Convention 2015

Hosted by Capitol Collectors

The 2015 Convention is now history and many great memories.  Barbara Cummings, Joyce Dohanian and the Capitol Collectors planned a fun-filled event.  Lots of club members also volunteered to make it a success.  “Working” at convention is really lots of fun.

Tours

Many members took advantage of the great location, Arlington, VA, to tour nearby Washington, DC.  Capitol Collectors made it easy by organizing some great tours. Lots of near-by restaurants also provided a way for members to get together early in the week to share stories and good times over lunch or dinner.

Our Rally Cry!

What makes convention so much fun? From time to time through out the day you can hear someone yell “salt and pepper, salt and pepper!”  and the reply will be “shake, shake, shake!”

Shopping

Shopping for shakers was on everyone’s mind when they returned to the hotel and there were lots of rooms full of shakers to keep everyone busy “running the rooms”.  There was plenty of “shaker talk” too.

Hallways

The fun overflowed into the hallways!

Registration & Raffle

After picking up their registration packets members headed to the raffle room to buy raffle tickets.

A Grand Opening

On Friday the convention officially opened when Barbara Cummings, 2015 Convention Chairperson, opened with the roll call of states.  This year we had TV coverage – a crew from CBS Sunday Morning was filming  for their show to be shown in the fall.  The Washington Post was also present interviewing members for an article.

Presentations

Convention presentations are a great way for members to share shaker information. This year members from Shaken’ Together-European Chapter shared information regarding European sets.

Costume Contest

The costume contest is a tradition that always guarantees smiles.  This year was no exception.

Adult – One Person

Adult – Two Person

Adult – Multi-Person

Toddler

Theme Contest

This year the theme for this shaker contest was “Virginia is for Lovers.”  These winners were the top three out of 31 entries.

Display Contests

The Display Contests (Shoebox, Small, Medium, and Large) shows the imagination of our members.  Each category, except the Shoebox category,  has restrictions for the number of shakers allowed. There are no limitations on creativity.

Display – Shoebox

Display – Small

Display – Medium

Display – Large

Talent Contest

The call was put out months in advance for members to enter Friday night’s talent competition. While there is lots of talent in our group, only one member entered the contest. Fortunately, we were treated to the magical talent of Irv Wargolet and his able assistant (aka granddaughter) Grace Cooke. Irv performed many magic tricks and kept everyone entertained with his combination of magic and jokes.

Auction

No convention would be complete without the auction.  Many bargains were to be had plus some rare shakers were up for bid.

Shaker Unveiling

Friday night was a delicious “red, white, and blue” themed dinner.  Little did we know that a special sweet treat was planned.  When it came time to unveil the shaker a screen was removed at the back of the room and a large cake was revealed in the shape of our 2015 convention shaker.  The cake was tasty and the one-piece shaker was a real treat too.

Lifetime Achievement Award

The Lifetime Achievement Award is given to an outstanding member who has made special contributions to the club over the years.  This year’s recipient, Debbie Barger, met the qualifications and then some.

Her special certificate read:

“Since joining the Club in 1990 Debbie has been an active, enthusiastic member. On a chapter level, she has hosted many meetings at her home and has served as newsletter editor, vice president and president of the Heartland Chapter. On a national level, Debbie hosted the 2014 Convention in Omaha, Nebraska. Her most significant, and most appreciated, achievement has been as Newsletter Editor of the club for eight years—several years more than she planned.”

Business Meeting

Mary Gelinas, our new President,  opened the Business Meeting this year as Brenda All, our outgoing President was unable to attend due to personal family reasons.  The outgoing officers were thanked and the new Board of Directors was introduced.

2016 Convention Presentation

Next year? The convention will be in Allentown, PA.  Marlene Pawlilowski, the Convention Chairperson, and members of Shakin’ Up Pennsylvania gave a lively presentation about the many activities available in the area.   Next year’s convention promises to be great.

Saturday Night

Saturday night was another great dinner followed by dancing to lively music of a DJ. Later the winner of the number one set was announced, awards presented, a bunch of raffle prizes were distributed, a small auction, a big thank you to Barbara and Joyce, and the “Passing of the S&P”.

Sunday House Tours

For some members convention continued into Sunday because a few members of Capitol Collectors generously opened their homes for members to visit and view their shaker collections.