FOHBC National, 2006

"Full of stage and gambling establishments that operate 24 hours a day, Reno is a city of diverse extremes, calling itself The biggest Little City in the World. Its neon lights supply the same excitement as Las Vegas, but Reno also is an important distribution and merchandising center, has extensive residential areas and is home of the University of Nevada, Reno."

The FOHBC picked Reno, NV as the site of the 2006 National Show. Given my reluctance to get on a plane to travel to a bottle show ($250 spent on glass, YES. $250 spent to support US Airways in bankruptcy, no no NO), deciding to pass on this one was an easy decision, especially in the wake of my experiences at the last FOHBC event.

Dick Bales, Bob Ford and I had all spent good money to travel to the National held in Grand Rapids, MI and, while I can't speak for the other two, I'd been disappointed, to say the least. With the exception of Paul Van Vactor, there had been few quality vendors and the crowds had been non-existent, even on opening day. Had I been a dealer, I could have knitted a couple of Afghans during my stay, because the show floors were empty and business was lethargic at best. I didn't even bother to write up a show report because –well, there was nothing to report!!

But as fate would have it, I received a phone call from Bob Ferraro asking me to give a talk on shots at the Reno show. Now while I have a big mouth on the web, I'm less than qualified to present a serious seminar on shot glasses at a National show, and I laughed at the suggestion. But Bob is both regional organizer for the FOHBC, a bottle-collecting legend, and Mayor of Boulder City. I mean - how could I say “no” to a Mayor??!!

I guess they were desperate to fill slots.