Industry trade shows are a great place to discover what is new and also learn more about the industry we love. But I also love trade shows because I get to reconnect with so many wonderful people whom I’ve crossed paths with through the years. I first met Kelly Miller from Coastal Enterprises about thirty years ago at an industry show. Kelly was at the event to showcase Precision Board (High-Density Urethane) and related products that they manufacture. It was my first introduction to this miracle material, and it wasn’t long until we used a lot of it in our work. We’ve done business with Coastal Enterprises ever since that first meeting and have been proud to partner with them on many projects. To express our gratitude for their wonderful service and products, we often create small pieces and creative samples for them to display in their trade show booth. One of my pieces for this year’s Sign Invitational is displayed in the Coastal Enterprises booth. We appreciate that they have been a proud supporter of the Sign Invitational since its inception and that Kelly will promote the contest and send many people to the main booth, where the rest of the competitors’ pieces are on display. As always, I send a huge thank you to Kelly and Coastal Enterprises!
Quick side adventure
I spent the bulk of my Monday travelling to Orlando to attend the International Sign Association EXPO, which starts on Wednesday. I had an early direct flight, and amazingly, we arrived a half hour early, which was nice! Tomorrow, Tuesday, is setup day for the ISA show and Sign Invitational. I planned to sneak away a little early to get a quick peek at Universal’s new Epic Universe park, but tomorrow’s weather forecast looked pretty dismal. I decided to go this evening instead. As I arrived at the park, some heavy rain hit. I bought an umbrella and decided to keep going. It turned out to be just a shower, but it was enough to thin out the crowds in a hurry. The outdoor rides were shut down because of possible lightning in the area, but I was only there to see the eye candy in any case. It is a beautiful park with lots of great signs and themed architecture. My favourite land by far was the ‘How to Train Your Dragon’ area. With my quick visit now complete, I will be able to concentrate on the show over the next few days. I’m looking forward to seeing my sign friends and seeing lots of new things. Stay tuned…
Building a complex piece
Work continues on the Skull Rock feature for Vala’s Pumpkin Patch in Nebraska. The pencil rod armature was roughed in by Peter, and then Matt filled in the framework to ready the armature for the diamond lath, which follows this coming week. This is a much more complicated piece compared to most of what we do, and the crew is dreading the lath and sculpting process on the hard-to-reach areas. I remind the crew, as always, that the more complicated the armature is, the cooler the finished piece. Stay tuned to watch this come together…
