C4OA Meeting

Was just wondering if a date has been set for the meeting at the Nevada State Museum for the C4OA club this coming summer 2011. Saving like crazy to hopefully make the trip out there this time.

Loosechange

Future C4OA Regional Meetings - An Open Letter to Members

From C4OA Life Member Bruce Thayer

I'm sure everyone who has attended any of the C4OA meetings in Carson City along with the traditional banquet dinner at Adele’s would agree that these events are nothing short of terrific. Since the first one I attended a few years ago, each subsequent meeting has included more participants and more all around flavor than the last. The sheer amount of high quality coins, ephemera, personal experiences, and friendships derived from common interests in all things Carson City related, has simply been extraordinary.

If asked whether we should continue having such meetings, I am certain that any past participating C4OA member would respond positively. So then, why aren't such events planned at least a couple times a year?

Last year, with quite a bit of direction from Rusty and support from the Southgate Coins staff, I personally spearheaded the August 27, 2010 C4OA meeting, which was held in the old Carson City Mint building, now the Nevada State Museum. Senior club member, Michael Parrott, helped me with the table and chair rentals, which we had to pick up north of Reno, in Sparks. Jeff Shaw, Mike Wagner and a few others helped us lug the tables and chairs out of the trucks and up to the auditorium’s second floor, and then reverse the process after the meeting.

Other meeting details included: Publishing regular notifications about the upcoming event, scheduling speakers, planning the meeting's raffle, printing raffle tickets, soliciting raffle prize donations, organizing the show-and-tell session, arranging the traditional post-meeting dinner banquet, requesting and collecting RSVPs for same, collecting dinner deposits, coordinating each individual dinner reservation with Adele's (including seating arrangements and specialty food items if necessary), and a host of other tasks.

Admittedly, none of this work is rocket science; but it requires a time-consuming organizational effort and at least eight months advance planning in order to smoothly host one of our jam-packed meetings, followed by the members’-only banquet.

I own and operate a complex, multistate business that does not leave me with much personal- or family-time. While I thoroughly enjoyed the experience of coordinating the August C4OA meeting in Carson City last year, I will not be able to commit to the planning and coordination of a similar C4OA meeting in 2011. The Nevada State Museum, as far as I know, will sponsor a coin show in Carson City in 2011, although it has not yet announced the dates.

You might wonder if a regional C4OA meeting in Carson City in August is scheduled for 2011. The answer, unfortunately, is no. You see, our club president, Rusty Goe, can no longer carry the full responsibility for planning and carrying out C4OA meetings and, as I mentioned above, I cannot commit to the task.

The bottom line is this:

There is currently no organized group of volunteer members within the C4OA to assume this responsibility. Unless previously unheard-from C4OA volunteers step forward and take charge, totally independent of Rusty's and Southgate Coins’s guidance, there will be no future regional meetings.

I was honored to contribute my small part, in spearheading the 2010 regional meeting, to the C4OA's continuing mission statement:
To increase knowledge on the subject of the Carson City Mint and the many fascinating coins produced there, and to promote camaraderie among fellow "CC" enthusiasts.

This club has such great potential and so much to offer everyone from the expert numismatist to the complete novice. I hope other members will step up and keep the ball rolling. If they do, I will be there to help, though only as my business obligations allow.

Kindest regards...Bruce Thayer
Seattle Washington
Life Member #25-0496

I am deeply saddened by this news...although totally understanding at the same time. I myself would not be able to pull-off an undertaking of this magnitude by myself.

I do hope that some of our members who have skill, experience and/or knowledge in the areas of meeting management would be able to somehow step up and offer to take this project on. Along with Bruce, I'll be very willing to help load, un-load, pick up/return tables and chairs and other tasks involved.

Michael the drummer

Why would we need tables? Why can't we just get enough chairs into the room so everyone could sit comfortably. It would make for a more simple set up and keep expense down. Perhaps the museum might even have enough chairs on hand to accommodate for the meeting, if not then we only would have to get chairs. Do we really need tables?
-Randy-

This years annual Coin show at the Nevada State Museum now has dates confirmed of August 26th and 27th, 2011 from 0830am to 0430pm both days.

I have just completed a "2" year run as President of my local coin club in which I had the responsibility of organizing and running two meeting nights a month, a club which holds one of the largest local monthly coin shows in the United States in which we have over 75 to 85 tables sold on average at each 3rd Sunday show and a membership of between 220 to 250 paid members per year. This was not even counting special event days like Club picnics and the yearly Banquet, etc. It takes "alot" of dedication and effort to say the least to run a Club of this magnitude!

It was quite a learning experience for me! I learned alot about the business end of Numismatics, but more importantly, I learned even more about myself. I have found the C4OA to be the same type of rewarding experience ever since it began back with issue number 1 of Curry's Chronicle! What incredible friendships I have made in this Club!

Living on the opposite end of the United States has it's certain disadvantages when you have a passion for anything "CC". It would be great to become more involved with this club but the distance unfortunately has it's drawbacks. I cannot begin to say how much I have looked forward to our yearly meeting get together in Carson City.

I wanted to throw a possible suggestion out on the table regarding this very subject. Does anyone believe someone would be willing to organize this years event if money was raised to pay a fee to someone willing to do so? Would or could this even be considered an option? Would anyone know of someone who would be able to commit their time and effort if they were to be paid for doing so?

The past few years, this event has simply been such a rewarding experience for all in attendance, perhaps someone has any or other solutions/ideas to keep a Club meeting for the annual Carson City Coin show this coming August as an option?

deepsouthspike.............

I know where you're coming from, deepsouthspike. I am a former two term president (two years each term four years total) and still very involved with my local coin club as well and have an understanding of the involvement that goes on in its orginizing. I am disappointed in this news about the likelihood of no meeting this year with the Carson City coin show. I am hopeful that something would develope in the eleventh hour and there would be some kind of solution. What I can't understand is, why are there not more members weighing in here, with their thoughts or ideas on this very important subject. A Carson City coin club should have a meeting in Carson City.