Well, Cabin Fever Expo 2024 is officially in the books and it's taken Matt and I a bit to process what transpired this past week. What transpired, you ask...
For starters, Friends... So Many new friendships were formed! It was so great to put faces to names of those we've interacted with for so long through the group. In so many cases, I 'met' people for the first time (in person) that I feel like I've already known for years. In other cases, we met brand new faces that are sure to be lifelong connections. To be in a space with so many like minded individuals who share the same passion is absolutely amazing.
Models... Holy Cow did we see some beauts! All shapes, sizes, styles - you name it! One of my favorite things about the Cabin Fever Expo is the variety. There were draglines, shovels, excavators, trucks, dozers, wheel loaders, trommel and conveyors, and some fun custom vehicles - and that was just in the dirt room!! Other halls included model railroads, boats and steam engines, equipment literature, machining tools and that's just what I remember.
Magic... Magic transpired For Sure! To sit back and watch everyone running their equipment, driving their vehicles and working on their craft was something to see, for sure! In that space, all ages, types, styles, size, shapes, origins - you name it - everyone working together, sharing knowledge & info, tons of smiles, lots of laughs and best of all, sharing their love and passion for their hobby TOGETHER!
Lastly, we confirmed what we truly already knew... that this group is Absolutely Amazing!
To see Scale Model Mining represented like it was at this show is something we couldn't have even dreamed! Florida, Georgia, West Virginia, Ohio, Indiana, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Connecticut and Missouri.... all traveling to be in the same space to share their love of all things mining. Just WOW! Looking out into the dirt pile and seeing SMM Hoodies, Hats, Stickers and Machines - What!?!?!
We hosted our first ever (hopefully first of Many!) Scale Model Mining Dinner on Friday evening. We ate, we drank, we laughed, we laughed more, we shared knowledge and even debuted a brand new product for those in attendance... So! Much! Fun! A few had prior engagements on Friday evening and/or didn't get into town until Saturday so a big Shout Out, as well, to the members who weren't able to attend the dinner.
What started as an idea to find a few like minded individuals that shared Matt's love of models and mining has turned into something we couldn't even imagine!
And hang on to your hats folks, because we are Just Getting Started!!
