4 Years of derryX party location

Alright.

I was finally able to determine the location of our get together on June 14.

A couple of weeks ago, I put out the call to see where you wanted it to be. People gave a bunch of really good suggestions, and for the first time ever, people representing specific establishments reached out and chimed in with ideas of how their place could work.

That left me with ten ideas of where we should be holding this fiesta, which will obviously be an awesome time no matter where it is. I decided to have a little fun with the decision, mainly because I’m awful about making my mind up about things like this.

My idea was to use a wheel from The Game of Life as the deus ex machina. Each of the 10 spots on the wheel represented a different location, and I designated each with a piece of colored Post-It note. Since a Game of Life wheel is a perfectly engineered device, I made sure to keep it fair and unbiased by assuring that each Post-It (including ink) was the same mass (to the microgram) and that the center of mass of each was placed precisely in the same place on each slot on the wheel. This was a painstaking process, trust me.

I tested the wheel with a few throwaway spins, just to assure that there was no bias. After 30 spins, I realized that it was in perfect working order with no statistical prejudice. That’s when I fired up my VHS recorder and took a video of a spin. It took me a while to figure out how to transfer the video onto my computer, but once I did, I played around with some music and uploaded it to YouTube.

So we’re going to The Ruck (104 3rd St, Troy, NY). I’ve only eaten there once, and that was before Chef Rachel Mabb has taken control of the kitchen. I have been meaning to get back there one weekend to try out some of her inventive brunch specials.

Here’s an example that I saw on facebook a week or so back:

The location really fits all of my requirements, counter service, lots of space, good food. In the past I’ve had people with kids show up to this event, and they’re perfectly welcome at The Ruck, too. They have arguably the best wings in the area, and the wing burger is pretty tasty. Plus, there’s beer and brunch. I think I will have all of the above (don’t judge).

Of course, the party is going to continue at Snowman.

I haven’t really decided on what I’m doing for Fun Packs this year, if at all, but I have a couple of tricks in my bag that we’ll have some fun with.

So the event is June 14 at 12:05PM at The Ruck in Troy. I’ll be posting frequent updates on facebook, so join the event there to get the latest information! [If you’re not the facebook type, let me know if you’re coming so we save you a seat.]