Frequently Asked Questions About How to Enjoy the Conference

1. What time should I arrive to best enjoy the Conference?

The Day Program gates open at 7:00 a.m. The actual grounds of the Conference,

including the Amphitheater and Alumni Park used for the Evening Program and Highway

99 Cruise-n-Show are almost as large as Disneyland park. If you arrive early, you can

enjoy complimentary refreshments, Continental breakfast, Farmers Market treats, and

explore the grounds which include a tribute to the victims of 9/11 with one 10-foot

American flag displayed for each victim and good views from a 10-story Ferris Wheel.

Or you can let the kid in you come out as you hop on our All-American Carousel, listen

to the Bakersfield High School Chorale, visit the Art Pavilion showing the best of Kern

County art, have a complimentary McDonald’s McCafe specialty coffees while reading

the articles in your Syllabus, and hear Dick Rutan or Cathy Rigby whose presentations

will run simultaneously starting at 8:30 in our Celebrity Tents. You can also browse

the Stars and Stripes Arcade featuring books written by or about today’s speakers and

entertainers. You can check out the Sports Tent and Beer Garden to orient yourself with

the place to go see various sports events as they unveil during the day or check out the

Ice Cream Pavilion which will be hopping all day long. In other words, it’s good to come

early and get a good parking spot while orienting yourself to our 50-plus acre grounds

and get ready for a terrific day as the Main Tent program gets underway at 9:30 a.m.

If you are coming only for the Afternoon Program, you should arrive by at least 1:00 p.m.

in order to get from the designated parking are to the Conference grounds.

2. What should I wear?

California casual is the dress of the day. Wear comfortable shoes (no high heels or flip-

flops). The grounds are grass and have some elevations. You should consider layered

clothing so if it gets warm in the afternoon and nippy in the early morning or evening,

you are comfortable. Please check the weather the day before the event as this is an

outdoor, all-weather event. Consider sun screen, Chapstick, sunglasses and whatever you

would normally wear for a garden setting.

3. Where is the parking located?

See our parking map enclosed for directions to the day, afternoon, and evening parking.

4. Do I need money at the event?

Everything is complimentary including parking, refreshments and food. Money is only

necessary if you wish to purchase books or sundries in the Stars and Stripes Arcade

or you wish to purchase alcoholic beverages. We will have an ATM machine on the

grounds and there may be a limited amount of evening tickets still available the day of

the Conference.

5. What services do you provide for the disabled?

If you have physical limitations, you may park in disabled parking. We will have golf

carts available to help you get around the grounds, and we will have wheelchairs and

listening devices for your use. Just let one of our ushers know in advance so we may

accommodate you. We will also have medical doctors and nurses available in the

Bakersfield Family Medical Center Services Tent. And if you need a short break or nap,

we offer the Quiet Deal with cots for resting during the day. Just ask and we will assign

someone to help you enjoy the Conference all day.

6. Where will I be seated?

Your seating numbers have now been assigned, but exact locations cannot yet be

determined since the Fire Marshal must sign off on the seating as we build the tent

and lay out the chairs. Please don’t let your location in the Main Tent put a damper

on your day, and explain to your guests that locations are assigned based on a drawing

held last November (almost 6,000 were in the first drawing). Seat locations after the

drawing were assigned based on date of receipt of ticket purchase except for sponsor

seating and Golden Circle winners. We will have large video walls throughout the Main

Tent. (Our experience is that even those seated in the closest seats still watch the video

walls because they present the live speaker as bigger than life. ) Some folks have even

requested seating at the back of the Main Tent so it is easier to get in and out to the other

venues during the day. Remember, no matter where your seats are located in the Main

Tent, you may hear and see nationally recognized speakers in the two Celebrity Tents

who will speak simultaneously with the Main Tent speakers. Almost all Celebrity Tent

speakers would be keynote speakers at any other event. The Celebrity Tents and the

Borton Petrini Seminar Tent have first-come seating, so if you wish to see a speaker

in one of the Celebrity Tents, you will almost certainly be within 10-to-20 feet of the

speaker. The Celebrity Tent speakers will also do "Q and A" which we cannot do in the

Main Tent.

During the morning, you are free to sit at your assigned location or in the General

Admission seating, but after 1:00 p.m. our Afternoon General Admission folks will join

us and reserved seating guests should then remain in their reserved seats while in the

Main Tent.

7. How will I know when speakers are appearing in the Celebrity Tents or doing book

signings or meet-and-greets?

Throughout the day, the video screens in the Main Tent will have announcements that

will crawl across the bottom of the screens letting the audience know who is signing

books and who is doing meet-and-greets in the Stars and Stripes Arcade area, and will

also give notice of who will start speaking in the Celebrity Tents five minutes after the

current speaker in the Main Tent is finished.

8. What time do the gates for the Day Program close?

The main grounds gates close at 6:30 following our Surprise Guest. Those not staying

for the Evening Program will pass the Highway 99 Cruise Best of Show with over 100

cars just to the left of the main gate on the way to the parking lot. The car show area will

also feature Foster Campbell and Friends with Becky DeShields playing R & B and rock

music for your enjoyment.

9. How is the evening show different from those in past years?

This year’s evening show is a separate ticket, reserved seating event and will be held

adjacent to the main Conference grounds in the CSUB Amphitheater. In past years, the

evening program was part of the day program even though most folks left immediately

following the day program. In past years, the evening concert had no reserved seating

and no tables for the picnic dinner, and attendees had to scramble to get the best seats. It

was impossible to judge the amount of meals needed for those who may or may not stay.

This year with the separate ticket, we are assigning reserved seats. We will have video

screens and there will be a picnic dinner with tables and chairs in a garden setting. The

gate to the evening event will connect to part of the main grounds. Between 6:00 and

7:30 in the evening, you can enjoy a picnic dinner and take in the Highway 99 Cruise-n-

Show event and then sit back and enjoy the show or get out on the dance floor. The Art

Pavilion, Sports Tent, refreshment tents, and the 10-story Ferris Wheel will be operating

until close of the Evening Program.

The actual evening concert will start at 7:15 p.m. with the Winter Dance Party tribute to

Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, and the Big Bopper, followed by our patriotic fireworks

show. After the fireworks show, Bobby Vee and his band will entertain with many of

his 38 charted records of the ‘60s and ‘70s. Bobby will be followed by a Surprise Guest

Comedian who will have you in stitches. And then the legendary Ronnie Milsap will

perform many of his 40-plus hits from 1970 to date. You will see why he is a multi -

Performer of the Year winner. After you have heard him speak in the afternoon, you will

want to see him perform, and we will try to hold back a couple hundred seats for those

who show up and want tickets the day of the event, but we can’t guarantee there will be

any left. The Amphitheater at CSUB can only accommodate 3,000 reserved seats. The

concert will end at 10:00 p.m. and all Conference gates will be closed at 10:30 p.m.

10. How long is lunch?

Lunch is the only time the Main Tent breaks during the day, and all attendees will be

served in one-half hour or less. We allow one hour to get your food, visit the grounds

and socialize, and then we get started again in the Main Tent with our door prize drawing

and the comedy of the Capitol Steps.