QtheMIB

Hi everybody! It won't be long now! We have approx 40 rooms and counting. Let's make it the greatest show yet! Kim and I are getting a lot of phone calls. Lots of interest. You can still book a room at the show rate but time is running out. We would love to add you to the show list. Remember... you can't beat a marble show for learning, catching up with old friends, meeting some new ones and just being in the best place for marbles! By the way, Kim found a grill, you knew she would, so it's hamburgers and hot dogs again this year. Just hope I can stand the heat!! See you there Mike

Hi everybody. Almost the first day of Summer already so let's get planning for the Ft. Wayne, IN Marble Show! "Important" stuff: The show is Saturday, August 10th 10:00 - 1:00. In room trading will start earlier in the week but you can bet on folks being there on Thursday and Friday. Hotel Info: WE are at a NEW LOCATION! Apologies for moving around so much, but it's really difficult post pandemic to find a location that is willing to work with you. We want to keep Kim Winningham happy. Trust me. (hopefully this one will work out like the show in Indianapolis where we have found a really nice location). Wyndham Garden 5750 Challenger Way Fort Wayne, IN 46818 reservations - (260) 999 - 6040 "You are gonna like this" stuff: Kim kinda fell into a really cool thing this Spring. We are going to feature it at our August show. Now... you are going to have to come to the show to see it because I have no idea how to post pictures on this thing. Trust me, I'm trying to learn. Besides, it is something that you will just want to stand back and take in. I did. I promise it will give you a whole other perspective on marbles and their past. "Last" stuff: IF Kim can find a grill... and she will, I'm sure she'll hog tie me to it so I can cook again this year. Those hamburgers and hot dogs weren't so bad last year... were they? I didn't get any complaints. I sure got lots of over the shoulder supervision at the grill!! We'll do our best, but I'm wearing my "CRABBY MIKE" shirt again. Hey... it's a tradition!! Hope you all are doing well. It's been another difficult year with the ones we have lost. Keep them in your hearts. That way they are never very far away. Q the MIB President 317 361-2274

Well, We should all have woken up from the "Turkey stupor leftovers" from Thanksgiving by now. Christmas is just around the corner. So you know what that means... Time to make sure you have your reservations for the first marble show of the year!! As of now, we have 32 rooms. Both coasts and the cradle of marbledom are represented. Add in our Midwest members and you are sure to find a good time in Indianapolis. Same great location as last year. Indy Marble Show 10:00 A.M. - 1:00 P.M. January 6th, 2024 In room trading usually starts on Wednseday prior to the show. For room reservations: Residence Inn/Springhill Suites 9450 Counselors Row Indianapolis, IN 46240 463-223-2050 For folks who don't use GPS, this location is on the North side of Indy just off the 465 beltway at the Keystone exit. Go North to the first intersection (96th Street) and turn right or East. It's just down a little ways after you go through a round about and sits back off 96th to the Soutn. You can call me (317-361-2274) new number or Kim (765-717-0488) if you have questions. We look forward to seeing you there. Q the MIB

Guess what day it is? Guess...What...Day...It...IS!! Just got a report on the Ft. Wayne Show. 11 rooms as of hump day (today) Sure wish I was there but work will keep me in Indy until Friday :(( . But Kim Winningham has it all under control. Rest assured. Annnnd... I have 8 phone calls to return tonight!! Well, we all have our roles in the club. So... it's firming up to a number of folks driving in on the day of the show with marbles to sell. Can't wait to see them!! Collections that are 30-40 years old!! Hurray!! There's nothing like seeing how collecting took place decades ago and speculating on why they collected what they did. We hope to see you there!! Nothing's gonna stop us from having a great day!! What could be better? Great old/new friends and marbles. Get yourself to Ft.Wayne this Saturday! Q

Evening folks Well... you just can't make this stuff up. Homewood Suites lost our reservation for the marble show in Ft Wayne. How does THAT happen. I don't know. BUT... I DO know that we Hoosiers are a resilient bunch. Or should I say that Kim Winningham is. She and I have been burning up the cyber phone space between Florida and Indiana for the last week or so. This is what we have settled upon. The Marble Show in Ft Wayne WILL GO ON as planned on August 6th 2022! No stopping us from having fun! New location is right next door to Homewood Suites. The following is for room reservation info or attending the day of the show: Hilton Garden Inn 8615 US Highway 24 West FT. Wayne IN 46804 260-435-1777. (Mention the Marble Show when you book your room for the show rate) Deadline is July 17th In room trading starts as early as 4 August. You all know my motto. "If I want to fight, I'll go to work and get paid for it." (I do a great deal of conflict resolution at work) However, I will make an exception from time to time. When the show is over, this may well be one of those times. Until then, hoping you have the best of luck and pleasant experiences while on the hunt for that next great find! Call Kim or me if you need anything Mike Adams 317-873-4975 Kim Winningham 765-717-0488

Hi everybody! Well... here we are again. The first marble show in 2022!! We are on! About 20 rooms so far. And our warm December weather is holding. Cross your fingers and your toes. It has been another difficult year for us all. We have lost club members and this virus continues to be a pest. But. But... we still would like to see all our friends if they are comfortable doing so. If not, we certainly will understand. Just know that our thoughts and prayers are always with you. So.. show info: January 8th 2022 10:00 - 1:00 (In room trading starts when folks get there after the 1st. No telling what day they will show up : ) ) Homewood Suites Indianapolis Northwest. 4140 West 96th Street Indianapolis IN 46268 317-870-7660 If you need info, please call: Kim Winningham 765-717-0488 Mike Adams 317-873-4975 We look forward to seeing you as always. Take care, QtheMIB.... or just Mike if you prefer

Hi Everybody. Yes!! We are planning to put on the August Indiana Show. After our former venue, Don's Guest House, decided to close for good, we were left in a lurch. But have no fear. Kim Winningham is the master scheduler! So it is with great pride, and not a little trepidation, that we will do our best to make you feel welcome. Still, I'm gonna miss those doors to the rooms off the parking lots. So about the show. We know that people are in different places regarding COVID. We also know that it is still a ways to August. Just as much has changed in the past few months in our lives, more changes will surely come in the next two months. We are ready to meet them. Our intent is to honor the person who has graciously opened their room for trading leading up to the show. What that means is this. The room owner sets the rules for the room. We respect and follow those rules. If you wish to go over and above their requests, that's fine. But at a minimum, we will honor their rules for their room. On the day of the show we will do the same for tables. All we ask is no judgement. We have all been friends for years. We always have new folks showing up to add to our number. Kim says it's about the people and she's right. So I'll leave you with this thought: Give Grace with compassion. Accept Grace with humility. We could all use a little grace from time to time. Look forward to seeing you there. QtheMIB ("Mike Adams" if you see me in the hallways : )

We also have a show in Fort Wayne Indiana in August! First weekend. That's about as close to you as I'm aware. Madison Wis is usually in October. Looking forward to meeting you this weekend!!

Hi. Mike Adams here. Our Indy Show should have good weather this year. Cold but sunny. Getting the snow out of our system this weekend. : ) We have about 25 rooms already reserved. I'm pleased to hear that we are known as a nice friendly little show. It has always been our goal to first, have a great time, laugh, see old friends and make new ones. Folks bring parts of their collections for display. Those displays will bounce your chin off the floor! You'll find some great marbles too!! All good advice above in the posts above. I'll make the following additions. Travel safe. Come with an inquisitive mind; lots of people to help with your questions. Decades of knowledge will be on hand. And last, be excited. You'll find that we are. Q

Hi everybody! Sorry to get this posted late but the club has had a few personal and health issues of late. Reminders of just how important our marble friends are to us when adversity strikes. The show is ON!! We still like being the first show of the year! INDIANA MARBLE SHOW January 7th, 2017 Comfort Inn and Suites North Pyramids 9090 Wesleyan Road Indianapolis IN 46268 (317) 875-7676 In room trading will be Thursday and Friday prior to the show - January 5th and 5th. Hotel is located right next to Indy's 465 beltway. Major interstates I69, 70, 74, 65 all converge here at the "Crossroads of America" Airport is about a 30 minute drive away. So start your new marble year with us! We have a great show with a lot of fun personalities attending. Sure to make you laugh... and if you're not careful, you just might learn a thing or two as well. You just can't beat a marble show for that ultimate learning experience where you get to actually hold the marbles! And... as some of us have found out this year, the friends you make are ones that last you a lifetime. See you there!! If you have any questions contact: Mike Adams 317 - 873- 4975 Kim Winningham 765 - 717 - 0488

I have always liked these Vitros. Well, at least since some very good friends of mine "introduced" me to how fantastic Vitros are some decades ago. Wished I'd showed them the proper respect sooner. Like a lot of collectors, I thought all big Vitros were parrots. Buttermilks were the first to change that way of thinking for me. Then I started giving these a second look. They aren't four color like obvious true parrots are. But I actually prefer them over most parrots. Must be that adventurine. But I like the boldness and simplicity too. So one day I was leafing through a book on birds and spotted a Macaw. Not just any Macaw. It was a Blue Hyacinth. The same fantastic blue as found on these great three color Vitros. So that's my name for them. They are Macaws. Blue Hyacinth, Light Blue Hyacinth and Purple Hyacinth respectively. I haven't seen them in any other color combinations. Believe me, I look.

Hi everyone I don"t post very often so I may not be doing this right. Hopefully Steph can correct my errors. :-) Our long time club president, Beth Morris, stepped away this year and I am doing my best to live up to her great leadership and example. We will be hosting our January show soon and would invite all of you to be there for the in room trading or the Saturday show itself. We look forward to your stories and sharing your great finds with us. Best part is the chase, I always say. There will be plenty of marbles to to buy/sell/trade as well. Hope to see you there!! Thanks!! Mike (QtheMIB) Q stands for Quincy which is my middle name. Mibs are just an addiction. It’s the First Marble Show of the YEAR!! And it’s in INDIANAPOLIS Happy 2016!!!!!! Indianapolis Show information: Show date and hours: January 9th, 2016 from 10:00 A.M. - 1:00 P.M. Show location: Comfort Inn and Suites conference rooms located just South of the Pyramids (Northwest side of Indy). Directions - Take exit 27 (Michigan Rd) from I- 465 and go South on Michigan Rd. Turn Left at the first stoplight onto DePauw Blvd. Turn Right onto Wesleyan Rd. at the first intersection. The Comfort Inn and Suites, 9090 Wesleyan Rd. will be on the right. Room hopping to buy/sell/ trade or swap stories: Thursday and Friday prior to the show. You can join the Indiana Marble Club at the show. Annual dues are $10.00 For room reservations please contact the Comfort Inn and Suites (317) 875-7676 For Marble Show information please contact Mike Adams (317) 873-4975

This is my first post on a marble board and I'm already having second thoughts. Long time lurker, first (and i mean first) time poster. There are reasons. Some of which are on display in this thread. The reasons I feel compelled to post are: 1) I've put on the Indinapolis show in the past and got a real education on just how much work is involved 2) I like the Ohio shows. I room trade in Canton but don't set up at the show. It's a 5 hour drive for me and recent medical issues have pretty much determined that I need to take more frequent rest breaks. So a setting up at the show and then drivng home would just about do me in. 3) I just like chasing marbles. Been doing it for over 30 years now. And I've found some great friendships along the way that extend well past when the other person no longer actively pursues the hobby. Steve puts a lot of work into his shows. Most would say it's a thankless job. It can be if no one else helps him. That's how I ended up with the Indinapolis show. A few years back the person running our Indinapolis show felt overwelmed and asked for help. Since I live only 5 minutes from the show site I thought..... "what the heck?" I soon found out what the heck when I agreed to run that show!! We had enough drama that year to last us for a while. Still, there's an annual marble show 5 minutes from my house. And you can't be that. I'd like to think that my helping out is one of the reasons it's still there. We all like to be entertained. Have someone else host the party at thier house. Get our cookies and punch and tell everbody what a great time we had. Well maybe it's time some others step up and show some of that famous Buckeye hospitality. So, about the gripes: Hotels have thier rules. No need to brow beat the people cleaning the rooms. Most hotel guests wouldn't want to do that job and certainly not for the wages they get. The hotel staff I met were courteous, competent and they smiled. I really like them. I got there long before check in as well. I just asked when check in was, got a marble case and started catching up with some old freinds. No big deal. My room was on the "back hall". Would I have liked being somewhere else? Probably. But we all have to be somewhere so that's where I was. The hotel knew I was "with the show" and picked my room for me. Not Smitty. It really didn't seem to stop people from finidng me and stopping by either. You can tactfully inform others that standing at the door to intercept walk ins isn't encouraged. The message would probably be most effective if it came from more tenured marble collectors and was shared before the day of the show. If tact doesn't work, there are other means. Marble collecting is a small comunity and we don't have to corporately accept behavior from individuals that we find distasteful. I will say that there needs to be transparency regarding costs. Again from my Indy show expirence: If people know what the costs are, they will almost always help out if they are financially able. Most of them like the show too and and don't want it to fail because of finacial reasons. Tables don't have to be the only source of income. This information won't get transferred by osmosis. Having active officers in a club with rules that share information goes a long way. Most clubs I belong to have these types of rules in order to allow members to see where their dues are going and how decisions are made. It's not that people are assuming others are dishonest. It's just good business practise and removes all doubt. The people involved shouldn't get their feeings hurt or think that others distrust them. I have a few thoughts on how to make the Canton show (any marble show for that matter) better 1) First, quit tearing it down and sticking the show promoter in the eye. Volunteer clubs, like the Buckeye Marble Club thrive on cooperation and engagement, not dissent. Fastest way out of a hole is to quit digging. 2) It does appear that the printed media is waning. Maybe that's why the ads cost so much. Maybe ask how many people who attend the room trading or the show saw it in the paper to guage ad effectiveness. (somebody needs to help do this, not Steve.) 3) For the Indy show, I wrote articles for Antique Week. When they changed their rules, I changed with them. It was free advertizing. 4) I also wrote articles for the main Indy paper in the collectible section they published. Again, free. 5) Most online papers have a "weekend" or "lets go" section. You can even post pictures of your event. 6) Years ago a local tv station broadcast their morning spotlight section from the old Columbus, IN show. Hey, we're quirky enough that we can make good press when we want to!! 5) I put up fliers in all the Indy metro antique shops/malls. Again, free except for my time. 6 We had an appraisal table at the show. Person doing the appraisal couldn't buy....and yes. That's hard on the appraiser. Trust me on this. 7) I called people before the show, urging them to attend. 8) I give marble talks to local historical and other groups each year. Yes, is it fun and no, I haven't seen one single marble from doing it. Getting more marbles wasn't the idea in the first place. Getting people excited about them was. 9) I judge marbles at our state fair every year. Long funny story about how that came to be but you'll have to look me up at a marble show to hear it. O.K. I'm up to 9, but there's more....lots more. Point is: not one of these ideas produced more than a few show goers. But together, WOW. We live in a multimedia world. You need to reach out in different ways because no one method is going to get it done anymore....which means others are going to have to help. So for all the naysaying and grousing we've basically ticked off the one person who has probably done as much as anybody for our hobby and keeps this show going. Not something to be proud of. The way I see it, the mudslinging can continue unabated (which is why I don't post) until we wear ourselves out, or we can roll up our sleeves and pitch in. To Smitty, more than a few us Hoosiers and transplanted Buckeye/Hoosiers (there might even be a Wolverine or two in there) are ready to help. You're just going to have to let us know how. It'll probably have to be from long distance and what needs to be done may not be as obvious as some might think. Some of us aren't that quick on the uptake of a hint. You've got to put away the sublety and get out the two by four. But we will help you. I for one, still want to go to a show in a state where American Marbles were born. Finally, this ended up being longer than intended. Not sure if I stepped on a few toes. I can tell you that I'll probably not respond if you are hateful in disagreeing with me. Remember what I said about drama that first year running the Indy show? Well, I also realized something else about myself. This is my hobby....and that's all it is. I'm in it to have fun. If I want to fight, I'll go to work and get paid for it. Marble on Q