I promised to go to bed - and I always keep my promises! But I can't rest until I say a few words about the best CC>CC convention yet.

Wayne Thompson (convention chairman)and Belinda Hixon (asst. chairman)did a terrific job. This year saw many fewer problems once the show got underway, and that was clearly a result of extra planning, scheduling and problem-solving in advance. Every dealer I spoke with, and I tried to talk to everyone, said that the convention was highly successful for them. Thanks!

The convention facility itself was fantastic. Plenty of room and wide aisles. I personally prefer the Orleans as a convention headquarters, but that's due to a combination of factors. The Tropicana showroom was certainly first-class and well planned out.

Bruce Landau and his committee did another excellent job with the auction, Howard Herz's catalog was great, and Jim Kruse's efforts as auctioneer helped bring in more money for the club (and for consignors) once again.

The seminar programs were especially well-attended this year, and were some of the best we've had. Neal Silverman put together an excellent panel for the cyberchipping seminar. Dick Covington worked with me to create a Chipology 101 program that was especially well-received, and he put in many hours of work making sure that all the graphical slides were properly executed and accurate. Steve Passalacqua and Doug Saito, two of the hobby's true Masters, answered questions and gave the members the benefit of their experience along with me for the Ask the Masters seminar. My thanks to all seminar participants for furthering the Club's goal of educating its members and interested attendees.

I received several questions, so I'll announce here that Dick and I are working with Greg Susong to place a copy of the Chipology 101 seminar in graphic format on the Club's website so those who could not attend can still have the benefit of the seminar. That should happen fairly soon.

The Wednesday evening reception and trade session were well-attended as well. In fact, the number of people in attendance was astounding to me. A clear indication that our hobby is growing not only in terms of membership, but in terms of participation as well.

My thanks also to Chequers, Gene Trimble, Chris (Tiny Treasures) Colangelo, and Belinda Hixon for the outstanding awards and certificates they helped put together for the volunteers and award-winners this year. Those who make the convention come together through their hard work and dedication, especially at the convention itself where they work 10 hours a day while others are able to enjoy the show, cannot be thanked enough by the membership. Without them, our conventions wouldn't exist.

Finally, my personal gratitude to the Club for inducting me into the CC>CC Hall of Fame on Wednesday night. The crystal plaques which Dick Allard designed and has produced each year are stunning and mine will be a source of pride for many years. To be elected to the Hall of Fame with such distinguished company (Archie Black, Dale Seymour, Howard Herz, Bruce Landau, Janice O'Neal and also inducted this year, Allan Myers and Ernie Wheelden) is the highest honor this hobby can bestow.

The opportunity to see so many friends I only get to see once a year, is one of the major highlights of the convention for me. Those who passed away this past year, and who were missed by all of us, were honored with a sign at the convention entrance, and their memory lives on in those of us who knew and dealt with them.

I'm already looking forward to next year!

Michael