but I hope that others will pick up where
I leave off and add what I leave out.

First, figure out _why_ you want an organ rally.  Once you have that
established, then you can proceed with the rest.

Enthusiasm is a main ingredient -- it must emanate through your pores.
Without it, your rally will sink before it is launched.

Don't be concerned with size.  We had only two band organs, two player
pianos, one kit street organ that was battery operated, one Molinari,
one Hicks, one Hofbauer and one Castlewood organ.  Oh yes, there was
the 1971 Buick, the 1930 Model A Ford and the 1958 Rolls Royce Bentley.

But we had a lot of enthusiasm and a huge amount of _fun_.  We
demonstrated these things to people who had never seen them before.
Some of the people saw them in movies or read about them in books, but
were never up close.

Plan ahead.  We put our rally together in only six weeks, which is not
enough time.  Plans should begin a year in advance.  As soon as it is
appropriate in your area, secure the necessary permits.  If you plan to
have one or more organ grinders with live monkeys, check on the local
laws.  In some places you need a special permit and the Fish and Game
people need to come out and inspect the place first.

In Denver, for instance, don't get caught training your dog or cat.
Trained animals of any kind are illegal in Denver, plain and simple.
I maintain a working list of all organ grinders with live monkeys in the
United States.  So, if you plan to have an organ grinder with a live
monkey, contact me and I can put you in contact with someone closest to
your area.  My e-mail address is <vincent.morgan2@verizon.net>

Choose an area with the highest foot traffic possible.  I understand
that in many places there is no such thing as foot traffic, as people
drive everywhere, but locate where you can draw a crowd or bank on
someone else's crowd.  In New York City this isn't a problem: we _are_
a crowd!

Plan on a date that will draw the most attention.  Palm Sunday (which
also conflicted with Passover) was not at all convenient, but we found
out that New Yorkers, who have been penned up all winter, are just
awakening from hibernation.  It is also opening day at Coney Island,
the location of our rally.  Being a world famous tourist attraction
helps.

Opening day is when the news reporters show up in swarms.  Find the
cameras.  Grant interviews.  Talk about the instruments, the people,
the collections, the friendships that have developed as a result of
the organization(s), but talk.

Make sure you have extremely detailed and clear directions.  If there
is a restriction on cars with trailers and trucks, then you need to
know the truck route.  If you don't know it, find out from a trucker or
your local police department and drive the route yourself with someone
taking notes.

Then make sure anyone driving that route has at least two cell phone
numbers of people already at the location of the rally.  One of our
organ men got lost for almost three hours because we failed to make
sure that he had the best directions via the truck route and we didn't
have each other's cell phone numbers.

At the location of the rally make sure you have adequate electrical
power.  Here, we can get a permit to hook up to the light poles.
Check with your local community for their requirement.  Spread out.
Space your organs so that they don't conflict with each other.  Set up
the smaller organs and player pianos away from the larger ones so they
can be heard and enjoyed more.

What sanitary facilities are available?  For us that wasn't a problem,
but in some locations it might be.

Make sure your organ rally benefits the local community.  Help draw a
crowd to _their_ event.  Bank on other clubs in the area and network
with them.  You might have a garden club, Lions Club, antique car club,
clock collectors, etc.  The more people you can get involved in the
event, and the more organizations you can benefit, the better.  This
builds public relations, which we all need.  The more people your rally
will benefit, the more it will benefit you.

Encourage participants to sell their CDs and cassettes and to hand out
their business cards, etc.  If someone takes his organ out only to make
money, he can go elsewhere.

We do not pay anyone to be in the rally.  Here in New York City people
pay enough in tolls just to come here.  It is a great way for them to
advertise.  Business will follow.  This is a time to have fun and
attract new people to the hobby.

Our organ men ran out of business cards and so did our piano techs.
They will all have business in the future as a result of the cards
given out.  The folk from the Enrico Caruso Museum generated so much
interest that it was often difficult to get near their table.  Every
photo that we have found in newspapers concerning the rally featured
Aldo Mancusi of the Enrico Caruso museum.  Terrific!  We all had fun
and he got the publicity.  An obscure museum in Brooklyn will now
benefit greatly due to their participation.

Get your audience involved.  Make up certificates to give out to people
who will crank an organ or pump a piano.  Ours, which I made up on my
computer, stated that the person was a graduate of the "Coney Island
Organ Grinding School".  There was a line for the person's name, a
place for the "Chief" organ grinder's signature and another line for
the date.  What a hit!  We had people waiting in line.

Get people dancing in front of the band organs.  The more you can get
them to participate, the more interested they will be and the more fun
you will have.  When you pump a player piano bounce a little and sing
with the words.  Encourage those watching to sing along with you.
Teach them how to read the words (if you have a word roll) from bottom
to top as they probably have never done that before.

Make sure you have enough brochures about AMICA, MBSI, COAA, etc.
We ran out rather quickly.  We ordered brochures, which never arrived.
We failed to make phone calls and cover overnight shipping.  We ended
up giving out pieces of paper with web addresses and local phone
numbers.

If you can't afford to buy advertising, do something newsworthy.  Write
up a press release and send it to as many newspapers, radio stations,
TV stations as you can that operate in your area.  Ask a local radio
station if they would like to set up a mobile unit at the rally.  That
helps you and helps them at the same time.  They will help you draw
a crowd and will interview people on the spot.

Get local officials involved.  Todd Robbins (not Robinson as I wrote in
error previously) is a key man for us.  He is connected to Dick Zigun,
the unofficial mayor of Coney Island.  They are both connected to the
Brooklyn Borough President, Marty Markowitz.  Mr. Markowitz was already
committed to be there to officially open Astroland, just down the block.
Todd and Dick invited him over.  Terrific!  He was able to make
a public statement.  He benefited and so did we.

For those traveling a long distance, hotel/motel and restaurant
information should be available.  We also recommend that private homes
be made available.  One time my wife and I attended a rally in another
state, which happened to coincide with a NASCAR event nearby, and all
hotels and motels were booked for a 50-mile radius.  A private house
where we could meet local people in the hobby would have been really
nice.

In our case we don't have lower priced hotels or motels in the area,
but we do have restaurants.  Nathan's, the birthplace of the hot dog,
is just around the corner.  Plus you can get funnel cakes, corn on the
cob, cotton candy, pizza and more within a block radius of the rally.
Also, one of our members who lives in the area invited the participants
over to his house for dinner afterwards.  His 42 player pianos and over
4,000 piano rolls were an extra bonus.

Security is also important.  In Coney Island we have a police station
down the block, but that is probably not the usual situation in most
places.  If your rally is more than one day, you may want to station
people on location around the clock.

Vincent Morgan, New York City