Well, another Origins has passed into history. By the time many of you receive this, so will Gencon. It has been a historic year for both events. Origins pulled in more than 300 historical events for the first time. This was also my first time running a game at a convention. I ran three events, one twice. It was great fun for me and for the players, and I am glad I decided to go. Another nice bit of news is that Gencon for the first time in many years will have an active historical miniatures presence. We are happy to be working with HMGS Midwest on Gencon both this year and in the future. All of this has been a great challenge to put together, however I believe it has been a worthwhile challenge.

Two 'Big Cons'

One of the things that I have always worked for is closer cooperation with some of our neighboring chapters, especially on events like Gencon and Origins. I do not see these events as strictly Great Lakes events even though we might wind up doing the lion's share of prep work and running of events. These are showcases for the HOBBY, not just our little chunk of it. That means we need to work closely with all of our neighbors and other chapters in running events and tournaments at these events, and going to their conventions when and where possible to run events as well. By working together, we can bring to the public an excellent cross section of events covering the full range of our hobby.

Two New Cons

I am also proud to announce the first contact into two other conventions in November. Both on the same weekend, as it turns out, but separated by enough distance where it is worthwhile for the folks at Great Lakes to attend the convention closest to them. In the west of our chapter, we will be at Gamefest Indy in Indianapolis. David van Hoose and I have been pursuing the folks running this event about getting an organized historical miniatures presence at the con. They want us there and are willing to work closely with us. The other event is in the east of our chapter in Ann Arbor. U-CON is on the campus of the University of Michigan and is hosted by their game club. This year marks the first organized historicals presence at that event, as well. These events are on the weekend of Nov. 22-24. If you have the chance, please stop by and play a few games or run an event or two if you're up to it. We welcome you all to 4 come out and have fun.

Both convention organizers were happy to have us working with them. We are glad to be working with both of these groups. It gives Great Lakes a chance to contact other garners and showcase our side of the hobby. We are grateful for this opportunity and are going to work hard to make it a successful venture for us. I'd like to thank a couple of folks who have helped make Origins a great success. Maj. Pete Panzeri and his lovely wife Jodie have been diligent and tireless workers promoting the hobby in "heathen" territories like Origins. Thanks to their hard work and efforts, we managed to get over 300 events for the Historicals at Origins Team (HOT) this year. I am deeply appreciative of their hard work and efforts and for all of the advice and help they have given us in our new ventures. Thank you very much, Pete and Jodie. I'll be running more games at Origins next year for you -- for us all. Your efforts have been an inspiration to all of us. Thank you!