Telephone Collectors International
Last update Apr 13, 2020
| Telephone Collectors International | First posted Dec 28, 2017 Last update Apr 13, 2020 |
1383 Arcadia Road,
Lancaster, PA 17601
Due to COVID-19, we must cancel the show. There are simply too many concerns about the safety and health of our members and too many unknowns about when the Stay at Home policies will be lifted. As much as we all would love to get together, the spread of COVID-19 and the current "social distancing" restrictions make this large show impractical at this time.
The show committee and the Board of Directors have been monitoring the situation and have agreed on the following action plan:From our show registration system, we know the members that paid via PayPal. Russ Kirk, TCI treasurer, will process PayPal refunds. You should expect to see an email from PayPal indicating that you have money in by the end of April 2020.
We also know the members that paid by personal check. Kirk will mail out TCI checks. You should expect to see your refund check in by the end of April, 2020.
For members that registered but did not pay in advance, no action is required.
If anyone made hotel, airline, or other travel related reservations, please cancel those as well. Most travel related businesses are granting full refunds for cancelations even if that is not the normal policy.
Please help us spread the word to anybody you may know who planned to attend.
If you have some found time during the crisis, we encourage you to stay engaged with phone collecting through the listserv and social media. Catch up on some phone projects, read back issues of Singing Wires and Switcher's Quarterly, check out the TCI Library, or research something in your collection and write an article or two to share your results.
We hope this is not too much of a surprise and look forward to seeing you at the next, safe telephone show.
Most important - Stay safe and healthy.
TCI Show Committee and Board of Directors
$15 entrance
$10 each for sales tables, limit 3
Educational Display Tables are free, limit 1
Photos from previous years at Lancaster
2019
2018
2017
2014
2013
2012
2011
2010
The Lancaster show continues to be TCI's most popular show for many reasons including an extraordinary "Switchers' Corner," a good home cooked lunch, and a bright spacious show venue with some of the easiest loading facilities that we can remember at any show.
The Lancaster show usually has something for everyone ranging from a large switchers' demonstration to some early telephone displays dating back to the beginning of the telephonic arts. We will hold our traditional dinner at Outback Saturday night followed by the open house tour. You don't need to be a switcher to attend either event.
We have to warn everyone that the Lancaster show has become extremely popular and tables can sell out quickly. Get your registrations in early to avoid being placed in the "overflow section" in the lobby. Either way, we will try to make enough tables available for everyone who wants them.
If you're planning a family vacation, Lancaster is a great destination. It's in the center of an area that is bursting with history. Students of the Revolutionary War and the founding of the USA will want to head east to Philadelphia and Valley Forge. Students of the Civil War can head west to Gettysburg. Those who are interested in other mechanical contrivances may want to visit the National Watch and Clock Museum in nearby Columbia, PA (http://www.nawcc.org/).
Railroad enthusiasts will want to spend a day at the Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania (http://www.rrmuseumpa.org/) which is just across the street from the Strasburg Rail Road (http://www.strasburgrailroad.com/) and, yes, Rail Road is two words!
If you head north to Harrisburg, you can visit the State Museum of Pennsylvania (http://www.statemuseumpa.org/) which hosts a very nice display commemorating Daniel Drawbaugh, the inventor of the telephone.
For those family members who aren't interested in history (or the phone show) there is the Tanger Outlet Center (http://www.tangeroutlet.com/lancaster/directory) which is only 9 miles from the show site. After the show, the entire family can go to Hershey Park (http://www.hersheypark.com/). There are also the antique markets in Adamstown, PA which are all open on Sunday.
Of course, there's always the plethora of antique shops in Adamstown, PA (http://www.antiquescapital.com/). Most of the stores are only open on Sunday so you need not cut short your visit to the show. Register soon. We hope to see you there.
It's time to start planning for the Lancaster Switcher's Corner!
We'll once again have a working C*Net connection and I'll organize the interconnection of various systems, providing a coordinating function as well as in-bound and out-bound trunks. While it is not an absolute requirement that everybody be in the "switchers corner", it does simplify cable runs and helps to maintain a safe environment.
You don't need to have an elaborate display, just an interest in "interconnecting" with other equipment and people. Very few of the Switchers bite!
We're interested in getting a sense of those who plan to participate, how much space you may need, and what kind of interfaces, if any, you might need. If you plan to bring either a standalone working demo or a non-working demo, we'd like to know that too.
After the show, as in past years, some of us will get together at the local Outback for dinner. This is then followed by an open house switch tour hosted by a couple local collectors. Those who are interested should note their interest on the show registration form. You don't need to be a switcher to attend either event and have a good time.
Please contact John Jones at for additional information.
The switchers' tour ends up about 40 miles from the show location. For those who plan to join us for breakfast at the Windmill restaurant Sunday morning, the following hotels are very close to the switchers' tour locations and the Windmill restaurant. And for those who need to make a "quick getaway," Sunday, both hotels are a short distance from the Morgantown exit of the PA Turnpike.
Nearby Hotels to the Switchers Tour
$15 entrance
$10 each for sales tables, limit 3
Educational Display Tables are free, limit 1
