The Editors of newspapers usually selects the headline accompanying a story ... not the person submitting the news release (in this case, Sheldon Smith).

While the article is difficult to read because it is a camera photo and not a scan, the text in the second paragraph of the article reads as follows; "The club reported nearly 500 walk-in visitors despite the economy and entrance fees that were higher than previous years".

The misleading "500 Attend ...." headline refers to the number of club members and non-members who paid the daily admission fee on Thursday, Friday and Saturday. The "500 walk-ins" does not include the 400 pre-registered club members, nor does the 500 walk-in number quoted include the dealers who had tables and their assistants.

I believe there was something like 200 in attendance at the annual early-bird banquet held on Wednesday evening!