I'd like to begin by thanking the six members who have stepped forward to run for the Great Lakes Board of Directors. Their offering of their time is the best gift Great Lakes could possibly receive in this new year. I am happy to see the nominees represent a nice cross-section of Great Lakes territory, too. Be sure to read their bios beginning on page five. And don't forget to vote -- the ballot is on page 44.

While you're reading through this issue, take a moment to study the Convention Calendar on page 37, as well. With the arrival of Spring, convention season kicks into high gear in the Great Lakes area. Cold Wars whips into Lancaster, PA, in early March. My friends and I will be making our usual, Winter pilgrimage there. A bare three weeks later, it is the Seven Years War Convention in South Bend, IN. The following weekend, the inaugural Warparty! whoops it up in the Cincinnati area. And the weekend after that, Little Wars rages in the Chicago area. And later, Capcon gets things rolling in Columbus, OH. I will be at this one, as usual, although I'm not sure what I'll be running yet.

Do you think you get a rest after Capcon? Well, two weeks is all you get before Cannon Fodder at Cambridge (last year's Russ Con) shows the Great Lakes flag in that section of Ohio. A bare weekend later, the standard shifts to the Toledo area for the first-ever Drums Along the Maumee. After that, mercifully, there is a month's rest before Michicon takes over further north, in June.

My point is NOW is the time to plan which of these cons you'll attend. Why not help them out by running an event there? I'm sure you have some new Christmas toys you'd like to get out on the wargaming table and try out. The long Winter months are a great time to paint up those last few units, touch up your scenery, and playtest the scenario one more time. With two new Great Lakes conventions this year, it will be a kind of "make or break" year for us. And NOW is crunch time for planning.

So, take a cue from those six members running for the board, and volunteer a little of your time. Run an event, work the desk, or failing that, just show up for these backyard cons, and prove the spirit of wargaming is alive in well in the Great Lakes area!