HARRISBURG, Pa., June 10, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- The Democratic National Convention is not the only assemblage of politically minded individuals that will gather in Pennsylvania this year. The American Political Items Collectors (APIC) have chosen the Keystone State's capital city of Harrisburg for their 2016 national convention site. The July 6-10 event will take place at the Harrisburg Hilton.
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Attendees will have an event-packed agenda available to them, including buying and selling at a 200-table bourse and visiting numerous local points of interest, including Gettysburg Battlefield and the home of James Buchanan Jr., fifteenth President of the United States. The club hopes to showcase the popular hobby of political memorabilia collecting and attract new members.
"On July 9th and 10th, we'll do something we've never done before, and that's open our doors to the public, free of charge. Even the parking will be free," said convention co-chair Ted Hake, who founded the York, Pa., auction house Hake's Americana. "We want to make this an educational experience for all ages. Guests can browse the sellers' tables and view a wealth of rare political memorabilia spanning a 200-year timeline, with values from $5 to $50,000. There will also be every imaginable type of vintage pop culture collectible for sale, from comic character, sports and rock music to advertising and World War Two relics." To encourage youngsters to attend, every visitor under 16 will receive a free bag of political campaign buttons plus a special button created expressly for the event.
"There's a lot to do in central Pennsylvania, between the world-class museums, historical sites, and family-fun attractions like Hershey Park and the paddlewheel boat on the Susquehanna River. Because the Democratic National Convention will be taking place in Philadelphia, July 25th through the 28th, Harrisburg was the ideal choice."
Seminars for registered conventioneers will be held on the mornings of Wednesday and Thursday, July 6 and 7. Topics include suffrage memorabilia, the Berkeley Free Speech Movement and its consequences, the origins and legacy of the SDS, and more. The keynote speaker on Thursday evening will be Pulitzer Prize-nominated author Dr. John Milton Cooper, Jr., who will discuss the 1916 presidential election that pitted Woodrow Wilson against Charles E. Hughes.
APIC is one of America's most respected collector clubs, with a history that goes back to 1945. Its current membership includes three US Presidents, many politicians and campaign staffers; broadcast journalists, and collectors from a broad spectrum of professions.
"Because this is an election year and the world will be watching Pennsylvania during the month of July, we expect the excitement level to be off the charts at our national convention," said Hake. "And don't be surprised if you see a very convincing 'General Douglas MacArthur' walking around the convention floor on Saturday. We've arranged for some incredible impersonators to attend the convention, the 'general' being one of them."
The APIC welcomes new members. For additional information, visit www.apic.us.
Contact: Ted Hake 717-434-1630
SOURCE American Political Items Collectors
