All Aboard – Lionel Speeds in to Kansas City, MO for the 46th Annual LCCA Convention
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It had been 44 years since the Lionel Collectors Club of
America rolled in to Kansas City, MO for their annual convention, and although
the city may have changed one thing was for sure – it still gave members plenty
to see throughout the week.
While convention attendees were in and out of the KCI Hilton
Airport all week, the Lionel team set up and displayed trains for all ages in
the Osage Room where guests could come and go in between their tours to play
with trains and check out the latest and greatest items from Lionel. Mega
Tracks was a huge hit with junior members of the club and even older ones too.
Also on display was our very popular 8’ x 12’ display that featured three
separate tracks running trains and making only its second debut was the 10 foot
tall Christmas tree that was first unveiled at Toy Fair in February. Children of all ages had the opportunity to
be an engineer for the day by running one of the many LionChief™ sets we had
set up on six separate play stations.
Another truly special event that took place at the
convention was a press conference held at the Union Station in downtown Kansas
City on July 27. It was this event that the LCCA unveiled and donated a model
of the Union Station, built by the very talented Roger Farkash of TW Trainworx,
to the mayor pro temp and CEO of the station.
LCCA members and public alike were in awe of the beauty that the model
showcased.
A huge thank you goes out to LCCA Member Mike McClintock who
helped make the event so spectacular!
On Friday morning we had a very special guest from the Make
a Wish Foundation who played engineer for the day and even received a guest
appearance from Lenny the Lion. Both the LCCA and Lionel donated items to the
young boy and hope that he gets better soon!
Also on Friday July 22nd the Lionel team
presented a fun twist on the annual seminar by including a game show theme. On
top of the many topics presented and new product showcased, LCCA members had
the opportunity to win prizes throughout the seminar with a Plinko Board game.
Some members were winners, others didn’t get that luck – but either way we are
already looking forward to next year’s Seminar!
The end of the convention brought a very special moment at
the banquet Saturday night, where Lionel President Howard Hitchcock had the
opportunity to present the founding member of LCCA, Jim Gates, with a very
special letter and to thank him personally for his contribution to finding the
club. Hitchcock’s closing remarks ended
with a presentation of the first fully decorated and assembled LionScale
rolling stock to LCCA President Al Kolis, a very special tribute to end a great
week in Kansas City.
Did you miss this year’s LCCA Convention? That is okay – as the team announced that in
July of 2017 they will be stopping in Tacoma, WA for more train fun. Check out
their web site for more information.
Learn More about our annual conventions
Published 8/2/2016