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THE ST. LOUIS (CONVENTION) SOCIAL SCENE
By Vinny LaRusso, Time For A Change Wallpapering, Brewster, New York

Day One
The team inlay challenge, which was organized and presented by Alan Rada,C.P., was a blast. How creative every team was (I have pictures ofall the teams ’ work)! I was proud to know that two of our own Westchester Chaptermembers (team captains) took home 1st and 3rd place. Good job! Then we had the WelcomeReception. I had been anticipating this eventsince May, hoping thatnobody knew what was going to happen orwhen.

We (the ConventionCommittee) were hoping to surprise everyone with the game show and the murder mystery event.I believe for the most part everybody had fun with the game show and was very surprised with the murder,especially that Jack Ford volunteered to be killed!

We wanted to have everybody in the room so we could have all the members and guests talking about what went on during and after the events throughout the convention. I believe we kicked off the convention with a blast. That brings us to the annual Pub Run that evening, where Mike Zekich and Phil Reinhard of Safe & Simple did a great job. In downtown St.Louis, how beautiful was it to see the famous arch in the background while we were all having a great social gathering. I could not hide from anybody and rightfully so, because they needed to ask me a question of any kind just so I would give them some DiBacco Bucks. I thought it was a really fun thing to witness how some of the members used their creativity on how to approach me. It was fun to be the one they had to ask fo rmoney or beg,whateverworked for them!

Day Two
By now everyone had absorbed what was going on with the madness of paperhangers running aroundtrying to find clues in solving the murder mystery. It made the scene energetic, to say the least. As always the HandsOn! Demos were just a big hit, and again my chapter wasinvolved, with Mary Farrell and Chuck Scottshowing us how to cover air-conditioned vents with wallpaper.The Winning Walls With Wallcovering luncheon is always one of the mainattractions,sponsored by The Zinsser Company and hosted by Jack Ford.It is such aspecial part of the convention because you get to see work from allover the country and the magnificent, let alone beautiful, works of craftsmanship that are doneby our members. Need I say while all these events were going forward people kept coming up to me and asking questions just so they could get some Bucks, and I’m lovin’ it! Back to WWWW again: one of my own chapter members, the lovely Mary Farrell, won an Honorable Mention in the residential category! Did I mention that all the winners in this category were women? Great job, girls! The Tradeshow opened and it was the best show in a while (this was coming from vendors). The vendors were saying, I only hope we keep up the good work!

There was a buzz in the air and also on our Riverboat Cruise.I had a fun time enjoying our table of Jerry Russo, Sarah Smyth, Doug Bera,Charlie Grippo and Dave Allegretti. Trying to eat a meal with all these crazy paperhangers asking me for Bucks was alot of fun.

Day Three
As my legs start to cramp up from all the running just to get away from those crazed hangers and trying to get all the prizes for the auction was enough for me to run and hide, only problem was there was no where to hide! TheTradeshow was winding down and people were all around having a good time in my eyes, anyhow!

Finally Elsie Kapteina, C.P. and myself broke away for a little lunchdown in the lobby restaurant only to be found by vendors wanting to give me more prizes, which was a good thing (or was it?). Back to the hands-on table top demonstrations and the wrap-up session; by this point I needed a bed and fast, but I started to get my second, third, fourth (I los tcount) wind and geared up for the awards banquet. I finally could not run any more and gave out as much if not all of the DiBacco Bucks that I had left in the NGPP vault. The dinner was enjoyable for me, now that everybody knew all the festivities were pretty much over and left me alone, whew thank God! Only kidding, I had a blast doing it. It was time to give out some awards and all my chapter members - that, by the way, had the most attendees of any chapter at the convention, eleven in all - were anticipating Chicago winning the chapter of the year aaaaagain! I was very honored to be nominated for Member of the Year along with Phil Reinhard and Gary Lucas, C.P., who won and rightfully so. Gary did a great job with the website and deserved the award. As Dave DiBacco, C.P. was mentioning the Newsletter of the Year award (awarded to chapter newsletter editor, Bill Archibald) we all (the Westchester Chapter table)started getting a little nervous: you know, sweaty palms, shakin’ of the legs, things of that nature. As he (Dave) announced this year’s chapter of the year award, he mentioned the nominees, which I thought was very nice to have all be mentioned. Dave started to rattle off the chapters in this order: “Atlanta, Boston, Chicago and Westchester and the winner is…” At that time I went into a dream-like moment which I cannot explain only tell you, as Dave opened the envelope and started to say, “The winner is…” it was like he was talking in slow motion. Then he said, “The winner is the Westchester Chapter!” At first we could not believe what had just happened, especially me: all the hard work and time we all put in during the past year just to get to this moment was draining enough and to have won, I cannot even to this very day tell you what a feeling it is to have been recognized by your peers.The night was capped off with the anticipated auction of outstanding prizes from all our vendors. Seeing Cyndi Green, C.P. battle Mike DiGilio,C.P. and Phil Curtis, C.P. for the Crawler scaffolding was very intense towatch. From paste machines to primers and s PLS laser level, to adhesives and all the great prizes that were given out, in all I think everybody had a great time. I hope it carries over to next year’s convention in SanDiego, California.

A HANDSON! REVIEW
By Stephanie Lopez, Wallpaper by Becky, Broken Arrow, Oklahoma

Bring out your tools! Bring out your tables! And certainly bring your thinking caps! Its time for the HandsOn! Demonstrations in St. Louis at the annual National Paperhanger’s Convention & Tradeshow! Let’s face it ;this is the real reason that most of us attend the conventions every year, right? We love to pick each other’s brains to find little tricks to work smarter instead of harder. Personally, I am always trying to find ways to outsmart my mother in this trade! TheHandsOn! demos have always been a great topic of discussion for my mother, Becky Duvall, and me when we return from the convention each year. We usually get on to the plane, pull out all of our handouts and begin our debate. This year I braved the convention alone, but the debate will still take place regardless. The pointis that these demos provide us with the true education that represents what the NGPP is all about, and this year was no exception.

One of the first table tops I visited was with Gary Lucas, C.P. where he was demonstrating the art of trimming specialty papers. In this particularcase Lucas chose a stunning Bradbury and Bradbury, which entails a lot of intricate trimming. Gary showed me how the company sends the paper untrimmed with an entire blueprint for your layout. Some of this paper can be trimmed on the table, but most of it requires detailed cuts on the wall including miters. Gary demonstrated the hanging of this material on wallboard for the hands-on, but in actuality the design was made for a ceiling.

I strolled for awhile around the “Finishing Touches” table by Mary Lang Farrell and Chuck Scott. Here they showed us many different ways to include wallpaper in our decorating other than on our walls. Mary rolled lampshades in wallpaper using rubber cement and double-sided tape to add just a touch of flair to a room. Chuck displayed the art of covering air vents, which is always a request in my neck of the woods. It was really hard to get close to this table. I guess a lot of fellow Guild members needed some hands-on with this particular topic.

Anthony Russo, C.P. had aunique hands-on table that helped continue the education of the Maya Romanoff Bedazzled and Geode glass beaded wallcovering that we have all been hit with this year. If you have ever worked with it you know that this stuff is almostimpossible to cut on the wall, but Anthony showed us how to use templates to get that perfect fit from the table to the wall. I found this fascinating. He used cardboard in his demo, but any form of sturdy wallpaper such as commercial vinyl can be used as well.

Cliff Hayes enlightened us in the art of dry hanging fabric products, a subject that I personally am terrified to even discuss. After watching him hang this fabric beautifully on a not-so-flat wallboard, I was convinced even a novice paperhanger could tackle fabri changing with the correct guidance. It is just like Clif fhimself said, “Don’t be afraid to hang fabric, it looks like murder but it’s not.

”Right across from Cliff was the strange glow of fire coming out of Phil Reinhard’s hand, which I soon discovered to be a torch. Phil’s trick of the trade was using a hand held propane torch to get tight corners with commercial goods. Not that I should be playing with fire, but I certainly could use suggestions on getting a tight corner. No more stressing for me when Mr. and Mrs. Homemaker just have to have that type two vinyl hung in their powder room!

Helping us to manage our business with ease were our QuickBooks gurus, Doug Bera and Mike Zekich. Earlier in the day, the guys led a session of a brief overview of QuickBooks, Word, and Excel. This table top gave all of us a chance to sit down one-on-one with them to sort through specific questions regarding these programs.

To line or not to line? If you ask Alan Rada, he will tell you, “Line…every time!” In his tabletop, Alan showed us why this is the way to achieve the best hang possible.

One of the most intriguing table tops was based on the history of wallpaperhanging. Tim Bodine and VerneManson, both third generation hangers, had an array of antique tools to show all of us. They were also joined by our keynote speaker, Nick Cichielo, who added some of his grandfather’s tools to the table. The next table top talked about how to pack your bags if traveling to do work. Phil and Jennifer Curtis, C.P.s showed us excellent techniques on how to pack our tools safely and efficiently for airplane travel.

On Saturday, we were educated by an entirely new set of table tops. The first that I was drawn to was Carl Bergman, C.P.’s set up of stairway rigging. I was especially interested inthe bucket he had under his ladder,which he later explained represented the stair step.

Michael Koritko, C.P. had a wonderful display of odds and ends to use as little short cuts for us to work smarter instead of harder. His table top was rightfully named Potpourri. Dennis George, C.P. demonstrated some fascinating ways to use the new phenomenon of torn paper. Using Stoney Brook and Vahallen alike, NGPP members hung diamondpatterns on top of torn papers, covered wooden side tables to add flair, and many other creative ideas.

The Boston Chapter had a fantastic table top loaded up with their Five Star Ideas to share with the entire Guild. Along with the demonstration, we were all given a beautifully put together take home manual with all of the tricks laidout.

The HandsOn! demonstrations are always my favorite part of thec onvention. Don’t be afraid to share your secrets. Get involved next year in San Diego; everyone has a trick of the trade. So come on out and share the love.

MY FIRST TIME AT AN NGPP CONVENTION
By Dennis Gauthier, Gauthier Wallcovering Specialists, Inc., Jefferson, Louisiana

I was asked to write a piece for The Installer, giving a “newcomers view” on the NGPP convention. The convention took place in St. Louis, which was really nice. But to be honest, I didn’t leave the hotel much.

The convention was planned to keep you busy and very little time waswasted. It all started with a newbie meeting led by Glen Olsen Jr. I was surprise to see our president Dave DiBacco show up and talk to us before the meeting. I know he must have been busy, but took the time to make us feel welcome. We also had some non-newbies such as Eunice Bokstom, all the way from Canada. The only way you could tell I was new was by a small bird on my ID.

I have always felt positive about my profession. However, keynote speaker Nick Cichielo, strengthened that belief. The man had a way of giving you the skinny on our trade without sugarcoating the facts. He spoke of how wallpaper had lost it place in the market, but was starting to move again in the commercial and high-end sections.

The rest of the day was informal classes, where questions were asked, and tips were traded. Now I’m not new to paperhanging, just the convention. I asked myself, “What can these guys teach me?” Well, they didn’t teach me as much as they fine tuned me. The things I saw help me look at things in a different light. Different modifications done to common tools showed me there is always a better way to do things. Everything was discussed from hanging, to products, to business, always showing a certain thread that hooked us all together.

We were divided into groups for a challenge. The challenge was to do an inlaid mural. The groups were made of newbies mixed with members who have been to many conventions. This was great because it threw all sorts of people together, making them work as a team. This team stayed together thoughout the three days, allowing us to make some great friends.

The day was topped off by a get together called “Take It or Leave It”. Vinny LaRusso, a man who missed his calling as a nightclub MC, led this.

That night, buses were provided to take us on a Pub Crawl. This not only got us out of the hotel but put everyone in a more relaxed state of mind. Although this was a time to relax, I found myself and my wife Rhonda talking about wallpaper to Cliff Hayes and Chris Murphy.

Friday, we were off and running. As soon as breakfast was over, we were treated to a seminar about historical and antique wallpaper tools by Verne Manson. My uncle was in the wallpaper business since 1938, and I’ve seen many tools. However Verne’s collection was something to see. Hands-on demonstrations filled the rest of the day with everything from block printing to tips on how to powerhang. Lots of new ways and uses of standard tools was really an eyeopener.

Then the Tradeshow opened. I personally went crazy and bought a lot of tools that I can’t find in my area. Before I walked out of the room, I had a receipt for a 32-inch paste machine and a border-pasting machine. The sales reps had paste, primers, wallpaper removers, you name it. If it had anything to do with wallcovering it was there.

That evening most of the conventioneers went on the Riverboat Cruise. I missed it, but from what I heard I wish I would have gone. Next time I’ll know. The final day started with a question and answer breakfast. By this time, everyone was familiar enough with everyone to speak up, ask questions and provide answers. No question was too bizarre to be answered by the panel.

Afterward, I got to go back to the Tradeshow to talk to all the companies I missed the night before. There’s acertain value in looking at a product while you are in a room full of people who understand the product. Also I got to meet people I talked to on the phone to orde rproducts, putting a face with the voice.

The next event was a special session of our industry’s leaders. Here, the latest trends in wallpaper were discussed. The new materials are amazing. You actually got some idea where the companies are trying to take us.

The wrap-up session came too soon. It gave old and new a chance to comment on the convention and give ideas for the next one. Overview for this newbie: I got to learn about my trade, make new friends, and most important, I came away with a renewed spirit. I came back charged about my craft. I can’t wait for San Diego.