V.G.C.A. NEWS June and July, 2001

August Meeting. The meeting was well attended and, from what I hear, was outstanding. Kudos to Carlos Davila for his presentation on 98 Mausers. Carlos will return to present a program sometime in the spring of 2002 about Russian Moisin-Nagant Model 1891 Rifles. We also plan to have programs presented by Bruce Canfield and Norm Flayderman in the spring. As usual, Show and Tell was worth more than the price of admission, and I regret that I didn't ask anyone to keep track for me so I am not able to recognize those who shared their wares with the membership.

October Meeting. This meeting will be on 25 October and will be a joint NRA-VGCA presentation. It will begin at 7 p.m. rather than 7:30 so plan to come a little earlier than usual. Tracy Hill, the noted authority and author on Thompson submachine guns will present the program. Please note again that the next meeting is in October. The gun show replaces the meeting in September every year.

November-December Meeting. Please remember that the meeting for these two months is combined and is scheduled for the first Thursday in December. The program will be given by Doug Wicklund. Doug was scheduled to present his program on Rust and Relics when we were canceled out by the snowstorm last winter. If it happens this time, Doug will have to become a spring-summer-fall Presenter.

PACA Show. The next Potomac Arms Collectors Show will be held on 13-14 October at the Fair Grounds in Frederick, Maryland. We have a number of VGCA members who also belong to the PACA. If you get the opportunity to do so, please head on out and support that show. Sales tables are $35.00, and display tables are $15.00. I've been there, and the PACA crew is a great bunch of folks.

Our Show. It takes support to run a well-managed show, and we still need a few volunteers to help arrange tables and, then, at the close of the show help take them down. Volunteers should wear their VGCA Badges, enter through the front door, and sign in to get a Sept 2001 Badge. Only those with badges and who are signed in will be allowed in the building during set up and takedown. Members-only are still welcome during set up, but they must present a badge. Members who have not yet had their pictures taken will be checked against the Member List. A Collectors Club in another State recently had a show where a member showed up with 10 supposed sons during set up. Two of the supposed sons were older than he was. We haven't had that yet, and I know that we are above that type of stuff

Additional volunteers are also needed to monitor the doors during set up and takedown. We hope to have a distinctive hat for the guards to wear to make them easily recognizable and to provide walkie-talkies for them. This will enable them to call the Show Committee to solve whatever problems may arise.

If you can spare a few hours and you are coming anyway, please contact Gary Holderman, Addison, or Jim Burgess. In addition, you can ask them what is needed when you get there in order to help out.

Nominating Committee. This is the year for the election of officers. If you would like to be a member of the Nominating Committee, see Emory Hackman at the show. He may have a seat or two.

March Show. The Executive Committee has been working with the State Police, Hugo's, and Terry MacFarlane to see if we could get additional phone lines installed at Hugo's. The reason for it is to see if the State Police would assign people to handle the background checks on-the-spot, thus saving dealers from hours in line waiting to use the one phone that is presently available. Normally, dealers who have cell phones are unable to use them at Hugo's.

Secretary's Subtleties.  Some help is still needed for the show, so come on out and volunteer a bit of time. Those who are planning to come out but don't have time to stick around, come on out anyway. For everyone, bring your friends and neighbors on Saturday or, how about, right after church on Sunday. Pay their way in or buy them all a hotdog and soft-drink. Give them their choice. For the members who are well-heeled, take the change from your pockets and do both.

In a more serious vein, this show will be more tightly controlled than ever before. Side-door and rear-door entry, except for dealers during setup and takedown, will be nonexistent. The number of people table renters will be allowed to bring in for free to help on their tables will be more closely monitored. Everything, from administration to safety, is going to be as close as possible to being "in accordance with Hoyle" so please understand. Tightening things up will make for better and safer shows.

President's Corner.  Phil Hill, Gary Holderman, Jim Burgess, the Executive Committee, and the rest of the Show Committee have worked hard to keep our Gun Show reputation as the best in northern Virginia. We are going to do better enforcing the rules than ever before, and I need your support. I have been told over and over again lo these many years about how great some other shows are. In almost all cases the perceived greatness has to do with the tightness of the control, the support of the members of those clubs, and the recognized equal-treatment-for-all aspect. We are getting there!!!

I expect that the VGCA officers, Show Committee, gun checkers, and door monitors will have walkie-talkies. If anyone sees something wrong, please tell someone so the Show Committee can solve the problem or perceived problem immediately. One of the biggest problems is keeping the guns tied. Sometime the table renters cannot keep up with it, so if you have a few spare ties at home, how about putting them in your pocket and taking them to the show. I don't think any table renter will turn down help in keeping his guns tied.

Come to the Show and enjoy yourselves.--Addison