Message from the President March 2023

A Fun Week in Wisconsin in July

Hello fellow ICGA Member, I hope your holidays went great and that 2023 has been treating you right. The weather has been very challenging for carnival glass collectors in general in the USA and Canada (crazy warm followed by crazy cold, then repeat again and again). No one ever wants a visit from the Ping Fairy (you know, that horrible creature that visits your carnival collection in the winter, you hear a loud “PING!” and then you discover that one of your pieces decided it was time to spontaneously chip or crack because of the rapidly changing temperatures). I know many people who, as I, have some carnival glass near windows and you always worry a little bit about whether those windows are insulated enough to keep you from a carnival tragedy.

Cold temperatures won’t be in the equation when we hold our 2023 Annual Convention in Brookfield, Wisconsin on July 5-8th. Even though this will be the furthest north ICGA has been in many moons, the warmth of the summer will be giving us great sunshine and fun in the land of amazing cheese. Our schedule has come together pretty swiftly and it is sure to entice you to attend.

We kick things off in the best possible way, the same as we have many times, and that is with an ice cream social on Wednesday. Summer get-togethers with family always involves ice cream, and its a marvelous way to catch up in person with friends. I always wonder what wonderful pieces people have added to their collections, and I want to hear how the pieces were obtained (either in a tense auction battle, or a random discovery in a small town, or even on a fishing trip when something shiny at the bottom of the river caught your eye and you discovered it was a one-of-akind super rarity. It’s been known to happen)!

On Thursday, the convention kicks off in earnest with an afternoon carnival seminar, and then our pizza buffet and a carnival glass-themed game in the early evening. There may be prizes, there may be a lot of laughs, but there will definitely be a lot of memories. ICGA has had some legendary carnival games in the past. Who remembers Shirley Patterson nailing people with silly spray? That time everyone ran around on stick horses? Harold Cox’s middle name was a tie breaker in a trivia contest at one of these games even). Come enjoy the fun with us and you may just win.

On Friday, we have our new way of presenting a display room: Carnival Display Roundtables. Think of it as having several display rooms all in one. At each table, you get to see a display and hear all about it. With so many diverse display themes already being worked on, it’s going to spin your head. Which display table will be the best? You decide!

Friday afternoon launches the auction preview and we have one heck of a beautiful collection for you to bid on! We have a fantastic collection at auction in Bob and Sherry Cyza’s meticulously curated choices of color and pattern, and I cannot wait! This is one of those collections where you will want to go home with several pieces, and many bidders will be of a like mind and want to stop you. Can they? We’ll find out!

Friday evening brings the banquet dinner and it’s going to be a fantastic buffet, followed by a fantastic seminar. Titled “Imperial Blues and Whimsies Too”, Dick and Sherry Betker are going to let you in on some of the best carnival glass in their collection, stuff that just isn’t seen (and certainly not to this level of quality). As someone who has a very similar aesthetic in carnival glass as the Betkers, this seminar is going to be one of my faves. You need to join us there so we can discuss all of it afterwards (probably with wide eyes)!

And on Saturday, the auction. What will be the BIG PIECE that everyone is talking about after the auction? There are several that could certainly qualify. Hopefully you come and find what you are seeking!

Hotel Reservations are open now at the Embassy Suites by Hilton Milwaukee Brookfield, 1200 S Moorland Rd., Brookfield, WI 53005 (the same hotel that Lincoln Land used the past couple of years, a really wonderful property). To make your reservations, call (262) 782-2900 and give them Group Code “ICG” to get our rate of $149 per night (which includes breakfast buffet and the manager’s reception each night.) If you have any problems making a reservation, go ahead and make them and then contact me and we will get it straightened out. If you want to make your reservations online, visit the convention page on our website at www.internationalcarnivalglass.com and click the link there to make your reservations. Registration is open and you will find the registration in this issue of the Pump. If you prefer to register online, visit our website to do to.

We are looking forward to enjoying the 4th of July this year, followed immediately by our convention. Hope to see you there!

Brian