These are our most frequently asked questions and the answers to them,
reposted from our forums at www.wrockstock.com/forum
Q. When is the next Wrockstock?
A. November 6-9th, 2009. Visit www.wrockstock.com to register and learn how to reserve a room at Trout Lodge.
Q. What do I need to have to attend Wrockstock?A. An open heart and mind, along with a Wrockstock Pass and your name listed on a reservation at Trout Lodge.
Q. What are your age limits? Can I bring my kids?A. Wrockstock is a family event, we welcome wrock fans of all ages! We have many families returning that were at Wrockstock 2007 & 2008, as well as Trout Lodge being 100% dedicated to family-style fun.
We ask that attendees 15 years of age and younger be accompanied by a family member while at Wrockstock.
Those 16 & 17 year olds who wish to attend may do so as long as they are staying in the same room with a chaperone who is 18 years of age or older who is willing to take responsibility for them. We will only allow 2 underage people per chaperone.
Q. How do I get registered for Wrockstock?A. Passes are for sale on our website.
You will need to take the following steps to register:
1. Make sure you have, or are listed as part of, a reservation for the weekend at Trout Lodge. You can do this by calling the reservations hotline, requesting your room type, giving the names and ages of everyone staying in that room and then pre-paying for the first night on a major credit card. This will guarantee your room 100%.
2. Go to our registration pages on our website to register and purchase your ticket, known as your Wrockstock Pass.
3. You will also be able to purchase a ticket for the busses we are chartering to take you back and forth from the airport and also sign up for and pay for any extra activities once you have purchased your Wrockstock Pass.
Q. Why do we have to stay at Trout Lodge?A. Primarily, it is to keep the group together, but also there is no other hotel or other lodging for 20 miles. Trout Lodge is a huge facility out in the Mark Twain National Forest, about 75 miles from St. Louis.
Wrockstock activites run very late and we don't want anyone to "accidentally" spend the night if they're not a registered guest of Trout Lodge. It's not fair to others who've paid for the right to stay there overnight, as well as shorting Trout Lodge the cost of an overnight guest. Also, we don't want anyone driving strange roads late at night or run the risk of someone drinking and driving.
Q. If Trout Lodge is so remote, is it safe for me and my family in case of emergency?A. Incredibly so. There are more than adequate emergency services just minutes away, and every Trout Lodge staff member is trained in CPR and emergency response. There is also a doctor or nurse practicioner on duty 24 hours a day.
Q. Why are the rooms so expensive?A. Well they're really not, when you take into account that your room cost includes all your meals, plus over the 40 fun summer-camp style activities that Trout Lodge offers. The average cost per person goes down a bit when you fill the rooms or cabins to capacity. Those on a budget may wish to find roommates also looking to save money in the Lodging section of our forums.
Q. I'm not from St Louis... how should I get there? A. Well, you may drive if you wish. We recommend NOT using GPS devices to locate the Lodge as it is technically not at the address listed on the website. The directions on our site and the Trout Lodge site are the best course of action.
If you choose to fly, you will want to fly to Lambert St Louis International. We offer "Knight Bus" service for an additional fee. You may also rent a car at the airport if you wish.
Those riding the bus can arrive in St Louis at the bus depot at the airport and then catch the Knight Bus to Trout Lodge.
Those taking the train should ride the train to STL station, where you can then catch the Metrolink to the airport, then catch the Knight bus to the Lodge.
Check our forums for more info about the Knight Bus and to buy your tickets.
Q. I'm in a wizard rock band and we want to play at Wrockstock, what do we need to do?A. Just be patient, I'm afraid. The bands that play the main stage at Wrockstock do on an invite-only basis to ensure the fans get to see their absolute favorites.
We intend on rotating bands in and out of the roster to keep things fresh and to make room for up and coming bands, so your time may come at a future Wrockstock.
You may also consider playing in the Wampum Willow. See our website under "activities" for more info.
Q. Where does the money I paid for my ticket go?A. Most of the money collected does go to help pay the costs of putting on such an event. We don't have any corporate sponsors, so we must pay for everything ourselves. Whatever we have left after we pay the bills goes to an as-yet-to-be-determined charity.
Q. I'm 16 and my parents say I can go without them, why do I need a chaperone?A. To protect us legally in case you got hurt or in trouble of some kind. Whether we like it or not, anyone under 18 is legally considered a child in this country and we have to take steps to protect ourselves from lawsuits.
Also.. chaperones must be rooming with those they are supervising. That goes for parents and otherwise.
Everyone under 18 must be in the same room as their chaperone.
Q. Why only two underage people per chaperone?A. Honestly... because we don't want a room full of underage people with only an 18 year old buddy of thiers to keep an eye on them. There is alcohol allowed at Wrockstock, as well as other situations that may arise that a young person could possibly (and illegally) complicate their life with, so we felt this was the best solution. The person acting as chaperone will be the one to take any legal or parental heat for the actions of their young charges, not Wrockstock, Trout Lodge or the staff members of either.
Q. Even after all your explainations, this seems really costly to me. Why do you keep advertising it as inexpensive?A. We understand that not everyone has the kind of money to spend on this kind of stuff as they'd like.
We feel that compared to any other event of it's kind, Wrockstock is VERY affordable for most folks.
On average, an adult Wrockstocker will pay about $350 for the entire weekend, that's for your ticket and room, which includes 3 meals a day. Compare that to the average of $800 that it costs to attend one of the academic conferences, and tack on food costs for 4-5 days in a major city and you're up to about $1000 minimum.
Granted, that still doesn't count your travel expenses and merchandise purchases, but still.
Q. Why do you have it in Missouri? That's nowhere near me! You should do it in CA, NY, FLA, (insert other state/city here)A. In case you didn't know, Missouri is smack dab in the middle of the country, so in reality, we were being pretty smart when we chose the location. As well as St Louis having a very good airport that has flights to and from almost every other city in the country, with multiple airlines to choose from without being a confusing nightmare.
Also, many of us who are part of the Wrockstock Staff live in St Louis, so it makes it very easy for us to work with the Lodge, the bus companies, the airport itself. Imagine us trying to give you directions to someplace we've never been either...
Q. This all sounds like some hippy-dippy love fest with a bunch of nerds... why would I want to attend other than just to see the Wizard Rock band I like?A. You don't, and we don't want you to. Enjoy Ozzfest and the frat parties, us nerds will be out in the woods holding hands and forming lifelong friendships.
Q. Why didn't you invite [Insert band name here]??!? I LURVE them!! A. How do you know we didn't? Sometimes bands have other obligations, and on occasion... you may be one of very few people who actually like that band... we invite bands that we know everyone loves or that we are pretty darn sure that people will love... plus we just can't have every band out there play.
We even polled our attendees to help determine who plays this year. Democracy, baby!
Q. I'm a vegetarian/vegan/celiac sufferer/extremely picky eater. What food options will there be for me?A. Well, Trout Lodge serves all meals buffet style so you can pick and choose from what they are offering at that meal. They always have a salad or fruit bar at each meal, along with a meatless entree. Last year, we also had them set up the buffet so it was VERY vegan/vegetarian friendly and safe for celiac sufferers and they even put out gluten free vegan soups for lunch and dinner. We plan to ask them to do that again this year.
Q. My dad/mom/boyfriend/sister/cousin/Uncle Carl is coming along because I'm not allowed to go on my own, but they have NO interest in Harry Potter or Wizard Rock.
Do they still have to buy a Pass and what else is there for them to do?A. No, but they will not be allowed into any of the following areas: Room of Rockquirement, Craft Alley, the Wampum Willow or the Movie Dungeon without a Wrockstock Pass. They may enjoy the facilities and activities that Trout Lodge offers to all their registered guests and will still be eating with the rest of us, too.