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May 13, 2005
ATA to Host All-Topical Show in Milwaukee
National Topical Stamp Show, to be held
June 17 – 19, 2005, is rolling out the red carpet, both literally and
figuratively, for their guests. The Milwaukee, Wisconsin, show, to be
held at the Four Points Sheraton by Milwaukee Airport, will offer some
new and exciting dimensions to the largest all-topical show to be held
in the United States.
Sponsored by the American Topical
Association, the annual convention and stamp exhibition travels to
different major cities each year. This year it is being brought back to
Milwaukee, Wisconsin, the birthplace of the ATA, having been founded
there by Jerry Husak in 1949.
The show hotel is located across from
General Billy Mitchell International Airport at 4747 South Howell
Avenue, Milwaukee. There is free shuttle service to and from the
airport as well as free parking within yards of the show entrance and
free admission. The exhibition is located in the Baton Rouge Ballroom.
Hours will be 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Friday and Saturday, and 10 a.m. to 4
p.m. Sunday.
A large welcoming red carpet, donated by
the Milwaukee ATA Chapter 5, will transport guests into a topical
paradise of 200 frames of topical/thematic exhibits and 46 dealer
tables. A USPS substation will offer special cancellations each day of
the show. The United Nations Postal Administration will also be
present.
In addition, each day of the show will offer collectors an opportunity
to add other philatelic related items to their collections. On Friday,
vendors offering stamp craft related items will be set up in the
hallway leading to the exhibition floor. The Cachet Maker’s bourse will
take place Saturday afternoon in the same hallway. A half-dozen cover
dealers will sell their own designs for first-day and other special
event covers. This will follow with a special day for postcard dealers
on Sunday.
Three topical related themes have been
selected to showcase Wisconsin philatelically. A contest was held to
choose design artwork for the cachet and cancellations. Dave Bennett
won the contest. His animal cartoon art very nicely carries through the
themes for each of the days. Friday’s theme is Native Americans of
Wisconsin. The cachet envelope uses the Ho-Chunk Bag stamps from the
2004 Art of the American Indian series. Wildlife animals native to
Wisconsin are featured on Saturday’s cover. The white-tailed deer, red
hawk, chipmunk, wild turkey, and the black bear from the 2005 Northeast
Deciduous Forest issue are being used on the covers. A salute to
Wisconsin Olympians is depicted on Sunday’s cover with the stylized
Greek Runner from the 2004 Olympic issue being used for the stamp.
Covers are $2.00 each or all three for $5.00. A large SASE is required.
When ordering, please specify which covers you want. Cover orders may
be placed with MaryAnn Bowman, P.O. Box 1451, Waukesha, WI 53187.
Kicking off the show will be a first day
ceremony for a Jules Verne Souvenir Sheet for the 100th anniversary of
his death. It will be issued by the Caribbean nation of Nevis. The
stamp depicts the American actor Pat Boone and commemorates the 50th
anniversary of the beginning of his recording career. Boone starred in
the 1959 version of Journey to the Center of the Earth.
Inter-Governmental Philatelic Corporation is the new-issue agency for
Nevis. New this year will be the
opportunity to have the ATA topical checklists printed on demand. Visit
the American Topical Association’s table to find out whether a
checklist exists on your collecting topic. Currently, the ATA has over
450 lists available to their membership. These lists will be printed
out while you wait and is an invaluable resource saving you hours of
time for only pennies per page.
Also new this year are a
series of six different seminars to appeal to topical/thematic
collectors whether beginners or advanced. Friday morning’s seminar will
be led by George Griffenhagen and Jerry Husak. The 1 ˝ hour Getting
Started in Thematic Collecting will cover such topics as what is
topical and thematic collecting, how to begin thinking about a
thematic, why people collect, where to do the basic research, acquiring
material, as well as basic storage and arrangement for enjoyment.
Mary Ann Owens will lead
Friday afternoon’s Advanced Thematic Collecting seminar. Topics to be
included are different places to find material for your collection,
variety of philatelic material for thematic development, and where to
learn more about a chosen topic or theme.
Saturday’s topical thematic
seminars will focus on helping the exhibitor. The morning session,
Thematic Exhibiting: Getting Started, will be given by Roland Essig and
discussion will center on the building and improving of the first
thematic exhibit and how it will be judged. The Advanced Topical
Exhibiting seminar will be held in the afternoon and will be led by
Joseph Frasch, Jr. Topics include refining the exhibit after showing it
a few times and getting critique forms from the show and ideas from the
judges.
The AAPE Meeting (American
Association of Philatelic Exhibitors) led by Phillip Stager is an open
forum on exhibiting and will be held Saturday at 3:00 P.M. It will be
followed by the Judges’ Critique of the Exhibits at 4:00 P.M.
Sunday’s topical/thematic
seminars will include a morning session presented by Alan Hanks. Topics
to be discussed at the ATA Topical/Thematic Judging Seminar include
going for the gold at national shows and planning to exhibit at
international level. In the afternoon, Other Thematic Exhibits will be
discussed. Single frame and display class are featured with discussion
on the similarities and differences from multi-frame thematic exhibits.
Fred Ziemann and Larry Nix will present.
Many ATA study units will be
meeting during the course of the show. These include: Ships on Stamps,
Biology, Philatelic Lepidopterists, Americana , Medical Subjects,
Lighthouse, Europa, Collectors of Religion, Journalists, Authors, and
Poets on Stamps, and Space Study Units. See accompanying schedule for
time and place.
Two seminars geared for the
postcard collectors are also planned. On Sunday morning, Bob Koehler
will give a talk on the Evolution of the Postcard and will use
Milwaukee and Wisconsin cards to illustrate the evolution from
pre-linen, linen, chromes, etc. Attendees are also invited to bring
along examples from their own collections for valuation. Roy Marks will
present a program titled “Disney and Beyond”. It is a postcard trip
celebrating 50 years of Disneyland and Disney World followed by an open
talk concerning other types of postcards.
Ellis Bromberg will present
“Celebrating 350 Years of Jewish Life in America on Stamps”. This year,
Jewish Americans are celebrating the 350th anniversary of the arrival
of the first Jews in what was to become the United States. The story of
Jewish life in and contributions to America is told through US and
world stamps.
Mary Ann Owens is presenting
a relatively new concept in topical/thematic collecting that combines
the interest that people have in genealogy with stamp collecting on
Sunday afternoon. Thematic Genealogy will focus on the collecting and
arranging of philatelic material to highlight family members and events
in your genealogy.
It is recognized that not
everyone attending the show is a stamp collector. Special programs have
been planned for Friday to draw in additional visitors and to attract
spouses. Women’s groups and Red Hat Society members will find Gretchen
Potter’s “A Hat for Every Occasion: Berets, Bowlers, and Boaters” to be
entertaining as well as informative. Gretchen has been collecting hats
for the past ten years and includes Gibson girl picture hats from the
1900s, flapper hats from the 20s, slouch hats from the 30s, and tiny
cocktail hats from the 40s. The best thing about Gretchen’s collection
is “the hat on” experience. Attendees get to try on the hats, look in
the mirror, and strut their stuff. A one frame Red Hats on Stamps will
be exhibited in the room.
Another program of interest
to non-collectors is one on Bookplates, also presented by Gretchen
Potter. Bookplates are a distant cousin of stamps – both are miniature
works of art. Gretchen inherited a collection of bookplates from her
great uncle. In the 1900s, wealthy people often commissioned artists to
create bookplates to declare ownership when books were lent from their
libraries. She has over 5000 different plates. Some of the notable
personalities are: Edgar Rice Burroughs, Franklin D. Roosevelt, Charlie
Chaplin, Woodrow Wilson, Bennett Cerf, and H.L. Mencken.
A “Make-It-Take-It” workshop
will be offered for a two-hour period of time on Friday afternoon.
Visitors can come and go as they please. The informal session is
devoted to creating note cards, bookmarks, decorated envelopes, etc.
using a variety of crafting techniques and postage stamps.
A colorful and upbeat stamp
unveiling for the USPS “Let’s Dance” issue will be Friday at 4:00 P.M.
Milwaukee Postmaster, Kim Peters, will introduce the guest dancers from
East Towne Ballroom Studios and unveil the stamp designs. The dancers
will present background information and then demonstrate each of the
four Latin American dances to be featured on this upcoming U.S.
commemorative stamp issue.
Other soon-to-be-issued U.S.
stamps play a role at NTSS. Throughout the three-day show, a Road Rally
Scavenger Hunt will be offered. Answer five questions correctly by
looking for clues on the convention floor. All winning entries will
receive a free first day cover of one of the Sporty Cars of the 1950s,
an upcoming issue. Check out the display of Airplanes on Stamps. Ten
37˘ commemorative stamps depicting aircraft (American Advances in
Aviation) will be issued on July 29, 2005, in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, and
Vienna, Virginia. Oshkosh is home to the EAA – Experimental Aircraft
Association and its museum.
In addition to a Youth Area
with activities for those 12 and under, a Beginners Area will also be
staffed and offer opportunities for adults and teen collectors to
experience hands-on activities geared toward their interests and
abilities. The areas will have lots of material and advice for
collectors of all ages. Nearby a dealer table will offer inexpensive
stamps and covers for 10˘ and $1.
Beginning and novice youth
collectors were invited to submit “stepping stone” exhibits of 4 and 8
pages. The ATA recognizes that not all youth have the time and material
to jump right into competitive exhibiting with 16 pages. The emphasis
is on encouragement of future topical collecting and exhibiting.
Entries will be on display. Prizes will be awarded by age categories.
The evening social events
offer visitors the opportunity to unwind after a day of attending
seminars, viewing exhibits and visiting dealers. The President’s
Reception on Friday evening, June 17, will be held at Sprecher Brewery
in their indoor beer garden. The microbrewer is well known in the area
for its gourmet sodas and European-style beer. Guests will have an
opportunity to tour the facility, listen to live jazz music from “Two
Guys and a Bassist”, and enjoy refreshments. A special surprise awaits
those who attend this event. Tickets are required.
The ATA Awards Banquet will
be held Saturday evening. Tickets are required. The exhibits are vying
for awards in the American Philatelic Society World Series of Philately
competition. The grand award winner will be invited to participate in
the 2006 Champion of Champions competition. In addition to the
traditional standard five-level medal awards, a number of special
awards will be offered. The jury for the exhibition will be chaired by
Ann Triggle and include members Phillip Stager, Vincent Lucas,
Frederick Lawrence, and Kent Williams. In addition to the announcement
of the awards, MaryAnn Bowman will sign the roll of Distinguished
Topical Philatelists. A tour of the exhibits follows the banquet.
Two tours are planned in
conjunction with the show. Thursday’s tour will be of the city of
Milwaukee. It will visit the Quadracci Pavilion addition to the
Milwaukee Art Museum to watch the wings of the beautiful Calatrava
Center open and close. The renowned Spanish architect of the same name
designed it. The tour will continue with a drive past the architecture
of downtown Milwaukee and the newly constructed Miller Park Stadium. It
will stop at the Mitchell Park Horticultural Conservatory for a tour of
their three glass domes. The indoor botanical gardens feature tropical,
arid, and floral displays. Each of the three one-acre domes is seven
stories high allowing mature trees to grow inside. The tour guide has
retired from working at the Domes and will be able to provide many
interesting facts about this landmark. Tickets are required.
On Monday, following the
show, a full day’s trip to The House on the Rock is planned. Visitors
to the show will enjoy Wisconsin’s countryside as they travel to their
destination. This architectural marvel was designed by Alex Jordan and
is perched on a 60 foot chimney of rock. The complex of buildings and
gardens cover more than 200 acres. The “Infinity” room. The world’s
largest carousel, animated room-size music boxes, and other collections
will amaze the first time visitor. Tickets are required.
For additional information on the American Topical Association
contact the ATA Central Office, PO Box 57, Arlington, Texas 76004-0057 (telephone
817-274-1181; fax 817-274-1184; email
americantopical@msn.com; or visit their website at
www.americantopicalassn.org.
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