The 2016 National Show!
July 28-30, 2016
Muncie, IN
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The 2016 National Show!July 28-30, 2016
Muncie, IN |
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The 47th National insulator show was held in Muncie, Indiana at the Horizon Convention Center. Bob Stahr and Rick Soller hosted the show. This was a brand new venue with a large show hall and excellent accommodations. Collector excitement was high as Muncie, IN was home to the Hemingray Glass Company, likely the largest maker of glass insulators in the US over their time in business. A highlight of the show was a factory tour of the old Hemingray glass plant. Roger Lucas and Darin Cochran, two of the most experienced collectors with regards to the Hemingray site and glass dumps, volunteered their time to provide tours over all three days of the show to allow all who wanted to attend! The Saturday awards banquet had excellent food and concluded with the display awards, the presentation of one NIA Lifetime Membership award, a new induction into the NIA Hall of Fame and four NIA President's awards. The show featured 17 excellent displays plus the NIA educational exhibit on artificially colored insulators. Each displayer received a great award with a CD 162 Hemingray-19 on a pin along with a full color label with the show logo. Feedback from dealers and collectors alike was very positive!
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Show hosts Bob Stahr and Rick Soller |
A highlight of the show was the Hemingray factory site tour. Much of the original factory has been destroyed or put to alternate use but there remains a number of buildings from the original factory. Roger Lucas and Darin Cochran provided tours via a van that included several stops to observe historic and interesting areas in the plant. Below are some pictures taken along the way:
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Repurposed buildings previously used for sand storage |
Roger Lucas and Darin Cochran |
View of the remaining factory buildings |
Historic Marker |
Front marking - funded by the NIA |
Rear marking |
Sign base with colorful shards found at the site |
Chimney base |
Inside abandoned building |
Another view |
Hemingray insulators in-use at the plant |
Hemingray spools in-use at the plant |
Factory building using Hemingray glass blocks |
Another building view |
The Saturday night awards banquet was well attended and in addition to the numerous display awards there were several significant NIA awards given out:
NIA Hall of Fame was started in 2012 and we had one inductee this year:
Dick Bowman (Webster, NY) Hobby pioneer
One Lifetime Membership (The NIA's highest award) presented:
Lee and Tammy Brewer (Chambersburg, PA)
Four President's Awards were given:
Curt Boster (Pickerington, OH) - 23 year NIA member and current co-coordinator of the annual Springfield Ohio show
Vickie McConnachie (Corrales, NM) - Outgoing NIA Membership Director
Paul Greaves (Granite Bay, CA) - 8 years as the NIA Authentication & Classification committee
Steve Roberts (Madison, TN) - Outgoing NIA Executive Secretary and our new President!
At the conclusion of the NIA general meeting was the announcement of next years National show. It will be held in Colorado Springs, CO with Dan Gauron, Mike Green and Dave Baron as hosts. LINK
For more details on this great show, check out the links below.
National shows are unlike anything else in the hobby. It is the one time of year where collectors from across the globe get together and meet.
Show Schedule |
Show hall layout |
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