2003 Events List Expected in Early February

During the month of January, Harbour Lights is setting up with dealers to determine which ones will be holding in-store events and which ones will be supporting the Regional Events.

Look for a list to be posted for each in early February on the web site.

Harbour Lights will NOT be attending the Rosemont International Collectibles Exposition this year for the first time in 10 years.

The size of the show has been shrinking the past few years and the number of dealers attending and collectors attending has also shrunk.

Harbour Lights is planning instead to focus on meeting collectors at the Regional Events and at more Lighthouse events during 2003.

WACKOs who've gathered at Rosemont for the last few years should plan to gather instead at a particular Regional or Lighthouse event. Harbour Lights is aware of the WACKO gathering and it's importance to our group of on-line collectors.

Maybe the Midwest regional can be moved around now... like in Indy, Louisville, Nashville, Cincinnati, Columbus and St Louis and the like...

No Wacko Reunion at Rosemont? Darn. That's one I'll really miss.

This makes me truly unhappy...
Ruthie

I was at the ''North Georgia Beacon Brigade'' meeting tonight and Nancy was there. She told us that this years first Regional will be in April in Jacksonville, FL.

Stephanie

It looks like Florida is getting a lot of attention this new year with several new Florida HL's and the first regional of the year.

I wonder if the regional meetings will be of the same format this year?

Bob

I am disappointed about Harbour lights not participating in the Rosemont International Collectibles Exposition. We just got a new Mini-van and I told the wife and Kids that we are going to the collectable show for this summer vacation. Then tour the great lake lights. We have gone to the collectible show in Atlanta and loved it, even the kids. Ever since that we wanted to make it a yearly thing. But it never was held in Atlanta again. So this year I was determined to go even if I had to travel the 1200-mile trip.

However; I do think that it is a better idea that H.L. focus more on the Regional. Us Southern were very lucky to participate in the first regional in Atlanta.
That was more of how Regionals should be. No offence Harbour Lights, but your Southern Regionals have gone done hill. For those of you that couldn’t make the First Regional. It was from 12:00 to 6:00 with Hundreds of lighthouse giveaways. (Not LLM or GLOW but LE) This was where the rare California Coquille AP was given away.
The whole gang was there Bill, Nancy, Kim, Harry and others. They also displayed many of the early lights from THE VAULT. They served us a fantastic lunch and Bill and Kim got on the stage and kept us entertained. I feel that Kim and Harry need to be at the Regionals. They made it more fun.

If Regionals were more like the First Atlanta Regional, Harbour Lights participation in The International Collectibles Exposition wouldn’t be necessary.

Improvements that I would like to see made to the Regionals

1. Kim and Harry need to be at the Regionals
2. Lunch or even dinner: Most collectors travel hundreds of miles to these regionals. A lunch waiting would make it a lot easier and more enjoyable.
3. Longer Hours and more to do.
4. Exhibited the early Harbour Lights.
5. Two days like the Collector shows
6. More like min- reunions

Daniel,

You're expectations seem to be somewhat unrealistic for a free event. To do what you want HL to do would cost them as much as it would to go to a trade show, and you want them to do it for each regional? How much are you willing to pay per person to attend the regional event?

The regional events were designed essentially as a super-sized signing event, to allow collectors to visit with Bill while he was also cutting back on his travel schedule.

This year the four regional events all followed a similar pattern, with lighthouse groups and representatives invited to set up tables and share information with collectors. Remember that Bill's desire is to advocate preservation and involvement in preservation efforts. The format used this year provided a good setting for that type of interaction. 3 of the 4 regionals did provide food for participants. All provided a nice variety of give aways.

Major issue with providing food: how many to plan for. As collectors, we have been very, very bad about RSVPing to HL so they had an approximate head count to plan for. At the CA event they had more sandwich than could have ever been eaten by the group present. Last year (2001) at Navy Pier, a bunch of extra folks showed up for an expensive sit down dinner, causing some serious last minute scrambling to find room for everyone.

Only Bill attended the NJ and CA regionals. Both Bill & Nancy were at the FL event. Pretty much the entire family was at the Chicago event since it was the same weekend as the collectibles show.

Unfortunately, having the Chicago event in the middle of the ICE made for a very hectic day for all the HL staff. I do believe Bill and Nancy enjoy the opportunity to visit with collectors around the country. I also feel it is important that Kim and Esther and Harry also attend some of the events so they get a feeling for what is happening in the collector's world.

In this time of decreased sales (and thus decreased income) I would offer the following suggestions for HL:

• Do more regional events, allowing more collectors to attend them.

• Keep the format as used this year when possible. If they were to do a regional away from the coast it would be difficult to get lighthouse groups represented, but clubs could be represented and I am sure other information could be provided.

• The Florida event was the longest this year, at 4 hours. The others were generally around 3 hours. I think I would keep the time at about 4 hours max.

• The give-aways this year were fine. I would rather see them invest money in adding a regional or two.

• I would like to see a little more thought put into where the events are held. Not just what city, but also the size of the facility. Two of the events this year strained the capacity of the venue. Two of them were in kind of east nowhere (imo). Generally the facilities were nice, but parking was an issue as was size of the rooms.

Probably the largest of the regional events was the Chicago one. Why? Not just because of the ICE the same weekend. As connected collectors, we made the regional event into the centerpiece of a fun weekend. We planned other events to encourage people to attend; we pretty much turned the weekend into a mini-reunion. We had people from all over the country join with us to make for a great, fun filled, all-around weekend.

I think I have been on the soap box long enough for the time being, so I will step down for a bit.

Dave

"Wackos who gathered at Rosemont for the last few years should plan to gather instead at a particular Regional or Lighthouse event".

With this being mentioned;

Plan a mini-summer reunion in the Mackinaw City/Mackinac Island, Michigan area. Stay on the mainland and/or the island during this time. Hire SHEPLER'S for lighthouse tours on Lake Huron.
(St. Helena, Round Island, Old Mackinac Point, White Shoal, etc. lighthouses to view).

Horse-drawn carriage rides, bike riding, eating fudge, the Grand Hotel, and other sights of the island! Superb views of Round Island! (No cars allowed on the island)!

Mackinac Bridge! A five mile stretch!

Mackinaw City: a tourist haven of gift shops! Walk up to Old Mackinac Point lighthouse.

There is so much to do and see and time for all to be together!

After the Door County trip last summer, we asked each other, "How can we top this"?

Any suggestions???

No. Just the Florida Event would be Sufficient.
The North had mini-reunions for years with the Collectors Exposition. The Rosemont and the one in New Jersey.
Now give the deep south their turn.

The south had its turn when the show was in Atlanta. HL did not make the event in Chicago a mini-reunion, WE DID - the collectors did. You want an event similar to what we did in Chicago the past several years, organize it. Set up lighthousing opportunities for people. Organize a central hotel and make a deal for reduced price for the attendees. Put together a dinner gathering for the group so they can get to know each other. That is what we did at Chicago (again, not HL).

Want to really have fun? Organize a 2 or 3 day lighthousing trip and invite folks to join with you. Someone flying in? Offer them a ride with one of your group. We did this pre-Chicago and had 25 or so fine folks enjoy a lighthousing trip up the Wisconsin coast to Door County.

Don't know which NJ gathering you are referring to - the one this year or the one several years ago when the colectors show east was there and HL had a picnic at Navesink. We did have a gathering at NJ this year. Guess what? WE set it up and arranged to meet for dinner. One of our NJ folks (Dennis) arranged a restaurant and suggested a hotel we all used. HL didn't do it, COLLECTORS did.

As a matter of fact, at both the NJ and Chicago events the HL staff ended up staying at the hotel set up by the collectors. We must do OK work.

Notice the theme here? The collectors set up the special activities. You want the same to happen in Florida? You have until April to get it pulled together. HL doesn't have to hand us everythng on a silver platter.

IMNSHO,

Dave

Very well put Dave. I agree with what you stated in your remarks. Keep the Flame Hal

Calm down Dave.

Read again what I asked for. (I added edited clarifications) A Florida regional that would be more like the first Atlanta Regional.

Improvements that I would like (not expect) to see made to the Regionals
(Not all improvements listed below are the responsibility of Harbour Lights)

1. Kim and Harry at the Regionals (Harbour lights)
2. Lunch or even dinner: (Harbour Lights)
3. Longer Hours and more to do. (Harbour lights and Collectors)
4. Exhibited the early Harbour Lights. (Harbour lights and Maybe some collectors)
5. Two days like the Collector shows (I really don’t expect this one)
6. More like min- reunions (This is not the responsibility of Harbour Lights but the Collectors)

All that I meant is that for years Rosemont, New Jersey and California had Collectors shows for two days. I would like (not expect) to see something like that in Florida in a regional.
I don’t expect Harbour lights to organize a mini reunion by your definition. Clubs would have to pitch in for this.
What I was originally calling a Mini Reunion was the Collectors Shows.
Yes all the extras would be the clubs and collectors responsibility.

Imho, I would prefer that Harbour Lights keep the Regionals simple. They offer a place to meet and Bill if willing continue to attend and sign. Any lighthouse touring could be set up by the local clubs.

If you make the regional events so special you are canibalizing the Reunions. I personally like the Reunions to be spread out and held all over the country, I really don't care where as long as they continue not to repeat locations (San Diego being the only exception, for me). It takes lots of planning and budgeting on Harbour Lignts and the collectors behalf. Keep these regionals simple and allow the Harbour Lights staff more time to plan and budget for the Reunion, imho.

Gee, We were just getting started on our planning for Rosemont too . Well, I guess we'll have to find something else to do . We just got back from a Florida trip so another one won't be until next year. I do like the idea of Cincy or Louisville, or even Indy , but there aren't much in the way of lighthouses in any of those cities. Macinack was a cool idea but a lot of lead time would be needed for accomodations. Things in that area are booked quite a ways in advance I hear . Oh well, guess we'll just have to wait and see.

I like Mary's idea of organizing a mini-reunion type weekend during the summer in the Mackinaw City & Island area. Would be alot of things to do and see. I think it would be great fun. Dan

Great news
It sounds like the first Regional event will be in my neck of the woods, Jacksonville .

I'm just as happy as a pig in slop. The St. Augustine Lighthouse Festival on Mar. 15th and a regional in Jacksonville during April. It is about time that Northern Florida got some of the action instead of Orland and South Florida. I guess I'll start lining up the lighthouses for signing.

Rich

St Augustine Signing event

http://www.staugustinelighthouse.com/calendar/index.html#41

Mary,

We would love to get together at Mackinaw for a mini-reunion (since it doesn't look like the "big show" will ever be there). Just make it later in the summer so I have time to save money after Vegas in May.

Mackinaw City - YES, YES, YES. We like that idea Mary.

Rosemont, last year was our first event and we had set aside that date in our planning for this summer. Had a wonderful time meeting all the wacko's and would love to attend a similar event.

Roger and AK

Hey Digger, Then again you may break the bank in Vegas and want to do the get together sooner, haa

Mary
Maybe the mini-summer reunion in the Mackinaw City/Mackinac Island could be combined with the great lake regional. At least have it right after the reginal so us southerns can make one big circle and go to both. Maybe Bill and Nancy could go too.