The convention is pretty typical from a radio standpoint but very different socially. On Thursday evening while I'm still suffering from jet-lag, the OMIK Prime Time Players put on a skit. This attracts spouses and even children, with a competition for best thespian among various regional directors. A lot of fun and a good way to relax. Another weird event is the Friday evening Pajama Party, which obviously is intended to make people feel at home.
Beats sitting in a gin mill, come the dawn.
It occurs to me that instead of the usual hamfest format of sitting around swapping lies about past triumphs, the focus is on learning about the latest techniques and advances. Not being a member eliminates me from the OMIK general membership meeting, but I read the minutes. The group's board of directors meets, too, while families tour Hoover Dam and other local spots. I locate the hamshack, where Freddie Demerson, N5AKL, and Major Talton, NW5Q, are talking in some of the mobile stations on their way to the convention. A benediction by Rev Phil Wilson, WA6FOV, opens things, followed by a solemn extinguishing of three candles, signifying the deaths of three members since the last convention.