Hello Fellow NABA Members!

I’ve been a NABA member for more than 40 years, and one of the biggest benefits of being a part of NABA is attending our wonderful conventions and meeting so many terrific people from across the country. One of those great people is Reino Ojala, who has attended 50 straight conventions, and I hope he will be at his 51st in Pittsburgh from Aug 2-6. Unlike Rei, I have not made it to the convention every year. Sometimes other things in life got in the way.

That may be true of you, too. But I hope it’s not the case this year, because we’ve got such a great agenda planned for you in Pittsburgh! There is a packed itinerary full of new and interesting events like The Back Bar and Speakeasy, as well as the popular traditional ones, like the Bus Tour and Brewmaster’s Dinner. Please read all about it in this issue on pages 8-10.

And how about that NABA convention hallmark—room-to-room trading? There will be plenty of that, especially as we already have record room bookings, exceeding last year’s 50th convention in Milwaukee, our previous all-time high.

But wait, there’s more! Co-packed with this issue of the magazine is your registration and merchandise ordering form. If you register for the convention by May 31 (must be postmarked by then), you will receive a custom-made, limited run tin-over-cardboard sign absolutely FREE!

NABA Convention Auction: Please support our annual auction where your items will have the same worldwide sales audience enjoyed by Morean Auctions, our partner again this year. Proceeds from this auction go to NABA’s operating funds, which enable us to avoid raising dues or the convention registration fee, despite dealing with inflation. See details on the next page for consigning.

NABA Leadership: As NABA grows in membership and regional expansion, so does its membership committee. We are excited to add Jared Sanchez of Oshkosh, WI to this outstanding team.

This magazine: Thank you to all who contributed to our seventh 80-pager in a row. And welcome to our new Associate Editor, Doug Hoverson of Minneapolis, MN.