After work Friday night (1 April), I got on the road to Hannibal, Missouri. After driving for nearly two hours, I checked into the Motel 6 there for a night stop. (Reservations were made earlier that week on Hotels.com.) Check in at Motel 6 was smooth and I settled in my room for a good night's sleep.
Early the next morning, I checked out and got on the road to Des Moines, Iowa. After a few brief stops for breakfast, fuel, and to stretch my legs, I arrived nearly four hours later at the Euclid Room of Hy-Vee on East Euclid Avenue in Des Moines. This room was the venue for Surgicon 26, the model contest and swap meet hosted by IPMS/Plastic Surgeons. I checked in my two contest models at registration, placed them in their respective contest categories, and began walking around the venue.
I admired the other models entered in the contest, purchased some raffle tickets, shopped among the vendors, and talked with fellow scale modelers I knew (at least via email). Besides representing IPMS/Gateway, I also went in my capacity as IPMS/USA Region 14 Coordinator. Touching base with several chapter contacts from this region and meeting people from these chapters really made this trip worthwhile.
This was my first time in Des Moines and at this show, which had not been held since 2019 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It looked like everyone there was having a good time.
For lunch, I walked over to the buffet section of the Hy-Vee supermarket and got a Chinese meal to go. I ate it in the Euclid Room as the contest judging began. It took over three hours for the judging to be completed, including for the special awards. I did win a few raffle prizes and bought three kits and a cockpit detail set from the vendors.
Additionally, I brought flyers for IPMS/Gateway's Invitational on 10 September and picked up flyers for upcoming shows in the region. Prior to the contest results being announced, I and others were invited to promote upcoming shows like that of IPMS/Gateway and the IPMS/USA National Convention in Omaha this July.
The contest drew 297 entries from 55 entrants. My two ship entries did not win any awards--the competition was too strong--but I wasn't worried about that. Being at the show was what mattered. After the announcements, I packed up my contest models and other gear, thanked the hosts, and got in my car for the drive home. I was tired, but happy to attend this show and see some terrific people.
Not counting stops for dinner and fuel, it was about 5 1/2 hours driving time between Des Moines and St. Louis. I was prepared to make a night stop along the way if I was too tired to drive, but it wasn't a problem and I got home safe and sound late last night. My trip to Surgicon and back covered 706.2 miles (1136.5 km).
Aside from helping my mom buy groceries this morning, I have been relaxing at home today. Back to work tomorrow morning.
Later.
Websites of Entities Mentioned in this Post:
Hotels.com: Hotels.com - Deals & Discounts for Hotel Reservations from Luxury Hotels to Budget Accommodations
IPMS/Plastic Surgeons: IPMS Plastic Surgeons (ipms-plasticsurgeons.com)
IPMS/Gateway: IPMS Gateway Chapter (google.com)
