Now at Chicago Boat Show

[Paul Miller]

Hi All,

Sorry, I thought I posted this event earlier.

Peter Mueller and me are at the Chicago Boat Show at McCormick Place as part of the Blackhawk Chapter of the ACBS. The ACBS was invited to show classic mahogany boats and runabouts at the show this year as a new feature. (I think also because they needed to fill some space).

The show started Wednesday and runs today Saturday 10am to 9pm and Sunday 10am to 5pm.

I have attached a picture of our display including WCHA banner at the booth. We have 9,000 sq feet of display area with lots of boats, outboard motors, and canoes. For those who don't know us yet, that's Peter on the left and me on the right in the second picture.

We are talking to lots of people. We were interviewed by John Cody of WBBM radio about our canoes and some of that got on the radio. We are getting some great exposure for the WCHA.

Anyone in the neighborhood should stop by.

Thanks,

Paul

P.S. the picture was taken before the show opened.

 

[Denis M. Kallery]

Nice! Good job Paul & Peter. Great eye catching display.
Denis

 

[Kathryn Klos]

The rack for the canoes is a great idea for these events! One of the sporting-shows in our area only gives us space enough for one canoe... but if we had a rack, we could do as you did and give the public more of an eyefull!

I love that you were able to include a canoe with a sail--- that must really draw people in! (love that bat-wing!)

Seems to me that shows like these are one of the best ways for the WCHA to get exposure. Wooden boats seem to be everyone's favorite attraction.

 

[SPLIT]

Good deal

PAUL: CONGRATS on the display / exposure. Nice report & pics.
. I know things have changed thru the ACBS & now fiberglass boats up to 1975 (?) are invited to some shows / activities. .There is a collector (king OSCAR) in the Chicago area that just started a chapter of the Glasspar boat club. Could forward his address if ever interested.
. As people are always moving stuff state to state. I know he comes to Florida for some of the shows.
. Again nice activity & pics.

 

[bredlo]

Great display! What a beautiful little island in an ocean of white, forgettable fiberglass.

In most show-goers ceaseless quest for the next GPS gadget or horsepower bump, it must be a shock to the system to suddenly round the corner and see a craft so simple - so elemental - that you can practically count the rings of the tree it was hewn from.

I can't imagine two more appropriate people to speak on behalf of our group - so thank you for making the time in your busy schedules to share our passion with others.

 

[WoodNCanvas]

Great pics....sure would be nice to see this sort of display at Toronto Boat Show

 

[Paul Miller]

Nation wide TV coverage

Hi All,

The crowds got big on Saturday and Sunday, and in part because of the TV coverage that was broadcast on Wednesday and Thursday on the Chicago stations. Many people mentioned they saw the antique and classic boats on the news and came down to see them.

The following is a link to the Blackhawk Chapter of the ACBS. You will want to watch the second one at the bottom from WGN which is on cable throughout the country. Mark mentions the oldest boat there is from 1904 and that was Peter's Canadian canoe. Watch for the end of the report as they pan behind the reporter and you will see our canoe display and the WCHA banner.

http://www.blackhawkacbs.com/

We met great people with canoe stories and seaching for more information about their old canoes. I know we generated new members.

I have posted another picture of the display during show hours with the people in the "booth".

Thanks,

Paul

P.S. We had a little girl put her sock monkey on the front seat of the Willits so her Dad could take a picture of it in the canoe. I told Peter you know you're a hit when kids want a picture of their sock monkey taken in your canoe!

 

[Rob Stevens]

Great pics....sure would be nice to see this sort of display at Toronto Boat Show

We can do that! Well, we could have. The Toronto International Boat Show ended yesterday.

We have had a WCHA booth at the MEC Paddlefest on Sunnyside Beach (Toronto) the past two years.

 

[Kathryn Klos]

It's great when wooden boats get on the news and people come in, saying they were lured by the wooden boats.

I posted a link to the news story on our WCHA facebook fan page. If anyone reading this is on facebook and hasn't "joined"... well, it's here:

http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=219179608982&ref=nf

 

[Andre Cloutier]

Yes we can!

Rob, its a date. Have to be next year, I have too much varnishing left to do.... We'll see you at the antique boat shows in Gravenhurst and Port Carling in the spring tho... Form should be done by then, we could rib it at the show if you're really ambitious....

 

[WoodNCanvas]

We can do that! Well, we could have. The Toronto International Boat Show ended yesterday.

We have had a WCHA booth at the MEC Paddlefest on Sunnyside Beach (Toronto) the past two years.

Rob, I'd be more than willing helping out with a possible booth at next year's Toronto Boat Show....and certainly can help out at the MEC Paddlefest

As Andre said in Yes we can!:

Rob, its a date. Have to be next year, I have too much varnishing left to do.... We'll see you at the antique boat shows in Gravenhurst and Port Carling in the spring tho... Form should be done by then, we could rib it at the show if you're really ambitious....

I like the idea of ribbing a canoe at show; that would be a real crowd pleaser.....and Andre, if you need any help at Gravenhurst or Port Carling shows let me know

 

[thompsonboatboy]

Congrats!!! Great news that the old classic boats and canoes were invited to the Chicago Boat Show. It is great exposure!

The vintage boat group was uninvited to display at the Minneapolis Boat Show this year. Very sad. We had a display at the show for almost the past 30 years. I went to the show, which was probably 2/3rds the size of past years. They had plenty of empty space. If they had invited us in time, we could have had another excellent display.

Oh well.

Andreas in Minneapolis

 

[Brad Koeneman]

Great work to all involved in having the WCHA at the Chicago show! Thanks for your efforts!