Rendezvous - October 5-8, 2023

It’s time to announce our upcoming 44th Annual Mojave Road Rendezvous event in October!!! We have a stellar event on tap for you – so start making your plans to get yourselves to Goffs.

Rendezvous is a member-only gathering held once a year at Goffs. As always we have a packed schedule - a little bit of something for all lovers of the desert and history.

Laura Misajet our Director of Museum Operations & Public Outreach with others put together this tentative list of events: Educational Field Trips, talks and workshops, this High Desert Gold Diggers - gold panning demos, stamp mill demos, blacksmith - forge demos, raffle, door prize drawings, a silent auction, and meet the authors, Billy Creech will update us on mapping of the Pacific Coast Borax traction road. See below for the full, yet still tentative, schedule of events.

A few DETAILS for this year’s event:

Cost: MDHCA Members is $40 per person (no charge for children under 12). Registration includes 2 door prize tickets per person and our Saturday night BBQ. Children under 12 are free.
Membership: Rendezvous is an event for MDHCA members. You can become a member for only $50 per family. Sign up here!
Raffle: If you haven't mailed in the raffle stubs with your money, it isn't too late. Or you can bring them to Goffs when you sign in. You can purchase additional door prize and raffle tickets on site.

5 OCTOBER 2023 - THURSDAY

Early birds arrive and set up camp.

Educational Field Trip Inbound to Goffs – Meet at 12:00 noon at Bagdad Café.
Tour of Camp Cady, Newberry Springs CA. Leader: Debbie Miller Marschke and John
Burrill.

4:00 PM. Popcorn Social Hour at Flywheel Café for early arrivals - bring your own
extra snacks and drinks. Popcorn and butter provided.

6:00 PM – Mojave Phone Booth Dedication at the Mojave Phone Booth.

6 OCTOBER 2023 - FRIDAY

6:00 AM. Coffee available in Cookhouse.

7:30 AM. - 4:00 PM. Registration in the Schoolhouse.

7:30 AM - 4:00 PM. Silent Auction opens in Schoolhouse.

8:00 AM. Educational Field Trip: Granite Mountains. Tour Leader: Bill Inglehart. Meet at 8:00 AM in front of Schoolhouse.

8:00 AM. Educational Field Trip: Keystone Mine 4x4. Trip Leader: David Hess and Dave Burdick

Meet at 8:00 AM in front of Mojave Cross.

10:00 AM – 11:00 AM. Talk: Updates on the EMHT by Billy Creech. Location: Depot Reading Room.

11:15 AM – 12:00 PM. Talk: Mitchell Caverns by Andrew Fitzpatrick of the Providence State Park. Location: Depot Reading Room.

1:00 PM – 3:00 PM. Blacksmith Forge Demos at our Arioch M’Greene Forge by Blacksmith “Cookie” Jones.

1:00 PM – 2:00 PM. Talk: History of Mining in the East Mojave by Larry Vredenburgh. Location: Depot Reading Room.

2:30 PM. Stamp Mill Demos. Consult our Bulletin boards in the Flywheel Café for updates.

3:00 PM – 4:00 PM. Exhibit Hall Open.

3:30 PM – Tire Patching Workshop by Steve Marschke. Location: Ed’s Garage.

4:30 PM – 5:00 PM. Meet the Author. Location: Fly Wheel Café.

Stuart Palley is our 2023 Photographer-in-Residence
BOOKS WILL BE AVAILABLE FOR PURCHASE AND SIGNED BY THE AUTHOR.

5:00 PM. Happy Hour in Flywheel Café – followed by Potluck Dinner at 5:30 PM.

Bring a potluck dinner dish or hors d'oeuvres to share. Bring your own beverages.

7:00 PM. MDHCA 30th Anniversary Slide Show in Flywheel Café, during dessert.

7:30 PM. The Annual Awards & Recognitions Ceremony will be held in the Flywheel Café. Will include the introduction of Rendezvous Grand Marshals, Larry & Stephanie Vredenburgh.

8:30 PM. Update on the Mapping of the Historic Traction Road by Billy Creech.

9:30 PM. SILENT FILM w/ live piano accompaniment by Ryan Wishner. Location in Schoolhouse. Harold Lloyd’s1920 silent film An Eastern Westerner.

Campfire in evening if weather permits.

7 OCTOBER 2023 – SATURDAY

6:00 AM. Coffee available in Cookhouse.

7:30 AM. - 4:00 PM. Registration in the Schoolhouse.

8:00 AM. Educational Field Trip: Historic Ranches. Tour Leader: David Nichols.

Meet at 8:00 AM along Lanfair Road by Schoolhouse.

8:00 AM. Educational Field Trip: Vanderbilt town Site, Tour Leader: Bill Inglehart.

Meet at 8:00 AM in front of Schoolhouse.

8:00 AM. Educational Field Trip: Leiser Ray Mine Tour Leader- Deb or Steve Marschke.

Meet at 8:00 AM in front of Mojave Cross.

9:30 AM – 10:30. Irish Coffee Town Hall Meet and Greet with MDHCA President Billy Creech. Location: Flywheel Café

10:30 AM – 2:00 PM. Blacksmith Forge Demos at our Arioch M’Greene Forge by Blacksmith “Cookie” Jones.

Gold Panning courtesy of High Desert Gold Diggers will run throughout the day up near the Blacksmith Forge.

11:30 AM – 12:00 PM. Talk: Shootout at Government Holes & Rock Spring History by Dave Taylor. Location: Depot Reading Room.

1:00 PM – 2:00 PM. Talk: Curtis Springer and Zzyzx by Larry Vredenburgh. Location: Depot Reading Room.

2:30 PM. Running of the Gyratory Crusher & Stotts Stamp Mill. Millmen Training & Maintenance Sessions will be announced, consult our Bulletin Board in the Flywheel Café for updates.

2:30 PM – 3:30 PM. Exhibit Hall Open

4:00 PM. Raffle drawing begins in Flywheel Café. Winners Need NOT be present to win.

5:30 PM. Happy Hour & BBQ Dinner. Bill Slutter and team will prepare a BBQ for all. Bring your own beverages. Hosted by Grand Marshals Larry & Stephanie Vredenburgh. Location: Flywheel Café.

7:00 PM. Introduction to Mojave National Preserve and their Volunteer Program by new Media Ranger Dave Hursey and Volunteer Coordinator Alvis. They will have a table set up by the Route 66 House porch. Location: Flywheel Café.

7:15 PM. Guest Speaker: Simon Garcia: The Fort Mohave Tribe – Past & Present. Location: Flywheel Café.

7:45 PM. Keynote Speaker: Gregg Wilkerson: 69 Years in the California Deserts. Location: Flywheel Café.

9:00 PM. Schoolhouse open for last minute Silent Auction bids. Bring your after-dinner drinks and mingle while you place your final competitive bids. Remember this is a fundraiser so keep raising those bids.

9:30 PM. Silent Auction Closes. Last chance to place bids. Winners can claim and pay for their prizes Saturday evening until 9:45 PM or Sunday, beginning at 8:30 AM.

Campfire in evening if weather permits.

8 OCTOBER 2023 – SUNDAY

6:00 AM. Coffee available in Cookhouse.

8:00 AM – 9:30 AM. Stamp Mill Demo, Maintenance & Training. (Tentative)

8:30 AM – 4:00 PM. Schoolhouse and Gift Shop open to pick up Silent Auction items.

9:00 AM. Educational Field Trip Outbound from Goffs: Orange Blossom Mine Adventure.

Leader: Deb & Steve Marschke
Meet at 9:00 AM in front of Schoolhouse

10:00 AM – 11:00 AM. REPEAT Talk (tentative): Curtis Springer & Zzyzx by Larry Vredenburgh.

Location: Depot Reading Room.
Check bulletin board at Flywheel.

5:30 PM. Leftover Potluck dinner in Flywheel Cafe.

Our Address:

Mojave Desert Heritage & Cultural Association

Goffs Schoolhouse
37198 Lanfair Rd - G-15
Essex, California 92332
760-733-4482

COMMUNICATION AT GOFFS. MDHCA staff members carry FRS radios on channel 14-0. You
can use a radio to call out to anyone if you need help. If you need routine information or
assistance, ask for Laura Misajet, Bill Slutter or Andy Mets. Keep your communication short
and to the point so the channel is open for others. Remember, everyone with an FRS radio can
hear your conversation.

**ONSITE EMERGENCIES** Contact a member of the Rendezvous staff on FRS channel 14-0:
Laura Misajet (cell: 760-401-1475)
Bill Slutter (cell: 310-766-2450)
Andy Mets (cell: 928-581-2840)
AED equipment located inside Cookhouse near backdoor and inside metal Fire Building