MoCool 2012: The Details
TIME!
August 18, 2012, from 2 PM until...
PLACE!
Our home for over a decade, under the big tent at Jan and Tom's lakeside camp near Dexter, Michigan, 10 minutes west of Ann Arbor. Directions go out about a week before the picnic to everyone who's signed up.
THEME!
Ever notice how many of the old world's top wine regions begin with the letter B? We've picked four of them for MoCool 2012 -- Barolo, Bordeaux, Brunello, and Burgundy. And to that, we're adding "Bubbles" -- you know what that means! Put them together, and you've got the SUPER-BBBBBs!
FOOD!
Once again, Chef Alan Kerr heads up the MoCoolinary team. He's promised to inundate us with a non-stop array of wine-friendly foods that include prodigious quantities of hot and cold running appetizers from the opening bell, with the main course served sometime around 6PM, followed by the extraordinary confections of MoCool's longtime pastry chef, Tom Denk. Lots of vegetarian-friendly dishes on the menu, too.
If you're a MoCool newbie, you'll quickly discover that the food alone makes the MoCool picnic more than worth the trip!
BEDS!OPTION #1: SORRY -- CABINS ARE FILLED UP! BUT SEE OPTION #2, BELOW. Turn your MoCool into a weekend on the lake! The lake compound that's home to MoCool has a number of recently rehabbed one and two bedroom rustic cabins that have become a favorite crash pad. Come a day early, then get up and take a swim the morning after! Great for both out-of-towners and locals who don't want to deal with driving home after the picnic. Only a limited number of beds are available, at $55 per person, per night -- and they always fill up early. If you're interested, please contact Tom Noland, our Cabin Czzzzzzar.
OPTION #2: We've reserved a block of rooms at the Best Western Inn in Whitmore Lake, ten minutes north of Ann Arbor on US23 and 20 minutes from the Saturday picnic. It's a longtime favorite of many MoCoolers. Phone 734.449.2058, and use the code "MoCool" to get our special room rate.
DUDS!
We're doing an all-cotton t-shirt with the SUPER-BBBBBs MoCool logo at the absurdly low price of $20. But you need to order yours from the signup website by July 30, so we can get them printed in time.
We've also replicated some classic MoCool logo designs from past years for shirts and a few other items. So if you're still kicking yourself for not getting that "Tour de France" shirt when you had the chance, or you spilled Syrah all over "Pinot Envy" -- well, your time has come again! Items cost a little more here, because they're made up individually to order and shipped directly to you. Go to the MoCool Shop.
COST!
The picnic costs $60 plus your contribution of at least one Super-B bottle to share with the group.
SIGN UP FOR MoCool!
Click over to the MoCool signup site (signup4mocool.com) to let us know you're coming, if other folks are joining you, and if you'd like a t-shirt. You can use your credit card or PayPal, which we prefer, to pay when you sign up. Alternatively, you can send a check to the address listed in your confirmation email.
As a favor, we ask that you please register ASAP. This greatly helps us plan the food and other logistics. The last day for signup is Monday, August 13.
Fair warning: We can't give refunds to folks who cancel after August 13, or simply don't show up. We can't give any refunds for the cabins, unless someone else takes the space. MoCool is a breakeven proposition at best, which doesn't leave room for changes once we set budgets and quantities and start to buy the food and supplies.
VOLUNTEERS NEEDED!
As always, we need volunteers to help with setup on Saturday morning, cleanup on Sunday morning, and a couple of local folks to run various purchase and pickup errands in the days preceding the picnic. Volunteer kitchen assistants for Chef Alan during the day on Friday or Saturday morning are also welcome! If you can help with any of these, please contact Julia B.
GETTING HERE & AWAY:
The Ann Arbor/Detroit area is five hours or less driving time from Toronto, Chicago, Cleveland, Cincinnati, and Indianapolis, and five hours or less flying time from anywhere in North America. The nearest major airport is Detroit Metro (DTW), which is halfway between Ann Arbor and Detroit; it's a Delta hub. You can sometimes find bargain flights to Detroit on Southwest or Spirit, or from the southeast to either Detroit or Flint (FNT) on AirTran.
If you're coming from elsewhere and plan to arrive early or stay late, please let us know! There are often informal gatherings and pre-parties that take place over the weekend, and we'd hate for out-of-town friends to go thirsty.
WHAT EXACTLY IS MoCOOL?
MoCool -- the Motown Co-Operative Off-Line -- is the world's longest-running off-line gathering of wired wine lovers, started in 1992 by a group in the Detroit / Ann Arbor area. Over the years, our annual August tastings have brought together wine lovers from across the US and Canada, and as far away as France and South Africa.
The event is non-profit, run by a loosely organized group of volunteers for the purpose of enjoying good wines, good food, and socializing with fellow wine lovers. If you've read this far and that idea sounds pretty good to you, then you're probably one of us!
MORE QUESTIONS?
Go to the Contact page to email the appropriate person.
