Well, I survived Rally '95, which means that you will have to endure yet another copy of The Herald. All in all I think Rally '95 went pretty well. The only really negative feedback that I got was from a couple former members, who are still upset about the problems with Great Lakes in '93 and early '94.

At Rally, few people asked me about the chance of survival of Great Lakes. It's not a question of surviving; it is the level at which Great Lakes will thrive that is in question. The con went well, most events ran at or near full capacity; the variety and quality of events was great; most of the dealers were fairly happy; Rally paid for itself; we have a year and a half of newsletters under our belt; our membership has grown to about 65 historical gamers; and we have permanent accreditation from HMGS National. Since April, Great Lakes has turned itself around. To those who are unhappy about what happened two years ago, don't be mad at us; because, "us" wasn't here two years ago. It's time for the members to unite and make this organization everything it can be.

As our membership grows we will be able to get more shops involved in our 10% discount program. Possibilities through Great Lakes could include things such as the availability of travel info and discounts to museums and points relating to military history. The benefits of Great Lakes don't have to stay on the game table. The only thing Great Lakes needs is the participation of it's members (which it is getting more and more of).

Don't get me wrong, Great Lakes is not yet a perfect world. Several members and a couple former members have expressed concern, discontentment, and anger about the poor support of Gamedays and the lack of a true membership directory among other things. There are seven BOD members listed on the inside cover. Call them; write them; I'm one of them. Make the HOD get it's collective butt in gear on these and other issues. Vote in the upcoming election. Run in the upcoming election. Whatever you do, please don't let all of our effort go to waste.

I have been questioned by several members looking for players for various periods or for groups that meet regularly. As a result of this, I would like to include a "Contacts" section in the newsletter. If you are looking for players. someone who wants to learn a new rules system, or someone that is willing to open their game up to new players/members, please send your request to the newsletter and I will include it. Also, if you belong to a gaming club or organization that is trying to expand, send in contact information and it will be list (i.e. COGA, CAG, etc.).

I also want to thank those who contributed to this issue of The Herald. There is some good stuff here, keep it coming.