Fall Conference

The Guild of Metalsmiths’ 44th Annual Fall Conference, aka “The Madness”  happening September 17-19, 2021.

For the first time we will be holding this event at the Pierce Country Fairgrounds in Ellsworth, WI.  See the announcement below from Guild President, Larry Wasmund:

Hello Members,
It is extremely hard to believe that it is June already. There are things going on… but probably the biggest announcement we have heard is the end of the Covid-19 pandemic emergency protocols. This means that we can once again get together as a group to see each other, share a meal, talk about the last 15 months, and get on with our mission of keeping our craft alive.

This past year plus has raised problems in the world. Unfortunately, as restrictions loosen, the pandemic will still affect us in ways we cannot yet know or understand. One way it will affect us is that the backlog of canceled and postponed events will impact the venues we use for our membership meetings.

As you all may be aware, our board and committees have shifted into the major planning time for the Fall Conference, aka “The Madness”. It is my unpleasant duty to inform the membership that because of the backlog of weddings, the Little Log House Show Grounds is not available to host our event this year. I personally have been working with owner Steve Bauer since early April. Their facility had 50 weddings postponed during the pandemic and will be hosting multiple weddings every weekend this year. That includes Friday, multiples on Saturday, and even Sundays. This has made us scramble a little so planning may continue.

This September we will be holding our Madness at the Pierce County Fairgrounds in Ellsworth, WI. The board toured the facility and found that the amenities offered gives the conference everything needed and more. There is a building with ventilation, concrete floors, and bathrooms to hold registration, meals, and the auction. Other buildings nearby can hold the demonstrations and there is ample parking all around. Camping is available on site with or without hookups. We feel this location will provide us an excellent venue for comparable costs to what we are accustomed to. For more information about the Fall Conference, see future issues of The Forum and the forthcoming Fall Conference brochure.

The other news that I will share here is that in my discussions with Mr. Bauer we were informed there will not be an existing building available to us any longer at the Little Log House Show Grounds. This fact has rekindled talks of finding a relationship with a permanent facility that we could become partners with, and in the future possibly find that home of our own where we could set up shop.

The board has authorized the forming of a Partnership Committee to research available locations and begin a dialog as to what is out there and what is being offered. Presently we have a list of possible locations we will be working through, including having conversations with the Little Log House and others. If you have any interest in serving on this committee, please contact any board member for further info.

That is all for now. Hope to see many of you very soon.
— Larry Wasmund, President of TGoM