Grimsby '24

It took four weeks to find the time to write this article. If you're a regular reader, I hope you appreciate it. I was in perpetual catch-up mode for most of it: Working overtime, travelling to Boston for a concert the following weekend, and then working some more. My report cards are now done, and our school dodgeball tournament is finished, so I can finally get to writing.

As time goes on, all the Grimsbies and Actons start to blur together. Both are in their 20th year, making 40 meets, of which I've been to about 37, so it's hard to store all that in one brain. But anytime I want to, I can look up my reports of meets passed. I can figure out when I got this plate, or when I met that collector. As I consider that there are few or no records describing the earlier Ontario meets of the 1970s and 80s, I realize that I've built an archive of sorts. It's all with my own bias, but at least it's there.

Dave Grant came with me and shared a bit of the driving. We took a roundabout route via Renfrew so I could sell plates to a gentleman who is new to the hobby. But the drive was otherwise uneventful and we arrived at the meet hall at 8:30.

Since moving the meet up the mountain to Grassie, Don Goodfellow has been faced with having to pay extra to get the venue keys for Friday night access. So for the first two years, we had no choice but to arrive very early on Saturday morning and get volunteers to help arrange the tables. On a whim, we asked the manager if we could get the keys on Friday night. We certainly didn't expect an answer of "sure," but that's what we got!

Our volunteers were all happy to show up Friday night. The tables were mostly in place by the time I could arrive, but I got busy with chairs and marking reserved tables with Don. By ten o'clock, the hall was ready, so we could all retire for some well-earned sleep.

The following morning, we were ready to open by 7:30, but that would have been a full hour ahead of the advertised time. That wouldn't sit well with some people, and rightly so. So we waited a half-hour as a compromise and opened at 8 am.

The meet hall at 8:45 AM. Packed!

The hall was very busy by 8:15, and by 8:45, the meet was in high gear. It was the usual flurry of activity: Me chatting with someone, then breaking away to do a chore, then finding a plate I wanted or running into someone to complete a pre-arranged trade, and then the cycle would repeat.

Terry Ellsworth chats with Dave Grant at the registration table. Our student volunteer Rachel is on the right.

I was thrilled to welcome veteran collector (and my old ALPCA Convention roommate from 20 years ago) Andrew Pang to Grimsby for the first time, having come from his new home in Massachusetts. Andrew told me later that he had a great time, and we’ll see if he can be enticed to try Acton out next spring. Philip Lieb is another US-based collector who came to Grimsby for the first time, coming from New Jersey. Andrew Braun made the trip from Charlottesville, Virginia. He’s been to Grimsby before (or at least Acton), and his 600-mile journey was enough to earn the Long Distance Award.

Speaking of awards, we had a total of six display contenders for our first-ever Display Award. Everyone who attended received a ballot, and we closed the voting at about 11 o’clock. The distribution was fairly even among the six displays, with no one display charging to a commanding lead, or being left in the dust. In the end, Krystian Kozinski was the people’s choice for the Display Award, by virtue of his impressive collection of Ontario VIP issues and special numbers. Krystian, who never does anything halfway, brought a second display of Ontario diplomatic types. It held its own in the voting. So did Norm Ratcliffe’s display of Illinois state trooper plates, and Mike Franks’ display of Newfoundland car and truck plates on the John Cabot base (all very tough niches to collect). I was super-interested by Mike McClashie’s display of plates and memorabilia owned by his late grandfather, the much-beloved John Rubick. The display included old snapshots of John’s cars, and several of the Ontario VIP plates that John had displayed over the years. Mike also included a pair of commemorative plates given to Ontario Premier David Peterson during the 26th annual Premiers’ Conference in St. John’s, Newfoundland in August 1985, which I had never seen before.

Clockwise from top left: Krystian's award-winning display, Norm's Illinois state troopers, Owen Wilding's nature plates, and Mike McClashie's memory board of his grandfather, John Rubick.

Close-ups from Mike's board, incouding some vintage snapshots of John Rubick with old cars.

Don and I each brought displays to encourage others to do so. We wouldn’t have felt right to compete against others for the awards that we ourselves made, so I made “No Vote” cards for our boards, to keep the attention elsewhere. I put together my 1974 birth year set, which will probably never be truly complete, what with all the weird governmental and court types that were issued by then. I’m proud of my quarterly truck plates, which feature lesser-seen letter prefixes (the U on the June ’74 is one of only two I’ve ever seen). Among other treasures are my “alien” plate issued to foreign embassy staff (ditched after 1974 for the more recognizable XTR plates). I also have a ‘74 own-choice plate with the number NCC-333 (N wasn’t issued as a passenger series until a few years later). Then there’s my 1974 sample with affixed zero sticker with original envelope that was used to send them to a police superintendent. Don put together a “bumblebee” display, consisting entirely of plates with yellow backgrounds and black characters. As an acknowledgement to the differing shades of yellow on the display, Don grouped the shades together and included a sign with paint chips showing different colour names, like “canary,” “flaxen,” “tuscan sun” and “mustard.”

Left and centre: The twin boards of mt 1974 display. Right: Don's bumblebee display.

The group picture was less formal this year; we placed tables throughout the hall and there was no one obvious place for a group to gather. I didn’t want to start pushing a dozen tables around, nor did I want to force such a large group of people outside. So I asked Evelyn Steckley to stand on a table and just get a wide angle shot of collectors far and near waving at the camera and holding their plates. Our days of having a tidy group photo with people in rows may be behind us.

Our food vendor, Ken from Dog Got It, was well-received yet again and helped keep people on the premises instead of leaving for town to eat lunch. There were still lots of people in the hall by lunchtime, and I find every year since we moved to Grassie, we’re drawing more and more locals who see the ads and come visit just for something to do.

Dave Colonna is helping Liam Kivits collect farm items. Liam was stuck at home and couldn't make the meet this year. I found the KVT plate and messaged Liam, who replied, "Please get it for me!" So Dave picked it up to add to Liam's pile.

But therein lay a problem: The show is advertised as running from 8:30 until 2 o’clock, but we had vendors tearing down by 11 am. As Grimsby morphs from a small hobbyist gathering to a larger market event, we get more and more new walk-ins who expect there will still be things to see and do around lunchtime. We’re drawing people from further away who are expecting us to be open and in full swing during the advertised hours. On advice from experienced market vendor Dave Colonna, we'll be asking all vendors with remaining stock to refrain from packing up until 1pm during the 2025 meet. If Don and I can stay until 4pm or later, sellers can stay until 1pm. No one is so important or drives so far that they need to be leaving that early.

Hall shot taken at 11:30 AM. Still plenty going on, and plenty of people coming through the doors, but some vendors bailed early-- Note the empty tables. We will address that in 2025.

There are many volunteers who help make these meets happen. When Don and I were given the chance to set up Friday night, all of our volunteers changed their plans for us and stepped up to arrange the tables with us. Many thanks to Frank Crooks, Krystian Kozinski, Dave Colonna, Dave Grant, Mike & Alannah Franks, and Joe Sallmen. Thanks also must go to Evelyn Steckley and Dave Grant for doing shifts at the registration table, thus allowing Don and I to go and have fun. All of these folks and more helped put the tables away at the meet’s end.

Left to right: Dave Grant digs for plates as Sam Mazmanian browses in the background. Joe Sallmen beat me fair and square to that medium-sized '31 ad permit plate. Scott Craig and Dave Steckley wheeling and dealing. Jake Shoychet with a gorgeous 1955 shorty.

With all the tables put away, Don and I counted out the proceeds. The meet paid for itself, plus a bit of extra, which will go toward making more awards for 2025. Speaking of 2025, we’re eyeing October 25 as the date. When Don books it, we’ll let everyone know. We hosted 130 collectors this year, down 13 from last year, but it was still super-busy. After some hearty handshakes, we locked the emptied hall and drove our separate ways.

Left: the empty hall, about to be locked up, just before four o'clock. Right: A YOM-plated 1962 chevy pickup on the road heading north out of Grassie.

The drive from Niagara to Ottawa was smooth sailing along the 407 and 401. Dave and I stopped for dinner at an OnRoute and a late-but-necessary coffee in Kingston. It’s a very long way to drive for a one-day event, but I wouldn’t miss it. I’ve become accustomed to driving for five hours or more for these meets. While most of you are relaxing on the couch watching a hockey game by evening, I’m still doing 20 over the limit in the dark somewhere on the 401, tanking up on coffee, spotting plates in traffic, and reflecting on how much I enjoy helping to be a part of it.

Have a great winter, and see you in Acton!