Event (PICTURES ADDED) 11th Annual South Florida Gathering - December 2-4, 2022

Hey Everyone!
We've decided to host the 11th annual gathering the weekend of December 2-4, 2022 this year! The normal weekend in November that we usually booked has filled up.

The gathering will be at Highland Hammock State Park in Sebring, FL. Feel free to come, go and camp as much as you want. Our main day is Saturday the 3rd where we generally cook, eat, drink and play games all day! No planned meals on this day as we normally just cook and eat all day. Some people come the entire weekend and some just come for saturday. There are hotels that can be booked nearby as well.

We'll discuss having a friendly rib competition and other competitions that we've done in the past shortly. As always, check back to this post on Page 1 for updates, i'll be updating this post as details and campsites are booked.

If you book a site, please let us know where and i'll add that to here. If you look at the map on the booking site we generally around Site 80-83 and we'll have a gathering site where we set up tents for meals, games and much more

Attendees and Site
78 fxsales1959
79 Discus39
80 @floridasteve
81 dougmays
82 @orlandosmoking
83 @orlandosmoking
86 @orlandosmoking
87 @orlandosmoking
88 (Main Gathering Site) JckDanls 07
89 JckDanls 07

Activities
Snack Stick Making?
Cold Smoking Cheese?

Competition(s)
Friendly Rib Cook Off

• No KCBS or FBA judging, no categories...just "favorite rib".
• Judges might be internal (friends and family) or neighboring campers
• Any Pork or Beef Rib will do
• We'll set a turn-in time but we can be flexible

Cocktail Comp? We did this once in the past, just throwing the idea out there

Supplies needed

• Paper Plates
• Plasticware ( dougmays )
• Napkins and/or paper towels
• Vacuum sealers
• Vac seal bags
• ziplocks
• Firewood (for nightly bonfire)
• Extra Ice

 

[JckDanls 07]

Good to hear FX... The wife and I will also be there on Thurs. site 89...

This is all providing the park isn't tore up to bad from Ian... But then again there is plenty of time for them to get the park cleaned up...

I am so ready for vacation... Weather is finally cooling off and that's what gets me itching to go camping...

 

[carol506]

We may not be able to make the gathering this year as John has both colon and lung cancer. Funny thing he is perfectly fine as caught very early. Colon surgery the 17th of November therefore he may not be up to trip. Lung surgery 6 weeks after colon in St Pete.

 

[fltsfshr]

We got nailed by Ian. We'll try to make it for Saturday but time will tell. Be fun to meet some of you in person.

 

[pineywoods]

What decent hotels are in the area?

 

[SmokinAl]

What decent hotels are in the area?

Inn on the Lakes, Sebring. Great hotel & really great restaurant inside.

Inn On The Lakes | Sebring FL

Inn On The Lakes, Sebring, Florida. 2,395 likes · 12 talking about this · 10,721 were here. Welcome to the warm hospitality of Inn on the Lakes.

www.facebook.com

Al

 

[SmokinAl]

Gonna try to get there at least for Sat. afternoon.
Al

 

[pineywoods]

Inn on the Lakes, Sebring. Great hotel & really great restaurant inside.

Inn On The Lakes | Sebring FL

Inn On The Lakes, Sebring, Florida. 2,395 likes · 12 talking about this · 10,721 were here. Welcome to the warm hospitality of Inn on the Lakes.

www.facebook.com

Al

SmokinAl is that pretty close to the park where the Gathering is?

 

[SmokinAl]

pineywoods It’s right at the entrance of Highlands Hammock Park. So if you wanted to you could walk to the gathering! Well it may be a bit of a walk, about 1 mile.
Al

 

[pineywoods]

Thanks Al

 

[dougmays]

pineywoods and SmokinAl it'll be great to have both of you forum OG's!

We may not be able to make the gathering this year as John has both colon and lung cancer. Funny thing he is perfectly fine as caught very early. Colon surgery the 17th of November therefore he may not be up to trip. Lung surgery 6 weeks after colon in St Pete.

Carol - so sorry to hear about John but i'm glad they caught it early and getting him fixed up! Would love to have y'all again but totally understand if you cannot make it given the circumstances.

We got nailed by Ian. We'll try to make it for Saturday but time will tell. Be fun to meet some of you in person.

I hope you didnt have too much damage! Pictures and videos looked ugly down there!

SmokinAl - How did Sebring in general get affected by the storm? Any concerns about the park being opened for the gathering?

 

[JckDanls 07]

NO NO NO.. John.. Sorry to hear brother... Be strong my freind... I just beat prostate cancer (so far) ... They caught yours early so thats a big help.... Ill be prayin for you and Carol... Gooo PACKERS...

Jerry...
I can check with Van's wife Phyllis as they roomed it every year...

Al
You and Judy come and hang out with us again ... We're not that bad ...

We got nailed by Ian

I cant imagine and sorry you (or anybody) has to go through it... It's a good time to get away from reality for a day or two ...

 

[Discus39]

Ian was devastating. I live Inland 20 mies and was not personally affected but been working long hours doing clean up. Flooded houses and major destruction

 

[Discus39]

Flooded houses in bonita springs

 

[Discus39]

Houses missing on s ft mtyers Beach.

 

[Discus39]

Like a war zone

 

[Discus39]

This is Bad news for our area. We plan on still being there in December. Had to cancel a bbq event this weekend.

 

[Fueling Around]

Those images remind me of visiting Mexico Beach after Michael.

We may not be able to make the gathering this year as John has both colon and lung cancer. Funny thing he is perfectly fine as caught very early. Colon surgery the 17th of November therefore he may not be up to trip. Lung surgery 6 weeks after colon in St Pete.

Sorry to hear. Pray things go well

 

[fxsales1959]

Hey Everyone!
We've decided to host the 11th annual gathering the weekend of December 2-4, 2022 this year! The normal weekend in November that we usually booked has filled up.

The gathering will be at Highland Hammock State Park in Sebring, FL. Feel free to come, go and camp as much as you want. Our main day is Saturday the 3rd where we generally cook, eat, drink and play games all day! No planned meals on this day as we normally just cook and eat all day. Some people come the entire weekend and some just come for saturday. There are hotels that can be booked nearby as well.

We'll discuss having a friendly rib competition and other competitions that we've done in the past shortly. As always, check back to this post on Page 1 for updates, i'll be updating this post as details and campsites are booked.

If you book a site, please let us know where and i'll add that to here. If you look at the map on the booking site we generally around Site 80-83 and we'll have a gathering site where we set up tents for meals, games and much more

More details to come......

Looking forward to another great year

Hey Y'a;ll. sorry to add on & bother everybody. I've been buying meat like its the apocalypse. is there a loose schedule for this thing? We're driving up Thursday, hope to have camp set up by dark.(so no smoking) I hope to start smoking on Friday before the sun. Since most of my stuff is 12+ hours, not fixin on any big meal Friday night. Local meat shop had baby backs for $1.99 this week so i bought 8.
They're little bitty suckers, but good for whipping up a batch. I'm also planning a couple pans of burnt ends. will probably make on Friday and cover for Saturday.
So, sorry to be a busy bee, but my culinary side kicks in. We are in spot 78, so i don't know how close we'll be.
Any way, thanks for any pre-advice. We'll be toting up our MB560, a tabletop searing grill, and I don't know it yet, but I'm getting a small propane griddle for Christmas.
See yall then.

 

[dougmays]

Keith - Extend the invite to Phylis, she is still part of the family and we'd love to have her come.

 

[JckDanls 07]

Only 30 days to go... Its in our sites...

Keith - Extend the invite to Phylis, she is still part of the family and we'd love to have her come.

Doug... I have done that.. I talked to their son Brian (who has attended before) to see If he'd be interested and bring Phylis... He is to busy and wouldn't be able to...


Fx... The only thing scheduled (so to speak) is Ribs for Sat. night's friendly competition ...

I will be doing a Maple Bourbon Ham towards Fri. nights dinner...

Side dishes seems to be where we lack for the evening greasing's...

So nobody has mentioned anything about any extracurricular activities

Did we wanna do the less than $20 gift item (doesn't have to be smoking related) towards door prizes ??

A round of snack sticks/sausage .. ??

Add chicken competition ??

Do a round of beef jerky... I have the big Cabelas 8,10,12 tray (whatever it is) Dehydrator... ??

Any other ideas ??