Around 4:45 am Saturday morning (29 April), I left home to drive to Springfield, Missouri for MOSS CON. This is the annual scale modeling show presented by IPMS/Missouri Ozarks Scale Specialists. It was the first MOSS CON since 2019, due to the pandemic.
On the way, I stopped in Eureka to pick up my friend Rick Reinbott, who also wanted to go to MOSS CON. Together, we made the trip to Springfield in about three hours. In fact, we were a bit early to the show site, The Arc of the Ozarks, so I drove us to a convenience store a few blocks away to get some refreshment before arriving at the venue just after 8:30 am, when it opened to the public.
I registered my three models in the contest (having written out the entry forms at home earlier in the week), paid my entry fee, and placed my entries on the contest tables. After doing so, I bought some raffle tickets, said hello to fellow scale modelers there, and browsed among the vendors there.
Five other IPMS/Gateway members--Marion Morris, Dave Roeder, Randy Kleeschulte, Bill Wagner, and Dave Thomas--came down for the show, along with several (including Reinbott) from Mark Twain Model Club and other clubs--mostly from Missouri.
I did win a couple of kits in the raffle, though I traded one of them to Morris for two kits he bought from vendors. I bought a few more kits from the vendors at this show. More kits for my enlarging kit stash.
For lunch, I joined Morris, Wagner, and Thomas at Jose Loco's, a Mexican restaurant near The Arc of the Ozarks. The food and atmosphere were terrific, and it was a nice respite from the show. Not long after returning to the show site, it was time for contest judging I volunteered to help judge in Automotive, since I didn't have any entries there. Fellow Gateway member Bill Wagner and one of the MOSS members joined my crew as we judged entries in six subcategories. It was quite involved with having to determine the three top places in each subcategory, but after about 90 minutes of work, the job was done.
One of Reinbott's daughters came to the show and Rick introduced her to me. She seemed to enjoy coming to this event.
Just after 3:00 pm, the contest results were announced. MOSS CON drew 41 entrants who brought in 221 models--an increase of 68 models over the previous show in 2019. The raffle gave away 120 kits. Each of the six Gateway members present won at least one contest award. That included yours truly, whose A6M2 Zero took Third Place in Aircraft: 1/48 Propeller, All Eras. I was happy to be honored.
After packing my items and saying my goodbyes, Reinbott and I headed for dinner in town. We stopped by the Dillard's store in Battlefield Mall to meet his other daughter, who was working in women's wear there. After spending a few minutes with her, Reinbott and I headed to Applebee's a few short blocks away. There, we met my friend from high school and church, Cathy (Chappell) Fox and her husband, Allan. They live in the Springfield area, and we had not met since their wedding in Mehlville in the mid-1980s.
The four of us had a wonderful conversation, as Cathy and I brought each other up to date on our lives. The food was delicious, and we had such a wonderful time together.
After dinner, Rick and I got back in my car to go home. There was a stop in Rolla for fuel and to stretch out a bit before returning to the shopping center parking lot in Eureka to drop Rick off before I arrived home around 11:00 pm. I traveled 439 miles (706.5 km) on this trip.
The next morning, I drove to First Watch in St. Ann for brunch with Julie. It had been a while since we met due to our busy schedules, but it was an enjoyable time as always for us. That afternoon, I was at the United STL Sports Complex refereeing under-14 girls' soccer matches. The games went well despite winds that gusted at least 35 mph (56.3 kmh) at times.
Later.
Websites of Entiries Mentioned in this Post:
IPMS/Missouri Ozarks Scale Specialists: ** IPMS M.O.S.S. Missouri Ozarks Scale Specialists ** (ipmsmoss.com)
The Arc of the Ozarks: The Arc of the Ozarks: Serving People with Disabilities in Missouri
IPMS/Gateway: IPMS Gateway Chapter (google.com)
Jose Loco's: Jose Locos Restaurant - Best Food | Delivery | Menu | Coupons (restaurantwebx.com)
Dillard's: Dillard's-The Style of Your Life: Official Site of Dillards
Applebee's: Applebee's Neighborhood Grill + Bar - Your Local Restaurant (applebees.com)
First Watch: First Watch | Daytime Cafe Serving Breakfast & Brunch Near You
United STL Soccer Academy: United STL Academy FC
