The folks at OLF put on a community focussed conference, similar to SCALE, every year in Ohio. If you are in the mid-west this December, I would recommend checking it out.
Ilan
PS I will be presenting there on behalf of Geek-PAC.org
What: Ohio Linux Fest Dates: October 10-11,2008 Location: Columbus, Ohio URL: http://www.OhioLinux.org
The sixth annual Ohio LinuxFest will be held on October 10-11, 2008 at the Greater Columbus Convention Center in downtown Columbus, Ohio. Hosting authoritative speakers and a large expo, the Ohio LinuxFest welcomes Free and Open Source Software professionals, enthusiasts, and anyone who wants to take part in the event. The Ohio LinuxFest is a free, grassroots conference for the Linux/Open Source Software/Free Software community that started in 2003 as a large inter-LUG meeting and has grown steadily since. It is a place for the community to gather and share information about Linux and Open Source Software. A large expo area adjacent to the conference rooms will feature exhibits from our sponsors as well as a large .org section from non-profit Open Source/Free Software projects.