To keep this seperate from a possible long debate.

Windy City Show? Slowly I turned, step by step, inch by inch... if my car doesn't blow an engine again? I have a new 10 year old car.

Here's the problem, as it is now. There's a Quad Regional SCCA sports car race that weekend. But I can't miss the chip show, after I "discovered" how good it was last year.

I'm working on the "big plan" which usually means some sort of chaos and twisted scheduling.

1) Drive to IL and stay overnight near the show.
2) Be there when the doors open.
3) Fly through and see if there's anything I "need" (Sahara plaque for example?) buy, buy, buy until I'm broke.
4) Jump in the car and drive to the races in Rockford, in time for the race sessions in the afternoon.

Alternate plan "B" - Go to the races, get the equipment I'm usually responsible for, installed. (6:30 or 7 am Saturday) Leave for the chip show, miss qualifying, spend every cent I have and return to the track.

Plan "C" same as above, but Sunday.

I honestly found one, hard to find, Wisconsin chip I was missing, last year, please ignore the other couple hundred dollars of chips that I didn't really "need".

The location is great. Central to people from Wisconsin to Michigan and Indiana, plus Illinois of course.

There were dealers who don't even have internet accounts, some with almost every WI chip a collector could ask for. (I'm getting down to the more obscure old ones myself)

I'm bad with names, but the guy in the middle of the West side had a huge rubbermaid, (14 gallon?) bin of bargain chips. I bought about 60.

I traded some chips, sold some chips, and in the end, only had enough for gas and tolls on the way home. About ten quarts of oil a AAA tow home and running up the charge card later I was home.

My only complaint is that some dealers don't know the difference between WI, IL, IA, MN or MI. Also one had chips in flips, in shoe boxes, that were not ordered in any easy to understand way.

The part that was unexpected was the great selection and variety that was available. For a small show, there was everything from honest scarce chips to the Two Buck Bin.

I hope the dealers did well enough to return and that the show will grow. I've been to "really big" Mid-states coin shows that had less chips, cost more to get in and I had to pay for parking.

I can't go to Las Vegas for the Really Big Show, so this is the next best.

If you are someone who thought about going, but didn't, you will be surprised and pleased if you take the trip to the Windy City Show.