The Ohio Motorpool's second MVPA national convention appeared to be every bit as successful as the last one held in 2006. The
show was held in Dayton, OH, at Wright State University's Nutter Center, with the awards dinner and ceremony taking place at the
U.S. Air Force Museum. Partnering again with the OMP, and adding to the show with vehicles and exhibits were the Marlboro
Volunteers, Inc. The variety and quality of the over 200 vehicles on hand was very impressive, and if that wasn't enough,
the grouping of amphibious vehicles that swam around the pond and gave rides, should have put the icing on anybody's cake!
The amphibians included a DUKW, some Weasels and GPAs, Tom Price's LVT4, and even a Viet Nam era PBR gunboat.
The inside vendor area saw 400 tables loaded with parts and MV related items, while outside, another 100 vendor spaces were busy all
show long. There were also a number of organized tours and events including the USAF Museum restoration hanger tour, Ohio River
boat cruise, Ladies Day Out Tour, and the Buckeye Bar-B-Q. There was so much to see and do, it seems that there was something
for everyone.
As this was my first MVPA national, I eagerly anticipated its arrival, and couldn't wait to see all the vehicles. However looking
back at the weekend, while the vehicles were great, I think it was the people that made this a fantastic show. Like the old friends
I unexpectedly ran into, or the new ones I made repeatedly during the weekend, these are the same people that make the MVPA the incredible
organization that it is.
