The Southern California Chapter of AMICA had its organ rally last
weekend, as reviewed by Julie Porter, and what a great turnout!

Julie was a little short on her estimate of the crowds.  As of 3:00 PM
there had been well over 3,800 paid admissions on Sunday, and there
were still people coming in.  We were supposed to close down at 4 PM,
but there were too many people and we ended up playing until almost
closing time at 5 PM.  Frank and I were not out until 6:00 PM by the
time we loaded up and made sure everyone got any help they needed.

I don't have the figures for Saturday yet, but it was very crowded
all day.

Descanso Gardens is the perfect venue for an organ rally, with lots
of nooks and crannies for the organs, and the grounds are spectacular.
The video program by Huell Howser did really bring in the public.
I would like to have a dollar for every time someone told us they were
there only because we were there, and they saw us on TV.  It shows
what some good publicity can do.  We had people who lived in the area
and had never been to the Descanso Gardens until they found out about
us.  (We have a few of the Huell Howser tapes for sale yet.)

All in all, it was a fantastic weekend, and I urge anyone in the
Southern California area to attend some of these rallies.  They are
a lot of fun, and if you enjoy the organs you will love them.  We'll be
in Ventura in June, Fullerton in October, and probably in Sierra Madre
in July.

Shirley Nix