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Posted By: Stephen Mitchell

Having the good fortune (by virtue of a near-cross country move in late 1980) of living within driving distance of the first five Nationals, I recall vividly the enthusiasm felt for that first national. Quite literally, many dealers looked forward to the second National before pulling away from the first!

The second (Detroit area) was excellent as Lloyd and Carol Torpe went beyond their usual excellence which made the Midwest Show just about the nation's best in those days.

St. Louis (the third) is the show we remember best for literally selling out everything we brought by Sunday noon.

Chicago (the 4th) - now THAT'S "My Kind of Town": Best crowd, best sales and non-stop action for a week. (Remember, the USPS issued the Babe Ruth stamp a couple of days before showtime.)

Finally, Parsippany, NJ (National #5), although a bit of a letdown from Chicago, was still excellent.

The worst? Anaheim 1991. While we did not set up at Anaheim, we flew down only to spend nearly as much time in line as we did getting into and out of military service. Anaheim was so overwhelming we left a day early - and were glad to be gone!