Saturday, June 29, 2024, DuPage County Fairgrounds, Wheaton, IL
This may have been my first card show in Wheaton but I have a long history with this city and feel right at home any time I happen to be there. Here is my story with Wheaton:
I graduated from the University of Arizona in 1990 with a journalism degree. After graduation, I tried to stay out in Tucson but could not find any work. The U.S.A. was in the throes of the first Gulf War and the economy was in a recession. There were no jobs. The editor of the Arizona Daily Star shouted at me when I called: "Don't you know we are in the middle of a war? We are not hiring!"
I sent my resume to little newspapers all over the Southwest but could not land an interview. I probably should have just gotten a job at Burger King so I could pay my rent and stay in Tucson but I was determined to work as a newspaper reporter after all that schooling. By April of 1991, I was flat broke and thought my only option to work at a newspaper was back home in the Midwest. So, I loaded my car with my few belongings, just some clothes, record albums and books, and drove home to Northbrook, Illinois, and moved back in with my parents.
Boy, that was depressing. I sent out five to 10 resumes every day to newspapers all over the Midwest. Nothing. I did land some interviews here and there. If I was not working on cover letters, my mother was on my tail to get a job. I was trying! I could not make one magically appear!
Eventually, I was able to land a free-lance gig with a small weekly paper in Lake County, Illinois. My job was to cover the Village of Lincolnshire, and oddly enough, that is where I currently live. Lincolnshire is a very small suburb of Chicago made up of a few neighborhoods, some small retail areas and a small corporate area. No downtown to speak of. When I was growing up in nearby Northbrook, Lincolnshire was pretty much made up of all farms. There are about 5,000 residents there now -- even less in 1991.
Back then, there was no village hall and the village board met in a party room at the Benihana Japanese Steak House. I covered the board meetings. Typed up stories and mailed them via USPS to the newspaper. There was no internet and email available back in 1991. That stuff was just beginning and in its raw stage. I think I got paid like 20 bucks per article. I earned around $100 a month, not enough to move out of my parents' house.
Desperate to work at a daily newspaper, I was able to land a non-paying internship with the Daily Herald, a daily newspaper based in the suburbs of Chicago. I worked at the Herald's DuPage County Bureau located in the Village of Lisle, right next to Wheaton. I put in a good 50 hours a week, non-paying, at the Herald in the hopes they would like my work and work ethic and offer me a paying job.
After two months of working my tail off for free, the Herald hired me full-time for a big seven bucks an hour. Not much money but enough to move in with some buddies down by Wrigley Field in Chicago. More importantly, I had worked hard to obtain my journalism degree at the University of Arizona and I had met my goal of working at a daily newspaper. It was a great feeling to finally be a paid, full-time newspaper reporter.
That drive out from Wrigley Field to Lisle every day was brutal, about an hour to an hour and a half each way. I found myself eating all of my meals in the car. I practically lived in my car because my job at the Herald was to cover village board meetings, park district meetings and school board meetings all over DuPage County.
For example, I would cover a Wheaton Park District meeting from say 7 p.m. to 9 p.m., stick around once the meeting ended to interview the board members and get some quotes for some articles, then go back to the Herald office in Lisle and type up three or four articles. Sometimes I would have to find a pay phone and call in an article from the board meeting to the night copy desk in Arlington Heights. It could be stressful but it was a great experience. I learned a lot.
Though, as a cub reporter, I was generally given all of the crap jobs. One of which was to go to the DuPage County Courthouse several nights a week and pull all of the criminal misdemeanor and felony files and type up the police blotter. The current DuPage County Courthouse had just moved into its new digs from the old Victorian building in Downtown Wheaton to the modern buildings on County Farm Road, adjacent to the Fairgrounds.
The police files were located in the basement, in a room with four of five desks with folks about my age typing the up the handwritten police files and entering them into a computer database. I had a notebook and would have to write down all the info then go back to the office and type up the police blotter. Often folks would call me at the Herald office and beg me not to put their crimes into the police blotter. However, I was not given any discretion and the managing editor ordered me to type up every single crime.
My first visit to the DuPage County Fairgrounds occurred that summer of 1991 when I was assigned to cover the DuPage County Fair. My editor told me to find the 4H Club and write up some articles about the animal and agricultural competitions. I sat in and viewed a goat competition. I interviewed the participants and the judges and learned all about goats and how they are judged at the county fair competition. The focus of my article was on judging goat udders. Back at the Herald office, which was a big newsroom with 30 or 40 desks of reporters, I was the laughing stock. I was the udder boy and they all made fun of me. That sucked. I posted a copy of that old article below.
After a year at the Herald, working my tail off, doing whatever was asked of me, the managing editor pulled me into his office. He complimented my work but said he had to let me go because ad revenues were down due to the recession and they could no longer afford my big $7 an hour salary. Depressing. My initial relationship with DuPage County and Wheaton came to an end.
Years later, I would return to the DuPage County Courthouse as a lawyer. For the last 20 years, I have been handling cases at the DuPage County Courthouse and continue my relationship with Wheaton.
So, I was in familiar territory when I drove to the Fairgrounds Saturday morning. I drove through the towns of Carol Stream and Glendale Heights where I covered many municipal government meetings for the Herald. I drove past the Courthouse where I spent those early days in the basement and now represent clients in the courtrooms upstairs.
This was promoters John and Mike's first show at the DuPage County Fairgrounds. They are always looking for new locations to host shows and I suggested the DuPage County Fairgrounds. The show was held in one of the large expo buildings. I had been in this building before at one of the all-night flea markets. I met the actor who played Eddie Munster there. He was signing autographs.
John and Mike had placed a large number of signs on the streets around the building which were so helpful and finding it. My initial reaction when driving down County Farm Road was to park at the courthouse and go to one of the court rooms. Thanks to the signs, I found the right location, parked and loaded in.
John and Mike always create a vintage row at their shows and I was placed in-between my pals Dave and Mikey. Also set up in vintage row this day was Barry, Tom, Dennis and Gary. Behind Mikey was Ray, who also has vintage.
Huge show with 220 tables. I brought out two display cases of graded cards and most of my baseball binders. With this being their first show in Wheaton, I did not know what to expect. I figured it would probably be like their show in nearby St. Charles which did not draw a whole lot of vintage collectors. I had low expectations.
I was pleasantly surprised as the venue was packed. Large crowd featuring a nice number of vintage collectors. I sold a few graded cards. A few guys pulled out some lists and worked on their vintage sets. I was unable to finish my 1967 Topps binder for the show and had nothing new in the binders. Though, many of my slabbed cards were new. Sales exceeded expectations and I was happy.
On the buying front, my main man Barry sold me some 1950, 1951 and 1952 Bowman baseball commons at a very nice price. Thanks Barry!!
I had a real enjoyable day hanging out with all the guys in vintage row. Dave brought me a sandwich. I also ate some tacos from the food truck. This was an excellent show. John and Mike are excellent promoters and good guys to boot! Thanks for another great show guys!!
I also love being in Wheaton. It is a beautiful town. I drove around Downtown after the show.
Next up is the mighty Oak Creek show. I have been working feverishly on the show since returning home from Hawaii. I had a real tough time getting all my returning vendors to confirm, 125 in all. I have also been working the waiting list to add some new vendors. I still have a spot or two to shore up and am getting ready to draft the room layouts for Saturday's show.
I finished up the '67 binder and am looking forward to the Oak Creek show. I think it is going to be a good one!!
The Oak Creek show is open from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday, July 6, 2024, at the Salvation Army Community Center, 8853 S. Howell, in beautiful Oak Creek, Wisconsin. Hope to see you there!
This may have been my first card show in Wheaton but I have a long history with this city and feel right at home any time I happen to be there. Here is my story with Wheaton:
I graduated from the University of Arizona in 1990 with a journalism degree. After graduation, I tried to stay out in Tucson but could not find any work. The U.S.A. was in the throes of the first Gulf War and the economy was in a recession. There were no jobs. The editor of the Arizona Daily Star shouted at me when I called: "Don't you know we are in the middle of a war? We are not hiring!"
I sent my resume to little newspapers all over the Southwest but could not land an interview. I probably should have just gotten a job at Burger King so I could pay my rent and stay in Tucson but I was determined to work as a newspaper reporter after all that schooling. By April of 1991, I was flat broke and thought my only option to work at a newspaper was back home in the Midwest. So, I loaded my car with my few belongings, just some clothes, record albums and books, and drove home to Northbrook, Illinois, and moved back in with my parents.
Boy, that was depressing. I sent out five to 10 resumes every day to newspapers all over the Midwest. Nothing. I did land some interviews here and there. If I was not working on cover letters, my mother was on my tail to get a job. I was trying! I could not make one magically appear!
Eventually, I was able to land a free-lance gig with a small weekly paper in Lake County, Illinois. My job was to cover the Village of Lincolnshire, and oddly enough, that is where I currently live. Lincolnshire is a very small suburb of Chicago made up of a few neighborhoods, some small retail areas and a small corporate area. No downtown to speak of. When I was growing up in nearby Northbrook, Lincolnshire was pretty much made up of all farms. There are about 5,000 residents there now -- even less in 1991.
Back then, there was no village hall and the village board met in a party room at the Benihana Japanese Steak House. I covered the board meetings. Typed up stories and mailed them via USPS to the newspaper. There was no internet and email available back in 1991. That stuff was just beginning and in its raw stage. I think I got paid like 20 bucks per article. I earned around $100 a month, not enough to move out of my parents' house.
Desperate to work at a daily newspaper, I was able to land a non-paying internship with the Daily Herald, a daily newspaper based in the suburbs of Chicago. I worked at the Herald's DuPage County Bureau located in the Village of Lisle, right next to Wheaton. I put in a good 50 hours a week, non-paying, at the Herald in the hopes they would like my work and work ethic and offer me a paying job.
After two months of working my tail off for free, the Herald hired me full-time for a big seven bucks an hour. Not much money but enough to move in with some buddies down by Wrigley Field in Chicago. More importantly, I had worked hard to obtain my journalism degree at the University of Arizona and I had met my goal of working at a daily newspaper. It was a great feeling to finally be a paid, full-time newspaper reporter.
That drive out from Wrigley Field to Lisle every day was brutal, about an hour to an hour and a half each way. I found myself eating all of my meals in the car. I practically lived in my car because my job at the Herald was to cover village board meetings, park district meetings and school board meetings all over DuPage County.
For example, I would cover a Wheaton Park District meeting from say 7 p.m. to 9 p.m., stick around once the meeting ended to interview the board members and get some quotes for some articles, then go back to the Herald office in Lisle and type up three or four articles. Sometimes I would have to find a pay phone and call in an article from the board meeting to the night copy desk in Arlington Heights. It could be stressful but it was a great experience. I learned a lot.
Though, as a cub reporter, I was generally given all of the crap jobs. One of which was to go to the DuPage County Courthouse several nights a week and pull all of the criminal misdemeanor and felony files and type up the police blotter. The current DuPage County Courthouse had just moved into its new digs from the old Victorian building in Downtown Wheaton to the modern buildings on County Farm Road, adjacent to the Fairgrounds.
The police files were located in the basement, in a room with four of five desks with folks about my age typing the up the handwritten police files and entering them into a computer database. I had a notebook and would have to write down all the info then go back to the office and type up the police blotter. Often folks would call me at the Herald office and beg me not to put their crimes into the police blotter. However, I was not given any discretion and the managing editor ordered me to type up every single crime.
My first visit to the DuPage County Fairgrounds occurred that summer of 1991 when I was assigned to cover the DuPage County Fair. My editor told me to find the 4H Club and write up some articles about the animal and agricultural competitions. I sat in and viewed a goat competition. I interviewed the participants and the judges and learned all about goats and how they are judged at the county fair competition. The focus of my article was on judging goat udders. Back at the Herald office, which was a big newsroom with 30 or 40 desks of reporters, I was the laughing stock. I was the udder boy and they all made fun of me. That sucked. I posted a copy of that old article below.
After a year at the Herald, working my tail off, doing whatever was asked of me, the managing editor pulled me into his office. He complimented my work but said he had to let me go because ad revenues were down due to the recession and they could no longer afford my big $7 an hour salary. Depressing. My initial relationship with DuPage County and Wheaton came to an end.
Years later, I would return to the DuPage County Courthouse as a lawyer. For the last 20 years, I have been handling cases at the DuPage County Courthouse and continue my relationship with Wheaton.
So, I was in familiar territory when I drove to the Fairgrounds Saturday morning. I drove through the towns of Carol Stream and Glendale Heights where I covered many municipal government meetings for the Herald. I drove past the Courthouse where I spent those early days in the basement and now represent clients in the courtrooms upstairs.
This was promoters John and Mike's first show at the DuPage County Fairgrounds. They are always looking for new locations to host shows and I suggested the DuPage County Fairgrounds. The show was held in one of the large expo buildings. I had been in this building before at one of the all-night flea markets. I met the actor who played Eddie Munster there. He was signing autographs.
John and Mike had placed a large number of signs on the streets around the building which were so helpful and finding it. My initial reaction when driving down County Farm Road was to park at the courthouse and go to one of the court rooms. Thanks to the signs, I found the right location, parked and loaded in.
John and Mike always create a vintage row at their shows and I was placed in-between my pals Dave and Mikey. Also set up in vintage row this day was Barry, Tom, Dennis and Gary. Behind Mikey was Ray, who also has vintage.
Huge show with 220 tables. I brought out two display cases of graded cards and most of my baseball binders. With this being their first show in Wheaton, I did not know what to expect. I figured it would probably be like their show in nearby St. Charles which did not draw a whole lot of vintage collectors. I had low expectations.
I was pleasantly surprised as the venue was packed. Large crowd featuring a nice number of vintage collectors. I sold a few graded cards. A few guys pulled out some lists and worked on their vintage sets. I was unable to finish my 1967 Topps binder for the show and had nothing new in the binders. Though, many of my slabbed cards were new. Sales exceeded expectations and I was happy.
On the buying front, my main man Barry sold me some 1950, 1951 and 1952 Bowman baseball commons at a very nice price. Thanks Barry!!
I had a real enjoyable day hanging out with all the guys in vintage row. Dave brought me a sandwich. I also ate some tacos from the food truck. This was an excellent show. John and Mike are excellent promoters and good guys to boot! Thanks for another great show guys!!
I also love being in Wheaton. It is a beautiful town. I drove around Downtown after the show.
Next up is the mighty Oak Creek show. I have been working feverishly on the show since returning home from Hawaii. I had a real tough time getting all my returning vendors to confirm, 125 in all. I have also been working the waiting list to add some new vendors. I still have a spot or two to shore up and am getting ready to draft the room layouts for Saturday's show.
I finished up the '67 binder and am looking forward to the Oak Creek show. I think it is going to be a good one!!
The Oak Creek show is open from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday, July 6, 2024, at the Salvation Army Community Center, 8853 S. Howell, in beautiful Oak Creek, Wisconsin. Hope to see you there!
RSS Feed