Hello from the NGS Conference in Raleigh

Genealogists everywhere you turn. This is a good NGS Conference. Registrants and vendors seem pleased and the meals at the one banquet and two luncheons I attended have been great. I have seen people from my genealogy family that I haven't seen for years. Lots of hugs to catch up on. I have had opportunities to chat with some of the Facebook friends I had never met. Other genealogy friends I had seen more recently, but it has been a few months. The hugs are prolific, even with relatively new friends. These conferences are events that I crave -- for the knowledge, networking, and the laughter. My credit card seems to crave being used in the Exhibit Hall at several of the vendor booths.

The one banquet I attended was a very friendly, relaxed evening. It was the annual banquet for the International Society of Family History Writers and Editors and one of the awards that evening went to Jay Fonkert, CG, a fellow resident of Minnesota. I was privileged to be the speaker at this dinner.

The FGS/AGS booth in the Exhibit Hall is where the word is spreading about the September 2009 FGS/AGS Conference to be held in Little Rock. It has been a busy booth and people from all over the country have indicated they plan to register for that conference. Quite a few additional vendors have reserved booths in the Exhibit Hall.