Star City Sippin'

On behalf of the Roanoke Rail Yard Dawgs Booster Club, we’re excited to welcome members from booster clubs in the SPHL and ECHL to the 31st Annual Jamboree! Save the dates of July 26-28, 2019 for the event and check back here often for updates on how to register, the itinerary, what to do in Roanoke, and more. You can also follow us on Facebook for updates on the upcoming Jamboree. We’ll see you in Roanoke in July!

Please join us for the 29th annual ECHL Booster Club Jamboree, A Hockey Family Reunion in Greenville, South Carolina July 28 – 30, 2017 hosted by the Greenville Swamp Rabbits Booster Association.

Reunite with old family or get to know new members of our big hockey family. We hope to have lots of fun and maybe learn a few things along the way. There’s time to show off your team colors, socialize, enjoy great food and plenty of entertainment.

Over the weekend attendees interact and discuss ways to make our booster clubs stronger, which in turn helps us support our teams even more. By sharing proven ideas we all benefit from the experience.

Best of all, everyone is welcome! You do not have to be a booster member to attend, so check your calendars today and save the date.

 

What memories we have made this year!  I enjoyed seeing old friends and meeting new ones!  I cannot wait until Kalamazoo hosts it in 2016 and Greenville in 2017!  I enjoyed the breakout sessions and learned quite a bit.  I also managed to have tons of fun!  I hope you all enjoyed as well.

  Remember to save the date 2016 July 15th-17th and 2017 July 28th-30th.  I look forward to seeing everyone there!!!

All 2015 ECHL BC Jamboree Attendees:

Friday night will be team colors theme so bring your favorite garment from your respective team.

The Bluegrass Brothers will be Saturday’s entertainment.  They are a high energy southwest VA Bluegrass band that has performed throughout the US and Canada. Bobby encourages you to check them out on You Tube.

The workshops are listed on the updated itinerary. This jamboree will have a lot of attendee participation so please look at the website for items to bring, it will make our time spent more beneficial with opportunities to learn from each other.

Please feel free to call or email Bobby if you have any questions.

Email: bwoolwine@comcast.net. Cell Phone: 540-815-2631

WE LOOK FORWARD TO SEEING EVERYONE!

As Ohio has just been covered in snow, I am wondering is it July yet! 

Things are moving along here.  Bobby is busily making Jamboree plans. Please see the “What to Bring” page so that your club knows what to bring and share.  This years theme is Back to the Basics – Building Better Booster Clubs!  As always, bring samples to show (tempt) other clubs.

Bobby has not release too many of the tantalizing plans to me; I think he thinks I will let it leak….Okay, maybe he is right.  Just between you and me, Bobby did say we will be doing the gift basket raffles!!  I cannot wait to see those gift baskets, there is always something so good!

Some housekeeping information:    The registration form is now posted!

Hurry and make your hotel reservations. (Last one signed up gets the  bad luck of getting a room next me!

I can’t wait to see you all this July!

Save the Date – July 24th, 25th, and 26th

You are invited to attend the 27th annual ECHL Booster Club Jamboree at Wytestone Suites http://www.wytestonesuitesfredericksburg.com/) in Fredericksburg, VA. The conference will be July 24-26, 2015.

The 2014 ECHL Booster Club Jamboree is now officially in the books. The Evansville IceMen Maniacs Booster Club hosted the 26th annual gathering of booster clubs and fans from around the ECHL, July 18-20 in Evansville, Indiana.

Delegates representing ECHL clubs came from Cincinnati, Kalamazoo, Reading, South Carolina, and even Ontario (California). We also welcomed delegates from a former ECHL city, as the Dayton Professional Hockey Booster Club (now supporting the Federal Hockey League’s Dayton Demonz) made the trip to Evansville as well.

Most of the Jamboree gang poses for a photo during a
break in the discussion at the Tropicana Casino.

Tons of great information was shared about club communication, member participation, services provided to teams, and fund-raising ideas. Attendees enjoyed a casual dinner at Ellis Park on Friday night, tasty Turoni’s pizza for lunch on Saturday, and a delicious Tropicana Casino buffet for dinner on Saturday.

Jamboree attendees enjoy a casual lunch at Turoni’s Pizzery & Brewery.

After Saturday’s dinner, IceMen game-night emcee Stephen Rickard conducted an auction of gift baskets and other donations, which raised $600 for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, a wonderful cause that is very near and dear to the hearts of the IceMen Maniacs Booster Club.

And in the “main event,” IceMen Athletic Trainer Brian Patafie entertained with nearly 2 hours of hilarious and insightful stories from the world of hockey. Patafie playfully “roasted” several teams from around the ECHL, opened up in an interview with IceMen radio broadcaster Derick Benigni, and took questions from the audience. Though most of the evening was played for comedy, Patafie did occasionally get serious about the anti-bullying campaign he spearheads in the Evansville area, concussions and other serious injuries in hockey, and players battling addictions.

Evansville IceMen Athletic Trainer Brian Patafie delivers a hilarious speech about the ECHL and his decades in the business of hockey.

Overall, it was a very fun and productive weekend, and the IceMen Maniacs want to thank all of those who attended. Stay tuned to this website in the coming months for information about the 2015 Jamboree!

The Evansville IceMen Maniacs Booster Club is excited to announce the schedule for the 2014 ECHL Booster Club Jamboree. The vast majority of the convention will be held at Tropicana Evansville (formerly Casino Aztar) in Downtown Evansville on the north bank of the mighty Ohio River. Other sites on the itinerary are Ellis Park and Turoni’s Pizzery & Brewery. (We had hoped to also take a tour of the Ford Center, but the arena has booked a large religious convention on the weekend of the Jamboree.)

The 2014 Jamboree will get started with a casual mixer at Ellis Park on the evening of Friday, July 18. A full day of programming and entertainment will follow on Saturday, July 19. We will then wrap things up on the morning of Sunday, July 20. (More schedule details are below.)

Check-in and registration will be Friday from 5 to 6 PM and Saturday during breakfast from 8 to 9 AM. We highly recommend registering in advance on our Registration page, but folks who don’t register online in advance will also be able to register and pay in person during the stated check-in times.

The Jamboree is open to all ECHL fans, including those who are not a member of a team’s booster club. Registration is required, and your registration fee goes toward deferring the costs of facility rentals and select meals. For IceMen Maniacs Booster Club members, registration is $40 for Saturday only or $60 for the full weekend. For all other attendees, registration is $45 for Saturday only or $60 for the full weekend.

We expect to have a bunch of IceMen Maniacs in attendance, as well as guests from several visiting ECHL booster clubs. We’ll have visitors coming from as far away as California, as we’re thrilled to say that we will be welcoming some delegates representing the Ontario Reign!

Dress is casual, so feel free to support your team with jeans and your favorite jersey!

The current schedule for the 2014 Jamboree is below. Please keep in mind that minor changes may be made as we finalize plans, and that individual elements should still be considered flexible and somewhat tentative. We may make adjustments “on the fly” as the Jamboree progresses, based on how things are going. But we’re confident in saying that the start and end times for each day should not change at this point!

NOTE: Evansville is in the Central Time Zone, and is currently observing Daylight Saving Time. (Thus, “Evansville time” is the same as “Chicago time.”) All times below are Central Daylight Time.

• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

FRIDAY, JULY 18

4-6~ PM: Tropicana Conference Room*
Check-in for guests who registered in advance, and registration for guests who did not.

7-9~ PM: Ellis Park
Casual reception/mixer with food provided for all “Full Weekend” registrants. Cash bar will also be available.

• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

SATURDAY, JULY 19

8-9 AM: Tropicana Conference Room*
Check-in for guests who registered in advance, and registration for guests who did not. Coffee and bagels will be provided.

9-11:30 AM: Tropicana Conference Room*
Jamboree conference programming will begin with introductions. Topics of discussion will then include legal and financial matters, using the web and social media, fund-raising, and services provided to teams. IceMen personnel will join us to discuss the impact of booster club involvement.

(30-minute break for travel/etc.)

12-1:30 PM: Turoni’s Pizzery & Brewery
Lunch will be provided.

(30-minute break for travel/etc.)

2-4 PM: Tropicana Conference Room*
Jamboree conference programming continues with overflow discussions/topics from the morning session.

4-5 PM: Tropicana Conference Room*
Board members of booster clubs will conduct the annual ECHL Booster Club Council meeting, which is required by the league. All other Jamboree attendees will have the hour to themselves.

(1-hour break for buffet preparation)

6-9~ PM: Tropicana Conference Room*
Dinner buffet will be provided, followed by the evening’s entertainment. IceMen game night emcee (and booster club member) Stephen Rickard will conduct a brief auction, leading into the “main event” featuring IceMen Trainer Brian Patafie. IceMen fans know him and love him already, and we’re confident that others will soon follow suit. For those who don’t know him, Brian has spent decades working in hockey, from the NHL to the minor leagues to juniors. He is a published author, a man of faith, a husband and father, and the man behind the incredibly successful IceMen “No More Bullies” anti-bullying campaign. He’s also one of the most colorful characters you’ll ever meet, and a tremendously funny story-teller. Brian has a speech prepared for the Jamboree, and he will then sit down for an interview with IceMen play-by-play man “The Mouth of the IceMen” Derick Benigni. Derick and Brian will finish by taking questions from the audience, which is sure to be a good time. Brian Patafie is an unstoppable force when it comes to sharing his hilarious experiences in hockey, so there’s no telling when the evening will come to an end!

• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

SUNDAY, JULY 20

10-11~ AM: Tropicana Conference Room*
If necessary, we will finish off any overflow discussions from Saturday. We’ll then wrap things up and bid farewell!

• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

* – All “Tropicana Conference Room” portions of the event are in the “Las Vegas” and “Atlantic City” conference rooms in the Tropicana Hotel. These rooms are not part of the large complex of convention and banquet rooms in the Tropicana Conference Center. Our conference rooms are actually inside the primary hotel (not to be confused with Le Merigot), and have easy interior access to the parking garage, restaurants and casino itself. The “Las Vegas” and “Atlantic City” rooms are on the 2nd floor of the hotel. If you enter the facility from the 2nd floor of the parking garage, walk toward the casino pavilion but turn left just before the walk bridge that goes over Riverside Drive. Proceed down the corridor and you will see the conference rooms shortly after entering the hotel.