NIMO X, Crystal Lake, IL, 25 April, 2004
As I'd attended last year's event, I received a flyer from the club that included categories, rules, and an entry blank. It may also have included directions, but I didn't need them as it was the fourth year I'd attended this event. While I'd rather not go to shows on Sunday, they hold the event in a Junior College and Sunday is the only available day. Unlike the previous years, this year's event was held in the gym. This isn't as cozy as the cafeteria, but it does allow for the entire event to be held in one large room.
I had copied and filled out my entry forms prior to arriving so the registration went smoothly. This club had contest and general admission tables separate so it sped things up quite a bit. A downside is that the club used a red ink for a hand stamp and this ink easily transferred itself to my clothing when I put my hand in my pants pocket. A very poor choice and one which the club should revise. As a result, I will refuse to allow any club to stamp my hand for admission in the future so they'll need to come up with a better way to keep track of who has paid or not. I suggest either name tags or some other sort of non-invasive method.
Entry was, I believe, $4 that included one model and $1 for each additional model. The club also provided a 'display only' table or two, which was quickly filled up with some superb models.
The contest room was full of vendors and the contest tables were elevated, which made looking at models easier for adults and kept small hands away. Since half of the group sponsoring the event was a car club, there were many automotive categories. The other categories were split as needed, but to be honest, there were not that many non-automotive entrants. I had expected a lot more based on previous years. This is the third show I've attended this year where the entries were down from previous years.
Crystal Lake has always had a great raffle and this year was no exception. Cost was $5 for 6 tickets and there were drawings every half hour, starting at 10 AM. Each prize had a ticket attached and the other half of the ticket was placed in a box from which the winners drew. This prevented the mad rush to grab an award and ensured that even at the end there was good stuff available. To this reviewer, the raffle is as big a draw as the contest or the vendors so it is in the best interest of the club holding the event to do well in this area. It is also where a great deal of the event's profits are made.
With the event held in the gym, there were bleachers available so one could sit down and relax. There were also other rest areas in the area. Refreshments were provided by a lunch trailer parked outside. However, with a cool and windy day as well as nowhere to sit outside, it didn't get much use. For lunch, the city of Crystal Lake is but a few miles away with lots of restaurants. We asked a local where was the best place to eat and he suggested a place called the Crystal Palace. By far this is one of the best restaurants I've visited on any of my various trips. The amount of food was incredible and amazingly inexpensive. I ordered pork chops and got what I first thought were two t-bone steaks they were that large. In fact, there was so much food that I was unable to finish it all and had to skip the desert. Best of all, soup, salad, meal, drink, and desert was only $10! Highly recommended if you make the trip next year. My thanks to the fellow who recommended it!
The judging went pretty quickly (probably due to the dearth of entries in many categories), and though they insisted on announcing every single award, the awards ceremony was not as tedious as some I've attended. Awards were quite nice plastic stand up awards with brass plates. In most cases, these had the category on the award There were also a wide variety of vendors from the reasonable (with whom I managed to spend a bit of $$), to the ridiculous (who got none of my funds). I really don't see how a vendor can sell 'common stuff' at retail (or in several cases higher) at one of these events. Most go to get deals as we can buy retail from our local shop or on-line just about any time.
It is an event that I have always enjoyed and if you live in the Chicago area and are able to attend, I recommend it.