All's cool on the DDFan front. : )
I eventually got the straight answer that I wasn't welcome, & I'm cool with that. It was the BSing that got my back up.
I don't see that any of you guys would be in that position, so I'd encourage you to ring/mail Admin to confirm that the session that you're interested in attending are open (some aren't), rather than barge in & be disappointed. It's a great opportunity to see what goes on behind the scenes & get a first hand insight into the rigours of practice sessions.
On a personal note, very interested in who Camel 31 is. I made a point of doing what I could to make all visitors welcome & can still name most of them (there weren't that many). Maybe you went early in the season on a non-DD Thursday or Friday?