Message from the President September 2020
In the Apocalypse, a Miracle…
This column is being written at a weird time. The collection of Ray and Shirley Henry is about to sell at an auction in Millersburg that people will attend (and hopefully remain safe and socially distanced), nearly every single carnival glass convention this year has been cancelled and people are beginning to wonder when (if at all) there will be conventions next year. Additionally, ICGA is coming off its very dirst virtual convention that was fantastically marvelous, drawing a lot of people and glass and fun and made for a full week of great carnival glass memories. We had two auctions (and had fantastic previews and auction time with Jim and Jan Seeck). We had seminars galore, starting with the basics as described by Don Moore, then we had a FANTASTIC display room seminar starring a cast of characters as led by Carl and Eunice Booker and Steve Gregg (who showed some incredible equestrian themed carnival glass). We had a fun Carnival Glass Trivial Game led by Don and Barb Chamberlain (with cash prizes), and room displays, which showed some creative glass arrangements. We had our own singalong, and we had a show and tell session. We even had our annual business meeting.
But possibly more important than these wonderful things, we had three or four hours together each night, where we could see and hear each other, tell stories, laugh, have fun and be a community. Technology was a help, not a hindrance, and many of our members “of a certain age” very quickly learned how to Zoom together more than even their grandkids did. Each night, when we closed, watching 30 or more people say goodbye to each other, all smiling, all happy gave me the exact same feeling as being at a “real” convention. And during the weeklong convention, I got emails, texts and messages from so many people attendees, thanking me for the experience, saying we need to do this again and more often, and just conveying that they too felt as I did.
I believe it was Carl Booker who dirst said “we need to do this every month.” We asked everyone if they would like that and it was pretty much unanimous. And so, we are going to have a monthly Zoom that will have a seminar and time together so we can keep this wonderful bond we established through carnival glass and have nurtured throughout our membership in ICGA. Jim Seeck and David Kastor have already agreed to do seminars and even more are planned. So, if you would like to see your carnival friends and have a little fearlessness when it comes to technology, join us! Check out our Facebook page and our website, where we will post information on upcoming monthly sessions.
We miss all of you so very much, and this is one way to feel close again. It’s also a great way to share some glass and knowledge without having to stand in front of a big crowd. So, have you ever wanted to do a seminar but don’t like crowds? Then this is the chance for you. Let us know!
Alrighty, looking forward to seeing you guys online. Let’s bring our community back together!
Brian
