2024 IPMS/USA National Convention (3)

After getting a few hours of sleep at Baymont Inn & Suites in Janesville, I was up early on Saturday morning (20 July). I then drove into Madison, parked in a downtown garage, and walked over to the Monona Terrace Community and Convention Center. This was the final day of the 2024 IPMS/USA National Convention.

Arriving at Monona Terrace, I walked along Lake Monona for a few minutes before entering the facility. It was a pleasant morning and there were a few walkers, runners, and fishermen out along the lake.

Then, I went inside the facility to attend the annual IPMS/USA Business Meeting at the Convention. The executive board (e-board) members spoke in turn, summarizing the past year for their respective areas of responsibility and outlining their plans for the year ahead. A few questions and comments were taken at the end of their talk.

After the e-board spoke, there was a presentation by Tom Jett, Chairman of the 2025 IPMS/USA National Convention in Hampton, Virigina on 6-9 August. He mentioned the venue, planned activities, and rates. 

This was followed by the sole bid presentation for the 2026 National Convention. It was for Fort Wayne, Indiana, with John Figueroa--IPMS/USA Director of Local Chapters and 2026 Convention Chairman--presenting the bid. This would be held on 4-8 August 2026 and would be hosted by 11 chapters in IPMS/USA Region 4. Figueroa went over the venues, planned activities, hotels, and attractions. The e-board would meet after this presentation in closed session to consider this bid.

After the meetings, I was out checking out the contest entries and the vendors one more time. The Best of Class awards were already set out by their respective entries. I got a text from a friend saying I won a prize from Sprue Brothers Models, so I headed to their stand in the Vendor Room, where I found I won a t-shirt. I was happy to receive this prize.

I also did a bit more shopping, including some decals and a few books from various vendors. Additionally, I chatted with the hosts of the podcast Plastic Model Mojo, who at the time I met them was chatting with my friend Matt Hoeckelman of Modeling with the Matts. A great convergence, in my opinion.

In the mid-afternoon, I took in a seminar on restoring United States Navy aircraft that crashed into Lake Michigan during World War II. These aircraft were lost on training missions during the conflict. The seminar took the form of a YouTube video from Military Aviation Museum, which told of the salvage efforts so far (at the time the video was made). Approximately 40 aircraft were recovered by the video host's group, while some 60 to 70 aircraft remain in the lake. 

Late that afternoon, I went onto the roof of Monona Terrace for a short happy hour before the Convention banquet was held there. The outdoor banquet was a first for a National Convention. I didn't have a banquet ticket--I don't believe in shelling out extra money for this event--so I walked a few blocks northwest of the venue to The Rigby, a bar and restaurant. There, I had a sandwich with chips and a beer. Interesting place, but it suited me just fine.

After dinner, I walked back to Monona Terrace for attend a watch party for the awards ceremony at Monona Terrace's Exhibition Hall. The ceremony itself was held at the Lecture Hall. The ceremony began at 7:32 p.m. with Chairman Jeff Herne thanking everyone for attending and his Convention staff for their hard work.

2025 National Convention Chairman Tom Jett then spoke, inviting everyone to Hampton next year. IPMS/USA President Phil Peterson then formally revealed Fort Wayne as the 2026 Convention host. He then announced the first two recipients of IPMS/USA's Ralph Forehand Scholarship and honored Mark and Eileen Persichetti for their 30 years' work with the Contest (Mark as Head Judge, Eileen heading the entry tallies). IPMS/USA Journal Editor Chris Bucholtz saluted his predecessor John Keck, who recently retired from that tole.

First Vice President John Noack honored Dave Morissette and Frank Landrus for each writing 500 reviews of scale modeling products for the IPMS/USA website. The society's 60th anniversary kit giveaway was then announced. Four prizes per month will be given to randomly selected members over the next year.

Herne then thanked those who developed the registration system, which was a major success. Figueroa then presented awards for Regional Coordinator of the Year (Mark Normal, RC-1), Website of the Year (Alamo Squadron), Newsletter of the Year (East Caroline Plastic Modelers), Chapter of the Year (Fort Crook), and Member of the Year (Dick Davenport of Capital Area Modelers' Society).

Finally, at 8:07 p.m., the contest results were announced. Slides presented on the screen showed the award-winning models, along with their categories and the category sponsor. I was happy when some of my friends won awards in the contest. That included my IPMS/Gateway clubmate Jon Fincher, whose Paul the Alien won in a Figure category.

After the category results were announced, the Theme and Best of Class Awards were revealed. The Most Popular Model (voted on by attendees) went to a diorama depicting a cross section of the USS Hornet (CV-8) with one of the B-25s for the Doolittle Raid in 1942. The Best of Show went to a science-fiction entry.

Herne gave the unofficial totals of 2628 contest entries, and 760 "Tiger Meet" display only models. Official totals from the Convention should be announced in the coming days as I write these words. With that, the Convention ended around 10:45 p.m. and I went to the Contest Rooms to pack my three models in their carry box, say my goodbyes to those I know, and headed to the parking garage. I then drove Julie's vehicle back to Janesville, making a stop at a convenience store for a soft drink to keep me awake. Just before midnight, I was back at the hotel and was soon off to bed.

The conclusion of my National Convention trip account will be in my next post. Later.

Websites of Entities Mentioned in this Post:

Baymont Inn & Suites: Baymont by Wyndham | Wyndham Hotels & Resorts

Janesville: Janesville Area Convention & Visitors Bureau (janesvillecvb.com)

Madison: Destination Madison | Restaurants, Hotels & Things To Do (visitmadison.com)

Monona Terrace Community and Convention Center: Monona Terrace Community & Convention Center | Madison, WI

IPMS/USA: IPMS/USA | IPMS/USA Home Page (ipmsusa.org)

Sprue Brothers Models: Sprue Brothers Models LLC Home Page

Plastic Model Mojo: Plastic Model Mojo

Modeling with the Matts: Modeling with the Matts - YouTube

The Rigby: HOME | TheRigbyPub

2024 IPMS/USA National Convention (2)

Early on Friday morning (19 July), I got up, got dressed, and drove in Julie's vehicle from the Baymont Inn & Suites in Janesville, Wisconsin, heading to Madison, Wisconsin. This day was Day Three of the 2024 International Plastic Modelers' Society/USA (IPMS/USA) National Convention. I had let Julie know the day before that this Friday would be a long day and night for me, and she understood. Julie would be able to get together with her sister Dianne and brother-in-law Dennis during the day.

After parking in a garage near the Monona Terrace Community and Convention Center--the Convention venue--I walked to the Marigold Kitchen. This was the site of a breakfast meeting of the Regional Coordinators (RCs) attending the Convention. I serve as Coordinator for IPMS/USA Region 14 (Mid-Central), consisting of chapters in Missouri, Kansas, Nebraska, Iowa, and most of Illinois. Three other RCs attended this meeting with two IPMS/USA e-board members: Director of Local Chapters John Figueroa and Treasurer Mike Oberholtzer.

Figueroa and Oberholtzer brought up issues of interest to chapter operations. Figueroa in particular asked me to head a committee to study the structure and purpose of Regional Conventions. I agreed and this effort will get underway in the coming weeks. 

After this meeting, I headed to the Convention venue to check up on raffle tickets drawn, to see if I won anything. (I did win a prize later in the day.) I also chatted with other attendees, including several from my home chapter in St. Louis, IPMS/Gateway. Then, I visited the Tiger Meet, a display-only room where several IPMS chapters and Special Interest Groups (SIGs) had models on display. It was a most impressive turnout of models.

This was followed by a visit to the Vendor Room, where I browsed among the many vendors on hand. I chatted with a few vendors that I knew and made a few purchases. Then, I went to the two Contest Rooms to admire the models entered to that point. Just about all the contest entries were in the room by midday that day.

That afternoon, I attended two of the many seminars held during this Convention. The first was one on space modeling, as Rob Schorry talked about how he built a MarCO communications relay cube satellite from scratch. It was fascinating to hear how Schorry had to run down various references for his project and the challenges in replicating MarCO in scale. The finished model was displayed on the table during the seminar. Door prizes were then drawn for those who attended this event. I won two prizes: a resin conversion set for the Soviet Voskhod 2 spacecraft and a book, The Times Atlas of the Moon.

Soon after Schorry's seminar ended, my friend Mike Mackowski spoke on building resin aircraft kits. He explained how these kits fill the void in niche subjects not covered by the major manufacturers. Mackowski took us through the steps in making a 1:72 scale model of the XF-91 Thunderceptor, a US 1950s fighter design that did not progress beyond the prototype stage. 

(During Schorry's earlier seminar, Mackowski plugged his business, Space in Miniatures, which publishes reference books on real space subjects. He just came out with a volume on the Saturn V rocket, available in both hard copy and PDF file. Both Schorry and Mackowski are in the Real Space Modelers group.)

After a light late afternoon dinner from a Monona Terrace meal concession, I made my way to the center's Lecture Hall for the Judges' Meeting. Over 200 IPMS/USA members were attending the meeting, in which the Head Contest Judge briefed us on procedures. He also recognized judges who reached the 3-year, 10-year, 20-year, and 30-year milestones.

Along the other Aircraft judges, I awaited the Chief Aircraft Judge announcing the members of the three-person judging teams. When Team 16 came up, I was the first name announced, meaning I was the team leader. This was my first team lead in my sixth National Convention contest. After meeting my two teammates (Rommel Xu and Eric Engstrom), we headed into the Contest Room holding the Aircraft entries and received the first category we were to judge. My team worked the category, evaluating each entry and agreeing on the top three entries to receive First, Second, or Third Place awards.

After completing that first category, we went on to a second category and did the same. My team would work four categories, having these completed in approximately 2.25 hours from the start of contest judging. We then retired outside the Contest Room for refreshments (cookies and soft drinks). Having all the categories judged, Xu and Engstrom were excused from further judging work with my thanks. I stayed along with the other team leaders, as we needed to determine the Best Aircraft.

After waiting some minutes for the last categories to be judged, the Chief Aircraft Judge gathered the team leaders to point out their best entries for consideration. I talked up my best of the four category winners and the other team leaders did the same. We all examined the entries before we came down to the last two contenders. By a show of hands, we determined that a SB2A-3 Buccaneer was Best Aircraft. After that, I gathered my things and left Monona Terrace to drive back to the hotel. I arrived around 11 p.m. and soon went to bed.   

I still had one more long day at the Convention, which will be covered in my next post. Later.

Websites of Entities Mentioned in this Post:

Baymont Inn & Suites: www.wyndhamhotels.com

Janesville: Janesville Area Convention & Visitors Bureau (janesvillecvb.com)

Madison: Destination Madison | Restaurants, Hotels & Things To Do (visitmadison.com)

IPMS/USA: IPMS/USA | IPMS/USA Home Page (ipmsusa.org)

Monona Terrace Community and Convention Center: Monona Terrace Community & Convention Center | Madison, WI

Marigold Kitchen: Marigold Kitchen

IPMS Gateway: IPMS Gateway Chapter (google.com)

Space in Miniature: Space In Miniature - Reference Books for Space Model Builders

Real Space Modelers: space-modelers@groups.io | Home

2024 IPMS/USA National Convention (1)

My summer vacation was earlier this month, and the bulk of it was taken up by this year's National Convention of the International Plastic Modelers' Society/USA (IPMS/USA). The convention was held in Madison, Wisconsin, a day's drive from here in St. Louis.

My vacation from work started that Tuesday (16 July), which I used to finish packing and preparation for the trip. The next morning, Julie drove up to my house, where I packed my luggage and the three models I was entering the contest. Then, we began the trip to Madison in mid-morning.

After a stop for lunch and fuel in Bloomington, Illinois, we arrived in Madison in late afternoon. Julie and I reached the Monona Terrace Community and Convention Center, the venue for the Convention. There, I checked in at pre-registration, receiving my packet and getting the name tags for Julie and me. Then, I checked in my contest models, which I had registered online the previous weekend. After that, I placed my three models in their respective categories in the contest room. I had just completed a 1:48 scale F9F-2 Panther the previous weekend. It was entered in a Basic Kit Build (BKB) category. Two earlier 1:72 builds--a Bren Gun Carrier and a 6-pounder anti-tank gun--were entered in Military Vehicles.

 

 

After a brief check of the Convention site, Julie and I drove to Janesville, Wisconsin, approximately 45 miles (72.4 km) south of Madison. There, we checked into Baymont Inn & Suites. After unpacking in our room, we met with Julie's sister Dianne and her brother-in-law Dennis for dinner at Golden Corral. (Dianne and Dennis live in Janesville.) The four of us went to Dianne and Dennis' residence for a short walk and chat before Julie and I returned to our hotel.

The next morning (18 July), Julie and I drove back to the Monona Terrace Community and Convention Center. After spending a bit of time at the Convention site, we boarded the bus to take us to Oshkosh, which is 89.7 miles (144.4 km) north of Madison. We first arrived at the Military Veterans Museum & Education Center for a short visit. This facility had military artifacts going back to the Civil War and featured over 20 historic military vehicles. I found it most interesting looking at the various exhibits. I think Julie liked it as well.

After visiting this museum, our party returned to the bus for the short trip to the EAA Aviation Museum. It is located at the headquarters of the Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA), which encourages and supports flying, building, and restoration of aircraft. Our group had the run of the museum, which has over 100 aircraft on display, ranging from pioneering machines to homebuilt aircraft and aerospace vehicles. There were also many artifacts on display relating to the history of flight. Julie and I sure enjoyed the aircraft and the interactive displays.

After the museum visit, our group got back on the bus and went to the Mineshaft restaurant and bar for dinner, which featured friend whitefish fillets. It was most delicious and a fitting cap to our time in Oshkosh.

We left town after dinner and returned to Madison. Julie and I then got back in her vehicle and returned to our hotel in Janesville for the night.

More on the Convention and Janesville trip in my next post here. Later.

Websites of Entities Mentioned in this Post:

IPMS/USA: IPMS/USA | IPMS/USA Home Page (ipmsusa.org)

Monona Terrace Community and Convention Center: Monona Terrace Community & Convention Center | Madison, WI

Madison, Wisconsin: Destination Madison | Restaurants, Hotels & Things To Do (visitmadison.com)

Janesville, Wisconsin: Janesville, WI | Home (janesvillewi.gov)

Baymont Inn & Suites: Baymont by Wyndham - WHG Corporate (wyndhamhotels.com)

Golden Corral: Golden Corral | Endless Buffet | America's #1 Buffet Restaurant

Oshkosh, Wisconsin: Home | Discover Oshkosh (visitoshkosh.com)

Military Veterans Museum & Education Center: Military Veterans Museum – Honoring our Nation’s military history through education and preservation (mvmec.org)

EAA Aviation Museum: EAA Aviation Museum | Oshkosh, Wisconsin

Mineshaft Oshkosh: Oshkosh Home - The Mineshaft - Oshkosh, WI (mineshaftoshkosh.com)

2024 PrideFest Parade

This morning (30 June), I drove to downtown St. Louis for the annual PrideFest Parade. After parking in the garage west of Busch Stadium, I walked up to Citygarden to meet up with my fellow Enterprise Mobility colleagues around 10:30 a.m.

We must have had at least 60 employees taking part today, mostly from corporate headquarters. I was one of eight who were to wear a colorful garland of narrow balloons during the parade. I needed a bit of help to get the balloons on me, but I soon got used to them.

The parade was to have started at Noon; however, several protesters delayed the parade's start by about 90 minutes. These people blocked the parade route on Market Street to protest PrideFest accepting sponsorship from Boeing, which the protesters said was helping Israel kill Palestinians in the current Gaza conflict. After the protesters were finally arrested, the parade stepped off. It was tough waiting in the heat for the parade to begin, and a couple of the balloons on my garland popped, but it was great when we finally began marching west on Market.

There was a great crowd along the route and my job--along with the others wearing balloons--was to excite the crowd. We did so by blowing whistles we were issued beforehand, and by walking along the crowds lining Market. I did my part by glad handing people along the route. We were warmly received by the spectators and that was most gratifying.

Besides the employees, Enterprise Mobility had a convertible loaned from Enterprise Rent-A-Car and two trucks--one box, the other stake bed--borrowed from Enterprise Truck Rental. The marchers were ahead of the vehicles during the parade, which went down Market from 10th Street to 16th Street.

We stepped off around 2:00 p.m. and ended the parade about 30 minutes later. After returning the balloon garlands to the box truck, we walked back east through the green spaces immediately north of Market. I stayed around 16th and Market to see the rest of the parade reach this place. I hoped to see Julie march with local Unitarian congregations, but I didn't see her. She texted me to say she was not feeling well and staying home.

I walked east along Market and south to the garage to get back in my car. The Cardinals game had just ended at Busch Stadium (they defeated the Cincinati Reds 2-0), so it took quite a few minutes before I could leave the garage to head home. Traffic was backed up on the street just west of the stadium, but after some minutes I was able to get on Interstate 55 to head south. After stopping by a Wendy's in Mehlville to get dinner, then shopped for groceries at Walmart before finally coming home. I was tired, but most happy to have taken part today and doing my best to show the LGBTQ+ community that this straight male respected them.

Later.

Websites of Entities Mentioned in this Post:

PrideFest St. Louis: Pride St. Louis (pridestl.org)

Enterprise Mobility: Introducing Enterprise Mobility

Citygarden: Citygarden | City of St. Louis Parks (stlouis-mo.gov)

Busch Stadium: Busch Stadium: Home of the Cardinals | St. Louis Cardinals (mlb.com)

Wendy's: Wendy's® | Home of Fresh, Never Frozen Beef Since 1969 (wendys.com)

Walmart: Walmart | Save Money. Live better.

2024 NFPW Conference (Part 2)

I was back at the Hilton St. Louis Frontenac on Saturday morning (22 June) for the concluding day of the 2024 National Federation of Press Women (NFPW) Conference, hosted by Missouri Professional Communicators (MPC). 

It started with a buffet breakfast and a presentation from Colorado Press Women (CPW), the host affiliate for the 2025 Conference in Golden, Colorado. CPW's Karen Petersen and Gay Porter DeNileon talked about Golden and the nearby area and how they plan to host a successful conference in September of 2025. Each table in the room had a Colorado flag and some Colorado rocks as centerpieces, with Golden tourism information at each seating place. If things work out for me, I would like to be at the 2025 Conference.

This was followed by a roundtable hosted by NFPW President Julie Campbell, titled "The Challenges of Local Journalism." There were three panelists involved in local media who talked about the challenges they face in providing quality news coverage for their audiences. On the panel were: Jacqueline Duty, publisher of the Collinsville (Illinois) Daily News; Nancy Krier, former attorney and open government ombudsperson, now a freelance reporter for ThurstonTalk in Thurston County, Washington; and Peggy Scott, publisher of Leader Publications in Festus, Missouri. It was good hearing how each panelist has dealt with their particular circumstances.

Psychologist and author Rita Ernst then took the dais to present "Liar, Liar: Jailbreak Your Life." This presentation was intended to enhance attendees' personal development by getting rid of that inner critic or imposter syndrome that might hold one back from professional success. It was quite an eye-opening program in feeling confident in yourself and the possibilities for greatness in career and life.

I went to the Silent Auction area after Ernst's program to make my final bids there. During lunch, the National High School Contest Awards were announced. One must feel confident that news media's future will be in such good hands after seeing those who do such great work be recognized here.

Next was a panel discussion, "Trends in Journalism Education." It was moderated by Eric Rothenbuhler, deal of the Wester University School of Journalism. The rest of panel consisted of: Mitch Eden, 2015 National High School Journalism Teacher of the Year; Gary Ford, professor at the Webster University School of Journalism; Amelia Hurley graduate candidate at the University of Missouri School of Journalism, reporter for Mizzou football, and editor of the city/county government beat on the Columbia Missourian; and Debbie Miller, a junior college journalism teacher. They discussed how best to teach journalism students at the high school and college levels and to prepare them for the evolving media scene.

The first of two workshops I attended that afternoon was one by MPC's Ruth E. Thaler-Carter on "Launching a Freelance Communications Business." Thaler-Carter, a freelance writer and editor, spoke on her experiences in the business and offered advice for anyone wanting to work as a freelancer. Her program was full of much information for me to ponder if I decide to go this route.

The second workshop was "Adventures and Options in Book Publisher," and it was given by two authors: Elizabeth Donald, a freelance journalist and educator who writes dark fiction; and Nicole Evelina (aka Niki Burgdorf), corporate communicator for a healthcare system who writes historical fiction and nonfiction as well as serve as a ghostwriter. Their talk was given in a conversational manner, as Donald and Evelina alternated in telling the good and bad points of their work. They also told of the challenges each faces in balancing their book work with day jobs and family life.

After these workshops, there was another Author's Alley set up in the foyer. I browsed among the authors but did not find anything to buy this day. I did go by the Silent Auction area and found that I had the winning bids on two items: a NFPW polo shirt and a necklace. The latter will be a gift for Julie. 

After putting on my tie, I joined other attendees for the Communications Contest Awards Banquet. After a gorgeous feast, the report on the Silent Auction was given. Bids and donations raised $5050 for the NFPW Education Fund.

Then it was time for the contest awards. It was stated that there were 1841 entries in the contest across the county, with 541 first place entries going on to the national contest. They called out the names of those who were present, in alphabetical order, with the awards they won for their entries. I was so happy when my name was called to say I had earned an Honorary Mention in Information for Media - News or Feature Release - Single Release. The entry was the press release announcing IPMS Gateway's 2023 Invitational model contest. I received the award certificate from Julie Campbell. Four other MPC members were honored for their work that night: Joan Berkman, Suzanne Corbett, Rebecca Now, and Allison Stein.

Sweepstakes awards were announced for the affiliate with the most winning entries and the top three individuals with the highest number of winning entries. After the parliamentarian read a proclamation on the successful Conference, Julie Campbell led a final salute. Each participant picked up an artificial rose from the centerpiece, switched on the light inside each rose, and toasted each other to end the conference. I went to congratulate some of the other winners and was happy to get congratulations in return for my Honorable Mention. I also thanked Campbell for her work and for enjoying this Conference. I also posed for a photo with several other Missouri winners.

After that, I walked to my car and drove home after a most successful Conference. It was so great to have attended and I really felt accepted by the other attendees there. It gave me a great feeling to be among such great professionals and people. Here's hoping this leads to bigger and better things for my professional life in the coming months.

Later.

Websites of Entities Mentioned in this Post:

Hilton St. Louis Frontenac: Hilton St. Louis Frontenac Hotel near Creve Coeur, MO

National Federation of Press Women: Home (nfpw.org)

Missouri Professional Communicators: Missouri NFPW affiliate | Missouri Professional Communicators | Clayton (moprocommunicators.org)

Colorado Press Women: Colorado Press Women

Collinsville Daily News: https://www.collinsvilledailynews.com/

ThurstonTalk: ThurstonTalk | Olympia Lacey Tumwater and Thurston County

Leader Publications: myleaderpaper.com | Leader Publications: news, sports, ads for Jefferson County, MO

Rita Ernst: HAPPINESS PRODUCTIVITY AND POSITIVE CULTURE - Ignite Your Extraordinary (igniteextraordinary.com)

Webster University School of Communications and Journalism: School of Communications | Journalism (webster.edu)

University of Missouri School of Journalism: Missouri School of Journalism – Official Website for the Missouri School of Journalism at the University of Missouri.

Columbia Missourian: columbiamissourian.com | Serving the community since 1908

Ruth E. Thaler-Carter: Writer Ruth

Elizabeth Donald: | Elizabeth Donald

Nicole Evelina: Nicole Evelina – USA Today Bestselling Author | Stories of Strong Women from History and Today

 

  

Catching Up in Mid-June

I realized that I have not posted here in just over one month. Somehow, I have not been able to post to this blog though some noteworthy things happened to me in that stretch. Here's a brief catch up.

My last youth soccer referee assignments of the season were on Sunday, 19 May at World Wide Technology Soccer Park. They were under 13/14 girls matches and they went well. (I had some tournament games the following Sunday the 26th, but they got called off due to stormy weather.)

The IPMS/Gateway meeting on Tuesday, 21 May had a good strong turnout of models for the Modeler of the Year Contest. I talked of the recent awards from Missouri Professional Communicators for editing the club's newsletter and writing and distributing the press release for their 2023 Invitational.

Memorial Day weekend started on Saturday, 25 May with going with Julie to the St. Louis CITY SC match against Seattle Sounders at CITYPARK. Julie and I had fun, except that Seattle won the match 2-1.

I did go to Assumption Greek Orthodox Church in Town and Country for their Greek Festival on Monday the 27th. I had a nice lunch there before going to Spirit of St. Louis Airport in Chesterfield for the Wings over St. Louis program. I saw the Commemorative Air Force's B-25 Mitchell "Show Me" and some military vehicles on display.

Two nights later (29 May), Julie and I were together again at Missouri Botanical Garden for the first of their Whitaker Concert Series programs. We saw jazz singer and bassist Janet Evra perform, and I was most impressed by Evra's performance.

That Saturday morning (1 June), I was at the St. Louis Artists' Guild to join with other Missouri Professional Communicators (MPC) members in assembly goody bags. These bags would go to registrants at the National Federation of Press Women (NFPW) Conference in St. Louis later that month.

On Wednesday, 5 June, I worked the first of three straight Wednesdays as a volunteer for Circus Flora. Their show "Marooned!" played last month at the Big Top in midtown St. Louis. It was a rehearsal show that I witnessed on the 5th, a full show the following Wednesday (12 June), and an abbreviated daytime show one week later (19 June). I was so happy to help volunteer again with the circus, and Circus Flora's company appreciated me and the other volunteers for our efforts.

Julie went with me to see CITY host Portland Timbers on 8 June, which ended up a 0-0 draw. I went myself on 19 June for the match against Colorado Rapids, but CITY lost that one 3-0. Before the latter match, I won the "Schlaffle" raffle held at the St. Louligans' street party by Schlafly Tap Room. The prize package included: a four-pack of Schlafly Supporter Session Hazy Pale Ale; a CITY can coozy; a miniature soccer ball from CITY and University of Missouri-St. Louis; a pair of CITY socks; and a CITY/Lou Fusz Automotive Network banner.

Back tracking a bit, on Sunday 9 June I drove to Overland Park, Kansas for the concluding day of the Heartland Model Car Nationals, presented by KC Slammers. It was great seeing the over 600 car model entries on display, plus seeing fellow scale modelers.

I spent Sunday afternoon and early evening 16 June with Julie. We swam in the pool at her apartment complex, then watched some streaming TV in her apartment with her roommate Joan. Julie and I then had a nice dinner at Applebee's in Creve Coeur.

The June IPMS/Gateway meeting on the 18th featured the annual "Slam Fest," where participants had two hours to assemble and finish a model kit. I built a Spitfire that was in a post-World War II natural metal scheme. The finished models were entered in a People's Choice Contest, with votes determining the top three entries. My Spitfire did not make the top three, but it was a fun time, nevertheless.

Late last week was the NFPW Conference. I will tell you about that in my next post.

Later.

Websites of Entities Mentioned in this Post:

IPMS Gateway Chapter: IPMS Gateway Chapter (google.com)

St. Louis CITY SC: St. Louis CITY SC (stlcitysc.com)

Assumption Greek Orthodox Church: Home | Assumption Greek Orthodox Church (assumptiongoc.org)

Missouri Wing, Commemorative Air Force: Missouri Wing (commemorativeairforce.org)

Missouri Botanical Garden: Missouri Botanical Garden

Janet Evra: Janet Evra

Missouri Professional Communicators: Missouri NFPW affiliate | Missouri Professional Communicators | Clayton (moprocommunicators.org)

Circus Flora: Circus Flora | A St. Louis Tradition For Over 30 years

St. Louligans: Saint Louligans – Supporting Soccer in the St. Louis Area – St. Louligans – Supporting St. Louis Soccer (stlouligans.com)

KC Slammers: KC Slammers – Model Car Club