2002 Annual Meeting - Philadelphia, PA

The United States Stamp Society is in the final stages of planning our annual meeting to be held in conjunction with the Philadelphia National Stamp Exhibition.  The venue will be the Valley Forge Convention Center in King of Prussia, on October 11-13, 2002.

In addition to the USSS, the United Postal Stationery Society, the Pennsylvania Postal History Society and the International Society for Portuguese Philately will also convene at the PNSE.

An exhibitor's prospectus may be obtained from PNSE Exhibits, P.O. Box 43146, Philadelphia, PA 19129.  Exhibitors may also use the e-mail address: pnse@worldnet.att.net or the web address: http://home.att.net/~pnse.  Traditionally the USSS supports the host show with nearly 100 frames of exhibits of quality U.S. material from our members.  We would like to encourage all of our members who exhibit to request a prospectus and join us in Philadelphia with your exhibit.  Frame fees are $10 each or $2 each for junior exhibitors.

The show hotel will be the Radisson Valley Forge, which is in the same complex as the Valley Forge Convention Center.  The show room rate will be $109.  To reserve a room at the special show rate, call the hotel directly at (610) 337-2000.  Ask for the PNSE rate.

The USSS will hold our annual General Membership meeting on Saturday at 1:00 PM.  A two-hour Board Meeting will be schedule for 8:00 AM Saturday morning.

Washington-Franklin and Prexie meetings will be featured at the show.  Paul Bourke of the USSS will present a slide show on Washington-Franklin Postal History.  Additional details about Paul's presentation may be found on page 148 of the April issue of the journal.

The Prexie Issue Committee will hold a meeting at the show.  If you've ever been to one of their meetings, you know that they are great fun.  The interest is not limited to just the Prexie Issue, but extends to include other issues of the era such as the Transports and Famous Americans.  Committee Chairman Jeffrey Shapiro will preside over the session that will feature "Show 'N' Tell" and Swap sessions.

We are still looking for USSS members from the Philadelphia area to coordinate our show table activities.  The PNSE will be providing us with a booth for the purposes of selling our publications, promoting the society, recruiting new members and socializing with fellow U.S. collectors.  During the hours of the show, we would like to staff the table with a combination of Philadelphia area volunteers who know the local collectors, our officers, Board members, committee chairs and writers.  It should make for a great time.

If you are from the area and would like to coordinate the table activities, contact Jay Stotts, P.O. Box 690042, Houston, TX 77269.  Use the same contact if you are willing to serve at the table for a couple of hours (we'll schedule in two-hour host increments) or if you would be willing to have our boxes of publications sent to you ahead of time.  We need someone who will cart a couple of boxes from their place to the show on set-up day.

One of the highlights of the show is the yearly Dutch treat dinner on Friday night.  We traditionally gather the troops as the show closes and head for an enjoyable dinner and evening of fellowship.  Our Philadelphia area contacts have already offered some suggestions that we'll check into.

Philadelphia offers a lot of sidelights for spouses or the whole family.  Historic Valley Forge National Park is adjacent to the convention center.  For shoppers, the King of Prussia Mall offers nearly 400 stores and the famous Reading Outlet Malls are just 40 minutes away.  The host hotel, the Radisson, features Lilly Langtry's Restaurant and Showplace, a Las Vegas style theatre and restaurant featuring live entertainment in Victorian décor.

Well, if all this sounds like fun, then count on joining us in Philadelphia October 11-13.