Good news! For those SOS table holders and registered helpers who could not make it to our OVMS May show and may not be at our November show at the Roberts Centre, the Wednesday Table Volunteer Crew sign-up forms will be available at the MAX.

As you have probably read or heard through the grape vine by now, the OVMS has had to limit the number of volunteers that help with table set up. If you were with us on Wednesday of the 2007 SOS, I am sure you observed that we had far more volunteers than were needed to do the job. This has been a growing concern for several years and it reach something like ‘critical mass’ at the last SOS. Many honest folks who wanted to work found too little to do. Sadly, a growing number of people have also found that they can just show up to get a pass, hide out until the work is done and come back during the load in time to find bargains they did not earn. I simply could no longer stand for such an unfair situation. Wednesday dealer set up was always meant as a reward given to those that worked for the good of the show, not a free for all early buyers’ pass. It is not good for the future health and success of the SOS for Wednesday evening to become the first shopping day of the show. As much as I have tried to keep this an open event, the time has come to puts some controls and limits on the number of volunteers that I can use for set up. Together with the other OVMS officers, I have put in place a plan to register volunteers. We will be limiting the number of workers to about 150 table holders and their helpers. We began accepting registrations at the OVMS show in May 2007 at the Roberts Centre in Wilmington, Ohio. We still plan accept registrations at the November 2007 show, again at the Roberts Centre. The other officers and I struggled for some time with how to handle the "volunteers needed vs. not making Wednesday the first day of the show" problem and we are still not happy ourselves with the solution. We are sticking to the plan for this year but it will likely change for next year. Your ideas and suggestions on this matter are welcome. More importantly, we are opening up registration for volunteers at the MAX Show next week. If you are planning to be there, you can sign-up. I hope this works better for everyone in the short run.

Please spread the word that SOS table holders and registered helpers will be able to volunteer at the MAX. Non-table holders cannot volunteer, we need workers, not early buyers.

I do not currently know my table location, but you can simply ask for “Bill Combs’” tables at the front desk. Stop by and I will have the forms ready and waiting. I will also leave some forms with Houston Coates at the OVMS Information Table.

This doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t come to the OVMS show in November. It will be a great show and well worth your attendance. However, if you simply just can’t make it, the MAX show sign-up should help.

See you all at the MAX and, of course, at the 2008 Show of Shows!

Best regards to all my fellow collectors,
Bill Combs
OVMS President