"The Bounty" docked at the Navy Piere in Chicago.


Here I am, at the wheel of "The Bounty" ready to set sail.


The innovative "Arnold Palmer Indoor Golf Game"


John Spinello autographs the book "The Playmakers." The metal box in the foreground is his creation which will become the classic game "Operation."


John Spinello and I pose for a picture.


Some of the activities on stage. There was much participation with the audience.


"Sentence Says"...game play with some of the attendees.


Kurt Kircof of "Going-Going Crazy" demonstrates his game born out of a dream.


An overview of the Chicago Toy Fair.


A mirror sculpture in downtown Chicago.


The Frank Lloyd Wright "Robie House" in Hyde Park, just south of Chicago, Illinois.

On Thursday, September 02, the first thing on my working vacation agenda was an eight hour drive to visit the Frank Lloyd Wright home “Tallasin” in Spring Green, Wisconsin. The next day, Friday, I saw his other masterpiece...the Johnson Wax Building in nearby Racine. Later in the same day, I was off to see his Oak Park, Illinois home/studio and other buildings designed by Mr. Wright. This was a nice pilgrimage before going to my main objective... second annual Toy fair in Chicago, an event run by Discover Games. I wanted to see if this was a worth while event to enter Word-Sport™ for next year. The event started on Saturday, and went through Monday (Labor Day).

After the Oak Park visit, I checked into the Cass Hotel, Friday at 7:30pm in Chicago. Later, I decided to walk downtown to see what’s there. And behold, while walking down the busy street, I run into my friend Rob Sheptak and his family. We went over to the Red Lobster for a delightful evening out. Now, what are the odds of that happening?

“Mutiny on the Bounty” sails in
The weather could not have been better as the fair opened at 10:00am on Saturday. Before going to the fair, I got in line to tour the “Bounty” which was docked at the Pier. This was the actual three mast sailing ship on which the 1962 movie, Mutiny on the Bounty was filmed… staring Marlon Brando. The ship was sailed in and remains there for two months on exhibition. Then they are off to another location. Admission to view the ship was only $5.00.

Back to the Toy Fair... Being it’s second year, the Fair is quite a bit smaller then the 100 year old New York Toy Fair, however, there is a difference in the format. New York is for the trade only (no public, no children). Chicago is modeled after highly successful toy fairs held in Essen, Germany. The public is welcome to preview, play and purchase first run games by independent inventors. The concept and execution of the Fair show great potential. The Navy Pier location and being held on the Labor Day weekend couldn’t be better.

Toy Fair Highlights
Early in the day, I stopped by the Key Publishing booth where I met Tim Walsh. Tim just authored a book “The Playmakers, Amazing Origins of Timeless Toys” The book is like a “Bible” of toy stories in that it is a compilation of miniature books on various classic toys and games by individual inventors. The 312 page book covers nearly 100 years of playthings and offers a delightful look back at many childhood favorites, from Scrabble to Silly Putty, Lego to Lite-Brite. It is complete with over 400 color pictures which is sure to take you down memory lane. You can find the book at www.theplaymakers.com.

Also at the Key Publishing booth, I met Joe Spinello who made the device which would become the game “Operation.” First made in 1964, this classic game is still in production after some 50 million units sold. Joe autographed my book and agreed to pose with me for a picture. You can read the story about Operation and many other toys and games in “The Playmakers”.

Another booth featured a game which showed much potential. Kurt Kirckof invented a fast paced children’s educational-family board game “Going, Going Crazy”™. The origin of the game came to Kurt in dream, now it’s a reality. Another company, called Word Salt, featured their new word/card game called “Baffle Gab”™. “Sentence Says” had a lot of traffic and even had Neil Servonne dressed as the Sentence Super Hero. There was also an interesting “Arnold Palmer” golf toy. This was a high caliber novelty toy and game that is worthy of being in the Sharper Image® catalog. The nice thing of this fair was the hands-on interaction between the vendors and the public. Many games were played on the spot. There was a reasonable $5.00 fee for entry to the fair. An on site concession provided food.

In Conclusion
It was a memorable experience that Saturday at the Toy Fair. Again, I see much potential for growth and participation. I’m thinking of having Word-Sport there for the next Labor Day weekend. Later that day, I walked up and down Michigan Avenue also known as the “Miracle Mile”. There were many interesting sites along the way with many people walking about.

I left that evening to go to Hyde Park, site of my last Frank Lloyd Wright shrine “The Robie House” which is now owned by Chicago University. I wasn’t booked at a hotel, so I slept in my new GMC van in the parking lot of St. Thomas the Apostle Catholic Church. That was convenient as I attended the 8:00 am Sunday Mass to give thanks to God for the safe and enjoyable working vacation. I got up at 6:00 that morning and walked to Starbucks right across the street to clean-up and have a coffee.

After the Robie House tour, I went to my last stop, The Chicago Museum of Science and Industry from 12:30-5:30. It was the perfect way to conclude my four day Chicago weekend. I was back home by 9:00pm Sunday night and spent Labor Day Monday reflecting on the good time I had.