Bad News: I sold my motorcycle a couple months back, so I had to stand on the sidelines for the @hogbiker (Karl LeRay) memorial biker escort.
Good News: I was able to shoot a little video at the escort to share.
Plus, there are photos available on Flickr here. There will be more.
We ran into some problems with planning the “A Farewell to Karl” event and must develop a new plan. Here’s what’s up:
[1] Official Memorial Service Set
Posted on Facebook, the family’s official memorial service and celebration is set for this Thursday, June 23 from 4:00pm to 8:00pm at Janssen’s Evergreen Memorial Chapel in downtown Anchorage. A prayer ceremony is set for 7:00pm. There is a motorcycle escort from the funeral home to the crematorium scheduled for 3:00pm.
Be sure to review the event on Facebook and note whether you’re attending so the family knows the number of people attending.
This is the primary memorial and we wouldn’t think of setting up a conflicting event. Which brings us to the next point…
[2] “A Farewell to Karl” Is Overloaded and Must Move
Our event, originally intended for @hogbiker‘s Twitter friends and other social media acquaintances for this Wednesday evening, has grown to more than 70 people since being posted last week. We had planned to gather at Spenard Roadhouse, but they can handle, at most, only 30 people. We’re now more than double that number, so we need to move elsewhere.
We looked into moving the event to Embassy Suites, where we had another large, successful Tweetup in the past. They’re not available on Wednesday. But they are available Thursday. That sounded great… until the family’s event was set for Thursday evening.
So no day can work at Spenard Roadhouse due to group size. And Thursday won’t work anywhere due to the memorial service conflict. We need other options.
[3] Our Solution: Cancel and Reschedule
We still want to have an event to remember our friend Karl. But since neither Wednesday nor Thursday will work, we have to arrange something else. Starting Tuesday (6/21) we will look into options for this Friday or sometime next week.
Please note we expect to charge for the new event — for two reasons. First, because renting space and buying catering for such a large group costs real money, and second, we want to raise money to help Karl’s family pay for the memorial expenses. We’re thinking somewhere around $10 per person to cover the space rental, hors d’oeuvres and soft drinks for attendees, then a hosted cash bar. Details when we post the event.
We will directly email everyone that signed up for this event and invite folks to sign up for the next event. We will also post the event details here at alaskatweets.com and post via the @alaskatweets account.
Our apologies for the confusion, but as you can imagine, a lot of details had to be worked out by the family in the last few days. And we didn’t expect such a large turnout — though we’re heartened by the response!
For now, here’s what you can do:
We hope to see you at the memorial service Thursday. And at our own gathering as soon as it’s scheduled.
We will reschedule this memorial tweetup for Friday, 6/25 or later. Details to be posted here at alaskatweets.com and the @alaskatweets account.
Original post follows…
It’s been a terrible day for a lot of us in Anchorage and beyond, as we learned that a great friend passed away overnight: Karl LeRay — our very own @hogbiker.
There’s no way for us to capture the magnitude of our loss effectively right now, but we can at least gather to share memories and honor the life of this veteran, biker, father, teacher, friend, businessman, radio host, and social media pal. In fact, we already have. There were two lunch gatherings earlier today — one in Anchorage (thanks @onefunnybroad), one in Juneau (thanks @awpz) — and a karaoke bar gathering this evening.
This one is next Wednesday, June 22, so folks have time to prepare and by then we’ll probably know more about how the family, including @crowbeak, would like to handle things and whether there’s anything the AlaskaTweets community can do to help.
For now, please check your calendar and see if you can join us for this informal memorial gathering:
The details and the sign-up is over at Eventbrite. PLEASE SIGN UP. We need a tight estimate of attendance so we can advise the venue ahead of time and/or change venues. Plus if you sign up, we can email you with any updates.
Meanwhile, we’ll all continue to grieve in our own ways. We hope to see you there with happier remembrances and kind words for Karl’s legacy.
UPDATED 05/20/2011 AT 1:45PM
Here we are. Together. At the edge of the universe, looking into the abyss. Mere hours from Judgment Day.
Who’s ready for some beer and burgers?!?!
Apparently the following people are ready to party at The End of the World. They signed up and we’ve got custom Twitter name badges for all of them. Even if you haven’t signed up, here’s your chance to hang out at the cool kids’ table — and listen to @mariancall — one last time:
Bring your smartphone, your camera, your sense of humor and the curiosity to meet new Twitter people and hang out with old Twitter pals. Share social media tips, talk about the summer plans you won’t be able to use after Saturday, and enjoy a cold Snow Goose microbrew.
And if you’re a Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy fan, don’t forget your towel.
Finally, don’t forget these Tweetup details:
We’ll see you there!
Man, everyone is getting in on the End of the World action these days. Stephen Colbert just alerted his viewers to the perils of May 21. “Folks: This means there are only 11 shopping days until there are no shopping days.“
But before Judgment Day got the coveted Colbert Bump, local songstress Marian Call setup her last concert ever, right alongside our last Tweetup ever. You’ll be there to tweet and to take in the smart and sassy singing, won’t you?
So far we’ve got 34 tweeps signed up to hang out with new and old Alaska Tweets pals. Where will they be? When? How can you get in on the fun?
As we mentioned in the original post, this is a No Agenda™ Tweetup — no theme (well, mostly), no fundraising, no greater purpose than getting Alaska Twitter friends together in the same place at the same time to chat, eat, drink and be merry. All social, all the time. We’re especially interested in getting new friends to join us, so please invite anyone that’s never been to a tweetup before.
In the mean time, get your affairs in order. We’ll see you at the Snow Goose!
And stay tuned for information on the Pearly Gates Tweetup.
Silly Mayans. They thought the End of the World would come in December 2012. Not anymore. (Thanks for nothin’ John Cusack.)
If the Mayans had had the Internet — or even AOL — they’d have known the End of the World is really in October 2011. But what about Judgment Day? Good news! That’s next month. [Cue the booming voice...] Prepare to be judged May 21, 2011!
But before the end, let’s have a Tweetup.
Spend the last evening before Judgment Day with your Alaska Tweets pals in Anchorage. At a sinful bar. With a side of wings.
This is a No Agenda™ Tweetup — no theme (well, mostly), no fundraising, no greater purpose than getting Alaska Twitter friends together in the same place at the same time to chat, eat, drink and be merry. All social, all the time. We’re especially interested in getting new friends to join us, so invite anyone that’s never been to a tweetup before.
Mark the last available box on your calendar with these details:
Special thanks to @Mayor_of_Twtr for instigating this Tweetup and making the reservation with Snow Goose.
And thanks to everyone out there that’s been waiting for a big all-hands-on-deck event. This is the one. Be sure to join us!
@Rage_CityRG is hosting a Chocolate Affair Prom. There will be an auction of yummy, gorgeous chocolate confections courtesy Modern Dwellers, and the first 25 people at the door get a free rose! Food and drink via Bernie’s will also be available for purchase during the evening. Come join the Rage City dance party as DJ Soup spins favorite dance tunes during this chocolicious event.
Tickets are $10 and available now through Brown Paper Tickets or your favorite rollergirl. Tickets will not be available at the door, they must be purchased in advance.
Proceeds from this event go to support your Rage City Rollergirls.
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