Here is that dredded topic of who gets to attend again, but I've noticed quite a few comments about the reunion have dealt with the number of collectors attending, or more accurately, the desire to keep the number of collectors attending down to a manageable size.

While I haven't been to either of the reunions, common sense tells me that too many attendees would make for a less personal setting, detracting from the "Family" atmosphere. How then to solve the problem of getting everyone who wants to attend the reunion, to the reunion, whithout making it an unenjoyable, unmanageable event, and doing it fairly? Not an easy task by any stretch of the imagination.

Past discussion dealt with opening the reunion up to everyone, or holding a lottery to see who goes. Both of those ideas were not well received. F.w.i.w., here is an idea that I haven't seen posted yet. That is sure to draw the ire of some collectors and past reunion attendees. That I don't necessarily endorse, and that is meant to provoke some new thought about how to deal with what some may or may not conceive to be a problem in deciding how to choose who goes to the reunion.

As Harbour Light Collectors, we talk about ourselves as being a "Family". In most families, not everyone gets what they want all of the time, and sometimes we have to share with other members. Look at Bill and Nancy giving up their room at the reunion because the hotel was overbooked, pure unselfishness. Do you see the direction I am heading with this?

Some members of this Harbour Lights "Family" have been to one or both reunions, while some have been to none. These collectors who haven't been given the chance to attend deserve to share in the feelings, share in the fun of attending the reunion. So how about next reunion, whenever that may be, let a "brother" or "sister" who hasn't been to a reunion attend instead. Is that fair? Maybe, maybe not.

As I said earlier, this is by no means the answer, nor that this is fair and equitable, but only an editorial to provoke thought. Thought about what a person who hasn't had a chance to "be a part of the "Collectors Family" reunion" might feel like.

-Todd [ sitting here on my soapbox, braced for the onslaught of replies, drinking a cold beer, and admiring my beautiful "family" of lighthouses in the curio].

P.S. It was a conspiricy by two collectors and a secondary dealer that made me write this!!!