What makes a great show? The April 2-3, Wheaton, Illinois show certainly provided a good example with its large group of dealers, growing numbers of displays, and after-show activities.

In the past two years, the show has spread into a second, connected building, drawing a record 80 dealers this year. An approximately equal split between lightning rod balls (LRBs) and insulators existed with many containing both or offering other collectibles such as railroadiana.

Porcelain collectors enjoyed the six for $1 sale held by Jason Townsend. He sold approximately 400 pieces of this high quality material by the end of the show. Equally noteworthy was the table of Tom Nugent who offered items purchased at the liquidation auction of the Illinois Electric Porcelain/ Cooper Power Systems/Porcelain Products plant in Macomb. Pieces from the final days of production, steel pinhole gauges, and marked shipping crates were some of the items found at his table. Dean Norlin set up for the first time and had for sale a rare U-710 marked "Pittsburg." Dan Herron brought an odd high voltage spool with a pin-type, cable-top insulator cemented to it.

Collectors of private issue and commemorative insulators could find a red VTS industrial, an irridized WGS CD 102 at the show, red or cobalt miniature Jumbos or the newly made CD 154s in several colors. Holly City miniatures, a Whitall-Tatum salesman's sample, a swirled-color McLaughlin, NIA commemoratives, several sets of Lauckner commemoratives, and yellow plastic REN were also available.

Marge Frank's Greek porcelain insulators

Arlen Rienstra won the NIA best of show ribbon for his display of KCGWs. Jason Townsend won the Crown Jewels award for his display of colorful and rare porcelain. Two years ago, the Greater Chicago Insulator Club started promoting displays at the show by purchasing 10 tables for this purpose and requesting the NIA display of fake and altered insulators. This year there was a record 13 displays, some funded by the Crown Point magazine. Rick Soller displayed LRIs including 2 Salamanders and a dark olive amber Otis. Marge Frank, a first time displayer, showed her collection of Greek porcelain insulators with a backdrop providing information on the company and how she amassed her collection. Bob Stahr's display of Hemingray spools included a surprising array of shapes and colors. Rod Krupka and Eileen Kelly set-up a very informative display of fake LRBs. Alan Hohnhorst showed his collection of green and turquoise streetlight heads. Tom DuBourdieu, another first-time displayer, filled a table with insulators found on a local interurban line. Dan Fisher, winner of the Crown Point award for best lightning rod ball-related display, brought in new old stock materials.

Pretty but.... Fake Lightning Rod Balls

After both days of the show, the club arranged hunts along the Wheaton Prairie Path, a former interurban line built around 1903. Found along the trail were pin bases marked with a patent date and the name Fred M. Locke, straps used to link two adjacent poles, metal angle-bracket crossarms, old crossarm braces, 2 kinds of soda pop bottles and animal bones. Also found were lots of pieces of such insulators as third rails, blue JDs, Victor multiparts in a nice tan glaze, CD 196 H.G.Co.'s, CD 160 Brookfields, clear Hemingray-45s, a brown Ohio Brass multipart dated 1958, and an Ohio Brass orange teat rest cable top. On a nearby line, a purple CD 154 Whitall-Taturn and some CD 145s in aqua were discovered. Altogether, 8 people enjoyed the hunt.

The only sad part of the weekend was the fall by Paul Rosenberger, Sr. on Friday at the show and his later death that day. Paul was well known for his collection of H.G. Co. Petticoats, the style of insulator he first found while walking many miles of track. The love he had for insulators was passed to his son, Paul Jr. who also specializes in these and has passed the bug on to his son, making the Rosenbergers one of the few three-generation collecting families in the hobby. The club is considering ideas to honor Paul's memory.

The show had many firsts, bests, largests and one ending. It certainly was memorable.

Dan Fisher Awarded Best Lightning Ball Display