Next week is the Mid West Tool Collector Associations Spring Tool Meet. This year it will be held in Springfield, IL. I'll be there for most of the week. If you have never been to a large tool meet, and you are within driving distance, you should seriously consider going. Especially if your local tool pickings are slim to none. There will be hundreds of vendors there with more tools in one place than you have ever seen in your entire life.
Things not to miss include the Thursday Early Morning tail gate. This starts before the sun is up and is mostly petered out by 9 am. The early bird really does get the worm. Friday the event moves inside with more formal trade tables set up. Saturday is more of the same.
You do need to be a member to participate in any of the events. Membership is cheap ($25) and gets you access to all the tool meets in addition to a really cool period book reprint which is sent out annually. You also get the quarterly publication "The Gristmill"
You can find out more details at www.mwtca.org If you are not a member and want to attend the meet, you can join at the conference. On Wednesday you can sign up from 2-6 at the registration. Hope to see some of you there! I've been a member since 1991. You won't regret it.