Greetings to all and warm wishes that this Spring issue of the Breweriana Collector magazine also delivers warm weather and sunny skies! There is lots of news to share, and here are the highlights:

• Great local shows in a challenging winter: This winter was a rough one on the weather front and challenged me to travel to some of the great breweriana shows from my home in Indianapolis. I missed shows in Frankenmuth, MI and in northern Virginia (The Rayner Johnson Memorial Blue & Gray Show) and the Hoosier Chapter’s annual “Cabin Fever Reliever.” But as of this writing I look ahead to The Queen City Chapter’s “Luck O’ the Irish” now in Cincinnati; and the ever-growing Buckeye Chapter’s show in Toledo. Many thanks to the chapters who put on events and bring warm life to our great hobby in the frigid cold of winter.

• Supporting local chapters: Speaking of chapters, we told you in the last issue how NABA continues to co-sponsor more local chapters around the country. We believe the local chapters are the strength of the hobby and must be supported, which we will do in this magazine, on our website, and on our Facebook page. We are proud to announce our newest partnership is with the Lone Star chapter of Texas. Thanks to the efforts of Charlie Staats and his great group, you’ll be seeing more breweriana and brewery histories in these pages from the Lone Star state. Be sure to check out the Upcoming Events in the back of this magazine (and in some of our ads) and attend as many as you can to support our great hobby.
  • 64 pages! Speaking of these pages, did you notice the hefty weight of this magazine? NABA members can now enjoy the largest and most extensive magazine in the hobby with the Breweriana Collector’s expansion to a whopping 64 pages! That’s an additional +24 pages full of breweriana and brewery history as compared to our Spring issue just three years ago. Thanks to efforts led by Vice President Ken Quaas and supported by Editor Lee Chichester and the BC staff, our issues will be filled with even more collector and brewery profiles, collector and brewery profiles, more pictures of beautiful breweriana, and greater geographical coverage.

   Congratulations to first-time authors Steve Bergquist and Tom Raub!. Want to advertise here? Just contact our Executive Secretary (and advertising manager) John Stanley, at jfo@mindspring.com.

• Big Convention plans: We have big plans for what will be another great annual Convention. Mark your calendars to make the pilgrimage to Cincinnati, July 31 through August 3. Beer Dave Gausepohl, Tom Waller, Scott Bristoll, Dave Reed, and others are arranging a great event, which will include an amazing bus tour of the great old breweries (and their lagering caves) of the legendary Over the Rhine District—plus the added bonus of a visit to the famed American Sign Museum. See the story with more juicy details on pg. 46. There are just 53 seats on the bus that will sell out fast, so get your registrations in early!

• Reserve your spot: For the first time, you can sign up and pay for the Convention on our newly-revamped website: www.nababrew.com. You also can fill out and mail in the form that came with this magazine. You can reserve your hotel room via the NABA website or by calling the Cincinnati Airport Marriott directly at 859- 586-0166 to get the special NABA room rate of $99 (with free parking and Wi-Fi). Many thanks go to our extraordinary webmaster, Dan Bora, for his terrific work on our website.

  Finally, a sincere thank you to all for being NABA members. We also want to extend a warm welcome to our new members. NABA is committed to supporting your breweriana expertise and collecting, and to growing our great hobby. Happy Collecting!

John Ferguson, President

Fergkate@comcast.net