Convention 2011 Ins & Outs

Some change in life is inevitable and CHAP and the CHAP Convention are undergoing several changes. Read carefully!

May 13-14, 2011
Pennsylvania Farm Show Complex
2300 North Cameron Street
Harrisburg, PA 17110
Exit 67 off Interstate 81

Convention Hours

Friday, 8:30 a.m. - Free Early Session
9:30 a.m. - 6:00 p.m. - Convention Open to Paid Registrants
6:30 - 8:00 p.m. - Free Evening Session (Exhibit Hall closed)
Saturday, 8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. - Convention Open to Paid Registrants

Registration Information

CHAP is going Green! Registration is going paperless this year in an effort to keep costs as low as possible (our Farm Show rental rates went up 18% since last year). If you do not have internet access at home, find a friend who does, or go to the public library where you can access the internet free of charge. You can register online, then pay by Visa, MasterCard, or personal check. If you choose Visa or MasterCard your registration will be finalized immediately. If you choose to mail a check after entering your online registration, the check must be postmarked within 2 days. Your registration will be finalized once your check is received.

Use one registration per household. Family members include parents and children in the same household and grandparents even if they are not living with you.

Fill in the name of your spouse even if they are not planning to attend the convention.

Be sure to include your email address and phone number so we can contact you if there is a problem.

You may register on or after April 1, 2011, at the walk-in registration rate.

The registration fee allows you to attend both Friday and Saturday.

There are no registration fee reductions for attending only one day.

Convention Fees:					Postmarked by 4/1/11	At the Door
Individual Base Fee First family member fee					$35	$39
Additional Base Fee Spouse, Children Age 3 and Over, Teens, Grandparents					$12 each	$14 each
Additional Costs
Teens Attending the Teen Track (parents are welcome to attend by paying the fee) The Teen Track is recommended for 12 years and above.					$10 each	$10 each
Children's Program (parents are welcome to attend by paying the fee)					$10 each	$10 each
The Truth Project Track - Saturday Only (Maximum two people per family)					$79 per family
CHAP Membership Fee: $25/year(optional)   (Includes CHAP Magazine subscription, discount for HSLDA, & $10 off convention registration)
CHAP Magazine subscription: $10/year (optional, included with CHAP Membership)

Confirmation

Your canceled check or online receipt will serve as your confirmation but you do not need to bring it with you. There will be no confirmation mailing and no bothersome name tags! Wristbands will be issued at the door to all paid registrants.

Refunds

CHAP must receive a refund request postmarked no later than May 1, 2011. You will then be refunded your registration fee less a $3 handling charge per family. No check will be issued under $5. Refund requests may take up to twelve weeks to process.

Send refund requests to:

CHAP Refund
231 North Chestnut Street
Palmyra, PA 17078

Farm Show Complex Information:

No food or drink may be brought into the Farm Show building by order of the Farm Show. You are welcome to go to your car to eat a sack lunch but please be above reproach and respect the rules of the facility. This is not CHAP's rule but the Farm Show's policy. The Farm Show has one ATM machine located outside the main entrance. Please consult your complex map for exact location denoted "$." The emergency phone number for the Farm Show Complex during the hours of the convention is 717-783-2815.

Parking

Parking is available on site for $8 per vehicle. If the main lot becomes full, overflow parking will be available off-site for $8 per vehicle in the parking lot at the corner of Elmerton Avenue and Sycamore Drive (watch for signs off I-81 and Cameron Street) and includes shuttle bus service to the Farm Show Complex. This parking fee is the Farm Show's policy and a requirement.

Parking Rebate

Check the Convention Program for the list of Vendors who are offering to rebate your parking fee when you purchase items at their booth during the convention.

Accomodations

This year for your convenience we have secured blocks of rooms at various local hotels that awarded us reduced rates. Please make all reservations through Hershey Harrisburg Regional Visitors Bureau, or by phone at 1-877-727-8573 (You must mention CHAP to obtain the reduced rate).

Lunch in the Cafeteria

Don't forget! The cafeteria is now in the Equine Barn.

Vendor Drawings

Several vendors do prize drawings at their booths. If you sign up for one of these, please be alert to the announcements. You will hear an announcement at some point during the convention, but only when there are no workshops in progress. Vendors set their own drawing time and bring a paper to the speaker booth with the name of their booth and the winner of the prize. The speaker booth volunteer will announce the winner as soon as it is possible.

Wristbands

If you lose your wristband there will be a $3 handling fee to replace it. Go to the Special Registration Area for assistance. Wristbands are nontransferable.

Children

The convention is designed for parents to examine and purchase curriculum and attend seminars and workshops for encouragement, inspiration, and education. Child care is not provided. Children must be supervised at all times by either a parent or another responsible adult. Since seminars and workshops are being recorded, we would like to provide quality recordings without extraneous sounds. Children may attend seminar sessions—with a parent—as long as they are quiet. We would suggest sitting on an aisle, near an exit, in order to leave quickly if the child becomes noisy.

Nursing Mothers' Room

Facilities will be available for nursing mothers, but baby-care products are not provided. Only very young children may accompany their mothers into the Nursing Mothers' Room, located in the Vendor Hall, near EH3. Please consult the Exhibit Hall map (png, 41k) for exact location.

Audio Recording

All of the sessions will be audio recorded. CDs may be purchased at the Convention Recording Booth at the convention or after the convention at www.CHAPonline.com. Personal audio and video recorders are prohibited.

Wheeled Vehicles

Strollers and small wheeled items for your shopping convenience are permitted.

Additional Convention Exit

Once you have your wristband on, you may use the Northwest doors, located near EH2, to exit the building directly to the parking lot. You may also re-enter at these doors if you have your wristband on.

Solicitation Prohibited

No solicitation or distribution of material, polling, or interviewing is permitted at the Pennsylvania Farm Show Complex indoors or in the parking area during the CHAP Homeschool Convention. Violators will be prosecuted and asked to leave the Convention.

HELP

Registration help: 717-838-0980

CHAP Magazine

The CHAP Magazine, formerly known as the CHAP Newsletter and formerly mailed to convention attendees, is undergoing a transformation to better minister to the homeschoolers of Pennsylvania. The CHAP Magazine will be mailed quarterly to homeschooling families across Pennsylvania who are members of CHAP. It contains encouragement and information on events and issues pertinent to home educators including articles of encouragement, academic items for sale, etc. Please see the CHAP membership information inside the front cover. If you do not receive an issue, please contact the CHAP office. Issues are mailed mid-summer, mid-fall, mid-winter, and mid-spring. Non-members may subscribe to the magazine for the yearly subscription rate of $10.

Visiting Legislators, Candidates, and Public Officials:

These public servants are invited to attend the CHAP Convention as our guests. CHAP does not endorse any candidates for office but instead uses their attendance at the CHAP Convention to acquaint them with home education as a successful, proven educational choice. Feel free to introduce yourselves to them and ask them questions! Candidates are not authorized to make the CHAP Convention a time for general solicitations or distributing campaign material. In the context of a personal conversation, they may hand out business cards or other small cards indicating where an interested person could obtain more information or campaign material.

CHAP
231 North Chestnut Street
Palmyra, PA 17078