A Guide (Of Sorts)
On Starting A Hash

Compiled by ZiPpY tC
Pikes Peak H4

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Date: Monday, September 30, 1996 23:31PM

From: RON RAMSING 

Subject: Info for new club in Iowa

Dropping a note to all those hashers that feel the need to help out a
begining club. We have a few hashers that have run before and would like to
continue. Any suggestions or comments would be helpful in the formation of
a new club. We have only eight runs under our belts and are looking to
increase our numbers and frequency of hashing. Please any help would be
great!!!!

On-On
"Chucking Sparrow"

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 Date: Tue, 01 Oct 96 07:47:00 +6

From: Bryant S MSgt ACC/INFF 

Start by giving away beer.

Long & Hard
Fort Eustis H3

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 Date: Tue, 1 Oct 1996 07:01:19 -0400 (EDT)

From: "ELAINE F. DAVIS" 

Move the hash out of Iowa. :-)

On-On
Swamp Bitch

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 Date: Thu, 3 Oct 1996 18:28:18 -0600

From: ZiPpY the Cyberpimp 

Jeeze, I still don't get it. People whine and bitch about the non-hash
content on this list and when a perfectly "appropriate" request for hash
assistance (above) comes along, it smokes a few comedians needing a
straight line from their lair, but unfortunately absolutely nothing helpful
has been offered. I think we're collectively capable of something more.

So why don't we discuss this matter of starting a hash and/or increasing
participation? Many of us have done one or the other and have insight on
what works and what doesn't. Even if you haven't done this before you just
might have some good ideas, and who knows, someday you might want to start
a hash. Accordingly, I'll start the ball rolling and encourage others to
follow-up on the thread.

STARTING A HASH:

o Advertise with flyers at the local gyms, YMCA, *unning shoe store, etc.

o Invite people from nearby hashes to the first hash. Nearby is relative,
the nearest hash to the East of my home hash (Pikes Peak) is Kansas City
(600 miles). To the South it's Santa Fe (300 miles). The Pikes Peak H4 had
a contingent which attended the first Albuqueerque hash (375 miles). The
point is don't limit where the invites are sent, you just might be
surprised at who shows up. Let Mr Spock, Flying Booger, Stray Dog (if
you're in the US) know it's going to happen far enough in advance to get a
free event listing in their publications.

o Establish a regular schedule (same day and time) so people know when to
expect a hash. Consider local culture when establishing the schedule, you
may want to avoid hashing on the Sabbath, or on football Saturday in
certain places.

o Have a phone number with a recording concerning details on the next hash.
Passing out flyers (sample descriptive text appended) at every hash
(including the first) with the same details also works, but is not a
substitute for the recording (you can change the recording if need be, but
can't do anything after the fact about a flyer).

INCREASING PARTICIPATION:

o Make the hash fun! Keep the trails to a reasonable length, not everyone
is a jock. Always pair a virgin hare with an experienced one (if
available).

o Make people want to return. Naming at the fifth or sixth hash, theme
hashes (Halloween costume, red dress, scavenger hunts, etc.), and campout
hashes all work to keep interest up. Appoint/elect a charismatic character
as the one who conducts hash business (down-downs). No matter what (s)he's
called, the GM, RA, Hash Mouth, or whatever, having someone who can run the
public show with wit, intelligence and most importantly humor, really helps
to make the hash fun.

o Keep advertising. Continue placing flyers around town, but best is word
of mouth. Assuming that people are having a good time, they'll tell their
friends. Have business cards printed (they're cheap) with the hash logo,
hareline recording number, and the motto "The Drinking Club With A Running
Problem". Give them to fellow hashers (to give to their friends) and for
everyone to give out on trail and in bars afterwards.

o Get listed in the Hash Directories. There are many regional and worldwide
listings of hashes. If you're not in the book, people relocating to your
area and visitors just passing through may not be able to find you.

o Let the local newspapers (mainstream, free, college/university, military)
know you exist. They just might want to do a story on the hash. In Colorado
Springs, the paper has a weekly "Out There Almanac". Our listing (under the
Running category) reads, "SATURDAYS, Hash House Harriers and Harriettes,
meets 2 p.m. every other Saturday to run or walk three-five miles. Called
'a drinking club with a running problem,' the group meets at different
starting points and ends at different drinking points. For information,
576-0331."

EXAMPLE FLYER DESCRIPTIVE TEXT:

PREMISE: One hasher (the Hare) lays a trail of flour and chalk over a
course (s)he chooses. We try to follow that trail to the end where we enjoy
beer (soft drinks for the health nuts) and munchies. We run 3-5 miles
through suburbs, woods, streams, malls, et al. This isn't a race, there are
no prizes to the swift. Following the trail is the challenge. Drinking beer
(or whatever) is the reward... and the cost is only $X.xx!

RUNNERS, JOGGERS, AND WALKERS WELCOME!

Ok, those are my thoughts. How about some others?

On-On!
ZiPpY tC
Pikes Peak H4

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 Date: Thu, 03 Oct 96 18:09:16 ...

From: Jim_Martin@bio-rad.com

Zippy,

For my taste, you might be suggesting advertising a bit much - to each his
own.

As far as constructive replies:

Definitely get on the net listings.

Definitely stay in touch with other local/nearby/somewhat far hashes.

Definitely make an event (basic weekend will suffice) and get other
regional interest

Good luck Ron, should I ever pass thru Iowa I'll try to hit your hash.
Don't hold your breath though

ON ON
Rumpled Foreskin
OCHHH

I am on fire

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 Date: Thu, 03 Oct 1996 19:33:41 -0600

From: Tinkerbell 

This is just an idea from my feeble mind. Wait for a rain storm, go to your
favorite bar and watch who *uns in. Get after that potential hasher and
give him local hash info. Sorry, this is the best that a Beer guzzling fool
could think of after ZippY's great points.

On-On
Tinkerbell
Pikes Peak H4

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 Date: Thu, 3 Oct 1996 21:34:34 -0400 (EDT)

Sender: PATRICIA SHIELDS 

RE: Helpful hints on starting a hash

In the beginning, rotate duties frequently so that no one person "owns" the
hash. If this happens it can be very obnoxious, and "rules" start forming,
preventing "traditions" from growing.

Keep it for fun, not for competition.

As ZiPpY said, make it the same time and same day of the week each time you
have one so that it can become a habit and people will know what to look
for.

Try to see that there is at least one sober person there so that everybody
can get an update on what happened at the previous hash.

For a new hash, scout out trails in advance ESPECIALLY in unfamiliar
territory, even if the trail is a live hare. You can get into logistical
and physical trouble if at least one person doesn't know where the pack is
headed (re: irate property owners who want to shoot hashers trapped against
the 10' electric fence around the marijuana field, etc.).

That's it for now.

On On,
-Teats de Swamp

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 Date: Thu, 3 Oct 1996 23:46:21, -0500

From: LPRQ92A@prodigy.com (MR RICHARD A FREAR)

> STARTING A HASH:

Zippy, one rule you forgot:

Never, ever invite Rumson. If you find out they are cuming, change the
location.

Rude Boy

 Date: Fri, 4 Oct 1996 00:03:03 -0500 (GMT-0500)

From: Larry Miller 

Well, gee, Zippy, cover pretty much everything and then ask us to add
more...Lessee (That wasn't an elipsis, Flying Booger, it was a longer pause
than a comma or single period)

As far as advertising, I've found that broadcast flyers are almost useless.
They almost never bring any new hashers in. Have other hashes had better
results with them? I've even gotten the flyers into race packets locally so
that every entrant got one. With 0 results.

Handing a flyer to selected people with a bit of evangelizing seems to work
quite well though.

We discouraged a lot of more casual hashers with some killer trails during
a phase when three of us were in an unspoken competition to lay the
nastiest trails. We can't get those people back. They're just too wary to
return. So definitely heed the advice to keep the trails reasonable and
make the hashes fun.

I've often wondered one thing about flyers...How many times do they get a
result and bring someone out but they got there early, found the place
deserted and left. Does anyone think it important to point out in the
flyer, that if it says 4:00pm, not to show up at 3:30 and expect to find
anyone?

On-On!

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A. Nuts
Hoosier H3

 Date: Fri, 4 Oct 1996 08:19:19 -0400 (EDT)

To: Larry Miller 

Naw, man, keep those nasty trails! Just inform the virgins and the
not-so-seasoned returnees that there is such a thing as short-cutting! One
look at a really nasty trail, Teats says "screw it!" and goes around. She
might make it to the end, she might not, but she doesn't get eaten by the
alligators either (although at the beginning of September she got 150+ deer
ticks imbedded in her tender skin by taking the short cut around the
swamp!) Que sera, sera....

-Teats

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 Date: Thu, 3 Oct 1996 22:06:03 -0800

From: Eddie Scott 

Having cum from Israel, where we hashed with as few as 5, to Orange County
(where 50 is nearer the norm), the only advice I would add to Zippy's is:
"Work with what you've got". The character of your hash will be defined by
who shows up - there might not be 100 people who want to run nekkid through
the woods in your area. If your local populace lends itself more to a 'PG'
hash then so be it.

Your total cost = 2cents
Pinky

OCHHH

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 Date: Fri, 04 Oct 1996 22:30:12 +1000

From: RossAnn@c031.aone.net.au (Ann & Ross)

Zippy has all great ideas on starting a hash - and, I had replied to
"Chucking Sparrow" at the time with SOMe of the same ideas, but forgot that
when I press "REPLY" it only goes to the sender, not the hash-L, so it
didn't appear. My mail thingy doesn't do the "On (date) (Some Idiot)
wrote:" thing either.....

Anyway, at Lakeside H3 we still advertise when the mood strikes us, and
almost always pick up someone - a hasher who'd not known " they had hashes
in australia", someone who'd just moved here from OS and didn't have the
contacts, a newbie, etc..... We handed out fliers at a women's race last
November and got one newbie - who's now on committee! We have found others
with fliers posted at gyms or office coffee rooms etc., too.

We had a few lean years with 2 or 3 per run, but kept on and now have
25-30....

My only additional suggestion is, get your new hashers to a hash weekend
away, or a special event by another hash, etc, as soon as possible!

best from

Barterbitch
Lakeside H3 - Melbourne Australia

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 Date: Fri, 4 Oct 1996 11:24:34 -0700 (PDT)

From: Paul Woodford 

Well, whining, bitching, and low comedy aside, ditto everything said by
ZiPpY & company on this subject. Some suggestions:

- For starters, you should consider telling people what town your hash is
in. Iowa may not be as large as, say, Texas, but a person could waste the
better part of a day wandering from grain silo to grain silo looking for
this kennel, based on the skimpy information given. "@uni.edu"--does that
make it Ames? Or is there more than one @uni in Iowa? If I knew where it
was I could add it to my directory.

- ZiPpy suggested business cards. We've been printing our own (which is
super-cheap), and adding a "redeem for one free beer at any meeting of the
Las Vegas H3" thing on the back. They're great fun to hand out, although no
one's claimed a beer so far. Then again, a visitor from New Zealand looked
us up a couple of weekends ago--he was passing through LA and someone there
gave him one of my old LVH3 cards--so cards do pay off.

- I agree with the person who questioned the efficacy of flyers. Does
anyone on this list know someone who started hashing because of a flyer? We
left flyers and cards at the local serious running store--they told us
they'd be happy to display them--we went back a week later and they were
gone. I guess if you were very patient and very energetic and kept posting
new flyers weekly, they might work. ...

- Hotlines are certainly useful. Some hashes list themselves in the local
phone book under "hash house harriers."

- The local newspaper can be a great help. Almost every paper has some sort
of "what's happening this weekend" column. Look up the editor of that
column and offer to fax in your monthly hash schedule. We do this
regularly, and the paper announces all our events (along with our hotline
#)--we've picked up several new hashers this way. This is also a good foot
in the door for getting someone from the paper to come out and do an
article on your hash.

- You can do the same thing with the military if there's a base in your
area. Military bases have their own newspapers, and they love to announce
community events. You can connect by calling the base and asking the
operator for the public affairs department. You'd be surprised how many Gis
have hashed overseas, but simply don't know that there are hashes in the
States, too. And adding GIs to your membership will bring a certain "joie
de trailer-parc vivre" to your events . . . just what every hash needs!

- Megaditto on submitting info on your hash to the different internet and
print directories. Las Vegas H3 is listed in all the directories and
traveling hashers drop in on us all the time. So list your hash (and don't
forget to include the town as well as the state)! If you need directory
addresses, write me directly and I'll send them to you.

- Show visiting hashers a good time, and they'll help spread the word about
your hash--I think this is one of the most important things you can do. The
MOST important thing, of course, is to show your own members a good time!

- If you want visitors for a major event, announcing it on Hash-L is very
effective. Hash-L may be only 400-some folks, but we're very good at
getting the word out to the huddled masses.

- I'm not sure if having a web page does anything for a hash or not--anyone
have any thoughts on this?

- Making up a banner or flag to display during down-downs will draw the
curious, and you might pick up some new members that wayS that is if you're
not doing the kind of down-downs you wouldn't want your mother to see. . .
and if you can keep visitors from kidnapping it!

- Showing up at running events works well for many hashes, both in terms of
recruitment and better community relations. We (Las Vegas H3) signed up to
help with the LV Marathon this February--we're going to hand out T-shirts
or something, and in turn, the marathon committee is giving us a booth and
table at registration, and wants us to put on a short "fun run" a couple of
days before the event.

- Along with that last suggestion, having and wearing hash T-shirts is good
advertising, too.

- Unless you're a male-only hash, make an effort to recruit women. IMHO&WA
(in my humble opinion & without apology), hashes + babes = fun; hashes -
babes = less fun. Getting a member of the local constabulary to join your
hash is also a good idea. But in order to do recruit you have to go out and
proselytize. If you're up for that, fine. Personally, I gave up
evangelizing for the hash a long time ago. My experience has been that most
people are afraid of running, and a surprising number of runners are afraid
of competition--and no matter what you TELL them about the hash, they HEAR
"running" and "competition," and they don't show up. Well, I prefer smaller
hashes, anyway.

Hope this helps. Now tell me what town your hash is in, damnit.

On On,
Flying Booger
Las Vegas

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 From: ALEOAF@aol.com

Date: Fri, 4 Oct 1996 15:19:16 -0400

An unsolicited tip on logistics.

Go to the county courthouse and get property maps to find out who owns what.

Ask before crossing property. I know most hashes don't do this, thinking
that it is better to run on somebody's land and get kicked off then to ask,
be told no, then run on it anyway and get arrested.

But you're in Iowa. Having been there, I know that most farmers will let
you cross their fields as long as you don't fuck with the crops. Just make
sure nobody fucks with the crops. That way, the next time you ask for
permission to cross someone's land, you can offer up Farmer No. 1 as a
reference. Also, we had a lot of luck with local folks offering up cool
hunting and fishing trails that we never would have found if we hadn't
asked. If this seems like a lot of trouble, tough. Iowa may have a lot of
land, but it's still a small-town state. And the cops will be waiting for
you if you screw someone over. Besides, that just ain't cool.

Where is this new hash, anyway?

On-on,
Oar-A-Face
Dallas/Fort Worth
(former Iowa H3 GM)

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 Date: Fri, 4 Oct 1996 23:49:25, -0500

From: LPRQ92A@prodigy.com (MR RICHARD A FREAR)

When I ran in Bahrain, (its in the Persian Gulf), they had a "RULE", never
ever run on cultivation. Go around. Even today, I will not tread on
cultivation even if the hare is a stupid ignorant fuc* who set his/her
trail across a farmers field of berry's.

Rude Boy

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Poster Boy for Sept.

 Date: Fri, 4 Oct 1996 15:03:12, -0500

From: LPRQ92A@prodigy.com (MR RICHARD A FREAR)

On a serious note,

- Tee shirts do work. I was at a pro baseball game, and someone sitting up
a few rows, saw my shirt. He had hashed overseas.....

Rude Boy

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 Date: Fri, 4 Oct 1996 13:53:22 -0700 (PDT)

From: Paul Woodford 

And so do cars. People who've hashed in other places see my on-on foot
decals and vanity plates and pull me over to find out about the hash here.
My truck plates say SWNG LO and my scooter plates say ON ON . . . if cops
and civilians see me in my truck and think I'm a preacher, that's fine by
me. . . dunno what they think when I'm on the bike, though . . . but better
ONON than I M DUI.

On On,
Flying Booger
Las Vegas

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 Date: Fri, 4 Oct 1996 17:26:57 -0500

From: sheilamh3@usinternet.com (John Scheeler)

Chucking Sparrow: Where in Iowa is this club? There are two clubs in Iowa
already, one in Mason City and one in Ames. A good way to increase your
numbers would be to invite them. I have the contacts should you need them.

Avertise your club in local bars, and anywhere you can put up a
poster/flyer about it. Local papers that post running schedules will also
post your run dates and locations.

Another way is to post your club with Flying Booger & Stray Dog for
inclusion in there listing of clubs. Most clubs watch these web pages
religiously for new clubs and runs of interest.

Let me know where your club is located, I always like to hash in Iowa.

ON ON
Sheila

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 Date: Sat, 05 Oct 1996 17:50:35 +1000

From: RossAnn@c031.aone.net.au (Ann & Ross)

RE Flying Booger's comments -

RE Fliers,

Besides the girl we got who is now hashcash, I remembered 2 other
successful cases: (1) a bloke who'd only hashed once or twice, overseas,
saw a flier in a workplace lunchroom and is now a regular; and, when I
first hashed (with Pittsburgh) I was living in NYC, but no one in P'bgh had
any contacts for NTC hashes - I finally found them via a Flier posted at
NYroadrunnersClub.

RE- I'm not sure if having a web page does anything for a hash or
not--anyone have any thoughts on this?

Yes, we get a lot of calls and e-mails from people who got the info from
our web page - 2 or 3 a month at present, which seems like a relative lot
anyway!

RE: Along with that last suggestion, having and wearing hash T-shirts is
good advertising, too.

Yes, and if you seend me one of Your hash's tee shirts I promise to wear it!!

onon,
Barterbitch
of
Barterbitch & Highly Infectious
Lakeside H3 - Melbourne Australia
see our web page at http://www.goalmaker.com/lakeside
and the Aussie homepage at http://www.hhh.asn.au

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 Date: 05 Oct 96 14:10:19 EDT

From: "Holly A. Heath" <103415.2540@CompuServe.COM>

Another way to recruit hashers is to let people know that walking is
acceptable at hashes. If I hadn't found out that hashing wasn't all
runners, I never would have become a hasher.

On-On

CPA
Albuquerque H3

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POSTSCRIPT

 Date: Fri, 4 Oct 1996 14:27:30 -0600

From: ZiPpY the Cyberpimp 

Since both Flying Booger and Oar-A-Face asked where this new Iowa hash was
located, I'll answer (tell me if I'm wrong Chucking Sparrow). The answer
(based on Chucking Sparrow's eMail address uni.edu = University of Northern
Iowa) is Cedar Falls/Waterloo, Iowa.

On-On!
ZiPpY tC

So many answers, so few questions.

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 Date: Mon, 07 Oct 1996 10:29:18 -0500 (CDT)

From: RON RAMSING 

BINGO - Cedar Falls is the answer. We had our rebirth run on Saturday and
had 19 people show up. Thanks for your suggestions. After crossing three
creeks, bean and corn fields, the pack was jazzed. CFH3 - Frequent Flyers -
are in action.

on on
Cold & Hard