Those with a periodic table of elements handy will understand what I mean when I say the vicissitudes of fortune and the constellations of coincidence were truly smiling Saturday night on people whose last name begins with Au. Whoa! Never in our our six years of collecting has anything more surprising and fantastic happened to us. Earlier in the evening I won a door prize of the Point Betsie LE, so yes, with a slightly red (but happy) face I don't think its an understatement to declare this as quite a haul!

The Chicago Regional was a blast. Lotsa Wackos on hand to share in the festivities. In the afternoon we all attended Bill's seminar where he presented Jakers with the winning 'Collector's Choice' model - a beautiful Sherwood Point AP. Nana won a fantastic USLHS trip. Lots of LE's given out.

This was a rare 'Kim-free' Bill talk - so he was on the loose! During his talk Bill revealed some news that may be of interest - we haven't heard the last of BoB. Planet Fresnel News Wire followed up on this hint and has learned that a certain tidbit of information about DNA testing has not yet come to public light. Stay tuned. Bill talked about Winstanley and the building of the Eddystone light. We learned that Mo gets a $500 bonus everytime Bill fires her! And be careful if you've got a cake out when Bill's around - he may swipe the frosting with his finger!

Of course the collectors show was also a highlight as we got to see all of the new models. Recalling comments from the crowd as they passed by - the pieces drawing the most oohs and ahhs were the Long Beach re-construction model, Sherwood Point, Bremerhaven and Cedar Keys. The Anchor Bay Coast Guard cutter with its orange Zodiac onboard is quite splendid as it drives through roiling water.

The Regional included lots of fun games (darts, bean bag tic-tac-toe, and a ring toss) where collectors could win great HL prizes. Kim Fuller (Mr. Ring Toss) won something like 327 Little Lights - just kidding, but it was alot! Of course Bill was in true form with his signing pen. Two clubs were on hand - the nascent Hoosier Harbour Lights Club and the Harbour Lights Collectors Club - Great Lakes District. Each was raising money through the sale of raffle tickets for neat prizes (a Digger drawing and an Eagle Bluff AP for example.) There was a real nice exhibit by Boy Scout Troop 4(?) from Ann Arbor Michigan explaining their work to restore the St. Helena lighthouse (pronounced 'St. Helene - silent 'a').

Eventually we found the chow line. A tasty spread compliments of Harbour Lights. After dinner while we were enjoying cake and coffee (cake by the way which Bill invited anyone to take a swipe out of) the awards ceremony and prize drawings began. We heard a talk from Mr. Wise about the scout troop restoring St. Helena and also heard from two of the Scouts who worked on this project as part of getting their Eagle. It was really great to learn of the interest, dedication, and hard work these Scouts brought to bear in doing lighthouse preservation - they received a well-deserved standing ovation from the crowd. Bill presented each with a St. Helena LE and made a fat donation to help continue the restoration project. The money collected from the prize games was donated to continuing the restoration of the Pottawatomie Lighthouse adopted by the Great Lakes club as their project. (A lighthouse in Door County, which by the way has more lighthouses packed along its shores than the entire state of Idaho.)

Lots of great HL models handed out as door prize drawings. Ken Reese won a beautiful Digger pencil drawing of Michigan City as part of the Hoosier club's raffle. Forum Wackos were of course well represented as gold and pewter Cape St. George pieces also went to Marko and Randy Kremer. (Kinda heavy little model - Mark is using his in the FSB laboratory as a door stop.)

Afterwards we all made it back to Club Quarters where we sat in the bar and had a real-world chat. For me, this was a splendid conclusion to an amazing day. The fellowship and comaraderie we share is really what makes this hobby so enjoyable. It was great to associate faces with forum names and lots of new friends were made. Wackos from all around the country gathered together, laughing and joking and telling tales and doing what we do best - talking lighthouses. This was one of the very best HL events I've ever attended!

Gleaming from the FogSignal Building,
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/im

[This message has been edited by JTimothyA (edited 06-18-2001).]