i agree with you 100% kerry..
i've only had one person tell me there was too much talk and not enough teaching going on, so he left. Only after he ate three meals on my dime and stayed in our spare room for the night. ALL for free...........
yes it gets real expensive to host a meet. So the kitty is a real good idea. i think at least 30.00 a day should be put in.
Look at what some pay for classes from the big name shapers, and they just set in a class for a few hours.
I'm sure i can think of some more things. But ive been up way to long.