Having a Sociologist (Mark Austin) as the Rally Chair for 2011 has certainly added a distinct flair to the planned activities this year. Combined with the eccentric thought patterns of the two co-chairs, the rally team has incorporated a few new committees as well as revived some committees from the past.

One such committee is the Local Culture and History Committee, chaired by Sam Booth, brings many novel activities that are sure to pique your interest:

- The BMW MOA StoryLog: Oral histories, from Pioneers to young children, will be collected at the Rally. These will be archived in five different places, including the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C.

- The BMW MOA Time Capsule, to be unearthed when the youngest 2011 Camp GEARS member turns 50. Bring your own piece of history to add to the BMW MOA time in a bottle.

- Culture of Coal in Pennsylvania: An outdoor movie of "The Molly Maguire's"; discounted admittance to the Pioneer Tunnel Coal Mine and Museum. http://www.pioneertunnel.com

- Arriving Friday, July 22nd:Living History World War II Encampment Units to include motorized 4 and 2 wheeled vehicles and much more:

    - Polish Carpathian Independent Rifle Brigade at wwiipolishlhg.org

    - The Big Red One Reenactor unit  http://www.big-red-one.org

    - The German Alpine Troops and The 7^th German Parachute Regiment

- Gettysburg Guided Trip on Friday July 22^nd.

In addition to the above activities, BMW Motorrad will have a larger presence in the form of a German -themed party this year. This  function is not affiliated with the Rally but rally goers and the Bloomsburg community are invited. This is scheduled for Friday night.

By Sam Booth, Rally Chair for History and Culture

The World War Two encampment is growing into an event of some size and scope. We will now gave groups representing the Polish, American, Russian, and German armies there along with their encampment, historical displays motorized vehicles, and of course lots of military motorcycles of that period.

I want to state that all these groups are historians who are not political in any way, shape, or form in what they do. Like the Union and Confederate armies that many people around the country go to see, these WW2 reenactors do what they do because their passion lies in interpreting the past for the present as best they can. They are all friends and are not out to inflame passions. As such you will not be seeing any political handouts on communism and national socialism; or units like the SS among the German units - those groups are not welcomed by these folks.

The encampment will be located in the 100 acre field outside of the Fairgrounds. Riders can either walk, ride their bikes, or take a shuttle to the encampment located along the treeline.