Hi Ron, I think the outreach events attract people into the club and into observing for the first time. Some things that I think would help is to give someone who is new to the club the option of having a packet of say 3 or 4 different objects to share and a short handout that they can use for information about that object such as distance, type of object, brightness, etc the stuff that they might be asked about, to help them be more comfortable. Then have two or three people designated for answering more complex questions that the newbie can refer a guest to if the guest asks a more in depth question. It would be nice if the newbie then followed up also and learned that information of course. The other reason besides loss of interest in a new hobby and life getting in the way, is just that, life gets in the way. I know with my schedule I have had to make some decisions and I cannot attend the club meetings on Tuesday because of class. I need my higher ed in order to accomplish my career goals. That means I miss those. It also means that in terms of time, during the new moon time you won't see me at an outreach event or public star party, because I'm off somewhere doing my personal observing. I am committed to that and the program I have for not just completing the H400 (just need some Virgo galaxies) and the H400 II but the entire 2500 NGC catalog. During the summer as schedule and the family calendar works, I try to do one outreach event per month in June, July, August and September. That will be easier now that I am off in the summers starting this May. Then during the period from first quarter to waning gibbous I do my lunar and double star observing from the backyard. I am looking to start in February or March (depends on the weather) to do one night of outreach next to the Herriman Public Library as I have that set up now. For me, that is an extremely busy schedule when you combine the fact that I am now exercising to lose weight (doctor's orders), I'm a husband, a father of a 18 and 19 year old now, and I have some other responsibilities that I do not mention or the fact that I have my own homework and work preparation, or processing the sketches I create at the telescope, my observations and transferring them from my digital recorder to iTunes and the computer and preparing my observing list for that month. Now we'll mention the blog I try to keep up. Whew! I think if I showed a newbie that schedule above they would run for the hills! Sometimes we invite them to too much I think in our own excitement for the hobby. I do that from time to time. I'm starting to get to the point to where I'll share what I am doing and if others want to join in, great, if not, great. Another challenge I think we face in Utah is that for many people, they have families and in many ways this is not a family activity, it is an individual activity though sometimes family is in attendance. That makes it hard, hard on the observer or person running their scope as they worry what their kids are doing. It is hard on the spouse because they have to track the kids and keep them together and its hard on the kids, because they are just that, kids. Anyway, I just think there are logistical problems for people in the hobby with young families/kids at home. For them it just might be easier to stay at home, and take the scope out after the kids go to bed in the backyard with their updated version of Turn Left at Orion written for dobs. It is easy for me to leave my almost 19 and 18 year old at home. Heck, by new moon I want to get away for the night from them! Joking of course but it becomes easier as the kids become teenagers. I think this is one reason that many people drop out. I think that is why SLAS has the turn out at Wheeler Farm that it does. Close to home, and easy to be home by 11:00p.m. if your in the Salt Lake Valley. Last reason, is that I don't think that Neapolitan is for everyone. Some want to do outreach, some want to go visually observing at a dark site, some want to do imaging, some want to just learn some want . . . That is the problem. They may only want to do one thing related to the hobby. The club cannot be all things to everyone. Its up for the person to determine what they want out of the hobby and then to either go create it if it isn't there, or find out where to go or whom to go to in order to find out how to do whatever it is they want done. Not sure if that is what you are looking for but its just some random thoughts and their free so feel free to ignore and discard them! HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!