Question on why should one join a local club????

I joined the local IPMS and a local aircraft club years ago after being asked to at local shop that is no longer around. (The best shop in Houston for plastic...those that know the Houston area knows the place I am talking about). Though the aricraft club stop meeting a couple years before the shop closed. There wasn't a fee to the aircraft club, all you had to do was meet at the meeting place and have fun. Never being apart of a modeling club before I really enjoyed the meetings. Getting together with other people that had the same interests was great. And everyone in the club seemed to be great, those that came every week never downed the work of anothers work. The one time I did see it, it was by two non-regulars and they were rebuffed by the builder because he had built his personal aircraft that he had flown while in the service and had logged hundreds of hours on. It was a bit funny at the time. I still talk those that were in the club from time to time at the different shows that we attend. Though I am not personal friends to any of them, we still say hello to each other when we see each other. Often they are the ones stopping me.

Anyway I miss that club! If the club started up again I would join in a heart beat and do all that I could to support it. I have never been to any of the IPMS meetings, their meeting schedule and my work schedule just can't match up. I still pay my dues every year even though I never have been to a meeting. Its my way of supporting the local chapter. I hope someday I will get to go to a meeting. Being able to talk to someone face to face and seeing letting people see your work and seeing other's work in person is different than doing it online.

Yep....think on that.

You might be a victim of geography.

....and grammar 

Like what all you have said and I have some new info to thinkg on now. As for due's that is ok with me. I not care about how much any more, just having to some shows and all that travel time. but if I can hook up with some guy or my be a club that like one of your clubs and do a car pool to say a NNL that would be cool. One of the clubs here in Louisiana told me to go with them to Bermingham Al Classic if I joined the club I thought "Woopy". (Here's the bad news, you have to get there on your own) I said "WHAT" NO car pool? I was told you need to be in the club for some time to get in on the car pool. I said even in I'm willing to pay for gass from time to time? they said yep! (I thought LOL I will go by my self) Like the army said be an Army of one I'll be a club of one.

But after reeding your words I will try some othere clubs not that one my be the one in Baton Rough. Thanks every one you all have give'in me some thing new the think about.

Having been a member of our local modeling club since 2002 and the President of said club from 2005 until this month, I'm a bit surprised by a few of the things you've mentioned in your question. I have personally never heard of any local club "dictating" to its membership about having to attend all meetings or mandating that you must attend certain model shows.

I can completely understand why a club may stipulate that in order to be "member" of the club, you must pay club dues. Our local club has a membership requirement of $20 per year. After all, even the VFW, AmVets, DNC, RNC, NRA, etc, all require monthly, annual, or lifetime dues for membership. Even the Boy Scouts or Girl Scouts require a monetary commitment on the part of the member for things like uniforms, supplies, etc, and they are not cheap. (Our dues are offset by a 10% discount on all sales, year-round, from the hobby shop where our club meets)

I can also see where a club may require a member must attend at least "X-number" of meetings throughout the year (Ours does not). This could be needed if the club has had a history of so-called members only attending the one meeting each year when elections are held. How can these individual justify their evaluation of incumbent or nominated officers when they have never actually seen these people from month-to-month.

All that said, if I ever saw a club rule which attempted to make model show attendance mandatory for its members, I would avoid it like the plague. That "rule" makes no sense whatsoever.

Now, as for "why" someone would choose to join a local club, there are a bunch of possible reasons. First, by joining the club, you are supporting the club (pretty simple). If no one chose to join, there wouldn't be a club to worry about. Second, it gives modelers the opportunity to get together and discuss modeling face-to-face. While the Internet provides for people to meet electronically, there's nothing quite like getting together with like-minded individuals and discussing the hobby we love. Third, while the internet is flooded with JPG images of models, seeing them either in-work or finished live and in person is much more revealling (IMHO).

There are also a number of intangible benefits depending on the size, location, and organization of a local club. Members may have exclusive access to a club newsletter. They may get discounts on model show entry fees. The clubs may run monthly or quarterly contests with prizes awarded only to club members. There might be club raffles for members only.

Is membership in a local club something for EVERY modeler? Probably not, but I'm certainly glad it is an available option. I personally think most local clubs are excellent grass-roots organizations and are of great benefit to many, many modelers.

Respectfully, 

Well, my club keeps things simple. You pay your dues, $15, and you're a member. You get our monthly newletter, either on-line or in hardcopy. You get to attend any of our events for free (though for the sake of fairness, everyone pays the same entry fee for models in the contest.) You get discounts at the LHS's. If you choose to join IPMS through the club, we pay $5 of your national dues. You get free mentoring which is far better than the kind of critique you get online. We do a "formal" annual swap meet, though any one may bring anything to get rid of at any meeting. We pay for an all you can eat pizza party once a year and our December meeting, like so many other events at that time of year, is a grab bag gift swap and pot luck goodie feast. We do not require attendance at meetings nor do we mandate attendence at shows, even our own, though we encourage that strongly to lightren the load. We do, however, arrange car pools to shows. We have subsidized members who've attended the the IPMS Nationals by paying their registration fees. But best of all are the friendships that have developed over the years we've been gettng together and the worst thing was mourning the several members who've passed on.

All that said, I kind of think you might not enjoy a club. Going into any organization with a big time What's-in-it-for-me attitude is a pretty sure sign that's not the place for you.

I joined a local IPMS chapter after being invited to attend a meeting by a member online here. At the first meeting I enjoyed the camaraderie and the broad spectrum of modelers present. I joined the chapter during the meeting. As for benefits, it is mainly a social gathering of people with a similar interest. There is a kit swap meet every meeting, you can buy or sell as you choose-no fees other than your monthly meeting dues. I enjoy seeing other members work and strive to improve my own builds. I have learned a few new techniques and have seen how others think "outside the box" and use materials from other sources to get  very nice results. Our local chapter has strong support from a few of the LHS (after all without customers, they are out of business). And once a month it is nice to put a face to names seen on here and kits on display at the LHS and chat with the builders.

It is also less expensive than a bar tab at some of my preferred watering holes on a Friday night when the club meets.

It sounds like you travel quite a bit, so find a club either near your home or someplace you travel to often and try it for a year to see if it suits you.