Great Job, Kat!

Great news! Kat, from CatHouse Chat has agreed to help organize next year's conference! Any more volunteers?

I "captured" Kat while she captured the conference.

If you have trouble reading her shirt, it says, "I'm blogging this!" And blog she did!

Again, great coverage, Kat!

Where's Rick Sincere When You Need Him? He's Alive And Well In Gretna.

I met Rick during my stealth visit to Sorensen (Waldo paid me back, in like manner this weekend). After the Sorensen conference in June Rick put together a great compilation of photographs and commentary on the conference.

Rick did not come to Martinsville. Or maybe he changed gender and moved to Gretna. Kat at Cathouse Chat has ably filled Rick's shoes for Virginia's most recent blogger's conference.

Seriously Rick, at least one Virginia blogger missed you in Martinsville.

A Big Thank You to Smith River Community Bank

The scattered reports that have come in so far on the conference have been overwhelmingly positive. While the people who put this together--primarily Alton, Anne, and Mary--deserve all the kudos coming their way, they were fortunate to have what might be the first ever direct corporate sponsor of a blog conference.

Smith River Community Bank sponsored the Blogs United in Martinsville for Free Speech Blog Conference. The sponsorship came with absolutely no strings attached.

It's hard to underestimate the good that community-based banks do in predominantly rural areas of Virginia. Smith River Community Bank obviously saw the blog conference as a wonderful way to showcase the area they serve to an audience that otherwise might not see the opportunities that abound in Southside.

Thanks to a forward-looking corporate citizen, this blog conference venue benefited the attendees and the host communities, Martinsville-Henry County.

The Morning After

Alton locked up the Firemen's Cabin at 12:30 (am) - capping off a super virgin voyage of the first annual Blogs United in Martinsville for free Speech conference. I understand that there were a few pockets of drama, but since they didn't involve me, I remained blissfully oblivious.

I'm looking forward to reading the blogs and hearing opinions from the participants. I'm grateful for their participation in this venture and hope that the friendships that were formed will endure upcoming elections. I'm also grateful for Motrin...

I'll navigate Flickr tomorrow (Waldo uses it - need I say more? - yes! His teeth look great - no need to take him to the new dental clinic after all) and hopefully upload the 90 pictures I took of the event. (There's still time to suck up!)

True to my nature, I tried to ask everyone at the Firemen's Cabin what suggestions they had for improving next year's conference. The responses so far (except for "midget porn" - I still have to Google that one) will be helpful in planning the next conference. Please leave your suggestions, reflections, regrets, etc. in the comment section below.

Thanks to all of the bloggers who made this possible. This was YOUR conference and YOU made it happen.

I'm going to bed now, oddly homesick for a place I spent 18 years escaping....