photo: Terry Clark

This year we have gathered a number of reports and snippets together from a number of attendees - photography by Terry Clark, Donal Higgins, Don Lavin and Len Provisor.

Len Provisor.

The carpet is red and yellow triangles and squares, so this must be the Westin O'Hare at Chicago.

This was about my 12th Chicago Pen Show and I was just as excited as my first, but certainly tempered as to how to pace myself and having an idea of what to expect. Just the same, when the doors are flung open for each day of pre-show trading or the Sunday main event, the pulse still quickens and the tell tale pupils dilate at many tables.

This is one show that dares to be different, and this year there were more guests from more international countries than ever before. Just briefly…Canada, Mexico, South America, Ireland, Scotland, Spain, Portugal, Italy, Germany, Austria, Belgium, Holland, France, Japan, Hawaii, Australia, and maybe some I forgot.

Guido Staltari from Australia with Jerry Deese (photo: Terry Clark)

Some very special guests were attending, such as Mr. Nagahara from Sailor Pen, his first trip to the U.S. and his exhibit promised to be very special.

Geoffrey and Steven Parker were to exhibit family archive materials also, their first ever pen show exhibit and they had no idea what to expect. I assured them, this was a great honor to have them as guests and the crowd was going to be thrilled to meet them.

Wednesday about 5:30 pm I spot a Planet Hollywood leather jacket and a familiar NYC Pen Show cap on an Irish Pentraceguy with a really big smile at O'Hare Airport. I wave a giant card plastered with bright yellow Snailee stickers and 10 minutes later Donal is officially checked in at the hotel. Another 10 minutes and he's already unpacked, I can tell he's been practicing because he's so swift. Now we are ready to meet the early crowd, some who already were patrolling the lobby like the pen police with radar looking for those familiar black zipper pen cases. Once a case is spotted, even strangers will approach one another and simply point to the case and comment "Pen Show?"…even if one does not speak English…everyone knows exactly the meaning of the word "pen" in any language and the show commences.

Tonight our first dinner is with Maryann and Steve Zucker from Penstop. After a hectic day it's a pleasure to sit, relax and start the chat. From Thurs. morning it's going to be non-stop so we call it a day quickly after dinner.

PenStopOnline (photo:Terry Clark)

Thursday morning I picked up Donal early to travel to visit Don Lavin's office-pen museum, then to the famous Walker Bros. Pancake House where you just don't stop by for a quickie. We carved triangles out of three humungus pancakes, and we actually had leftovers. I think it became Don's afternoon snack.

From there a short distance to visit Pentracer Rob Schueneman's StudioNorth, an amazing studio crammed with the latest high tech multimedia electronics which greatly impressed Donal. We had the grand tour and we discussed some of Rob's creative concepts for possible use on Pentrace.

Then a quick visit to the Provisor spread in Long Grove on the way back to the show, and I intentionally left my home office in it's natural state, because a clean desk is the sign of a sick mind.

Back at the hotel the Trading Suites upstairs were open with about 40-50 dealers spreading their goods on tables and a nice crowd running between the two large rooms. My first job was plastering the walls with my surprise Pentrace posters, which was a total surprise to Donal. This great super hero art was created by Pentracer Russ Stutler, and I even created matching ink blotters for Donal to use as a calling card. The look on his face…priceless.

Thursday nite Donal was treated to a Chicago style steak dinner by show hosts Don Lavin and Dan Zazove, while I stayed to sell a few more pens, then hustled home to finish my packing.

Friday is a serious vintage trading day and even 'tho I had a table to exhibit my Parker DC-3 airplanes I managed to make the rounds in the room a few times during the day. Of course, I was also busy plastering the walls with Pentrace and Blues Night posters, and at the same time one eye ball scanning tables for vintage ink blotters or ephemera.

Friday is considered a pre-show day, and the attendance filled half the main ballroom. I was also very happy to see Eizo Fujii from Tokyo, Japan and many other friends from around the world.

Friday night a bus load of us met for the Blues Night at Kingston Mines Blues Club. This was a real treat, but finally I have to admit sitting a few feet in front of a pair of 3 foot high JBL speaker vibrating my liver is not my best choice to hear Blues. It was great, it was Chicago Blues complete with all the eatin' trimmings, but next time I think the theme is going to be "sweet and low down".

Saturday we had the honor of our special guests Geoffrey and Steven Parker setting up their exhibit which featured a Apple Powerbook computer with two monitor screens with a slide presentation of vintage family and Arrow Park images. They also showed "51"s that were made in all Parker manufacturing plants, the 10 Millionth war-period rocket fuses that were the reason for "51" shortages during the early 1940's, and to me a very exciting baseball…signed by Babe Ruth to Danny Parker, their father. Other fascinating pens were also on display, such as a smooth sterling 75 Keepsake with a Presidential signature.

My table was set next to the Parkers showing off all the vintage airplane models I've made.

L-R, Steven and Geoffrey Parker, Len Provisor (photo:Donal Higgins)

I noticed with great pleasure how many people would approach Geoffrey and Steven Parker and politely introduce themselves. Some where hesitant, many I knew so I would simply bring them over and introduce them. I have to say that Geoffrey and Steven Parker are the most polite and patient people I've ever met. They later related to me that this had far exceeded anything they ever imagined, and were very pleased to meet such a continuous stream of guests and well-wishers.

Saturday afternoon my highlight was also the Pen Auction, featuring over 300 items, which ran from about 2 to 6pm.

Saturday night was a short Internetter's Meeting with Tom Zoss, Donal and Dean Tweeddale, and they were all very pleased when Geoffrey and Steve Parker came by to visit and also chat for a while with the gathering.

The planned Jam Session was not as active as last year, but we were very pleased with Mitch Lavin and his friend Aaron, Sandy Andina and Harry Ginsburg, pen collector from St. Louis on bass guitar. We missed Jake "Hot Lips" Engel this year who is absolutely "killer" on harmonica, so next year I really hope he makes the show.

Mr. Nagahara (right) with photographer Terry Clark (who took the photo?)

Sunday : The big day. The crowd was waiting at the door at 10am, the pile of Chicago Pen Show mugs was at the door and the Parker Pen Co. display featured the beautiful new Duofold Accession. The stream of guests was pretty steady most of the day with many of the new pen dealers doing very active business. One of the most exciting displays that had a constant crowd was from the Sailor Pen Co, with nib master Mr. Nagahara displaying his various custom nibs. The most exciting being his cross cut nib which was selling very rapidly. Mr. Nagahara also adjusted nibs for the many guests that came to his table. I hardly had time to leave my table this year, but from what I could see this show was very well attended.

Continued...