Video Of Denver NSCC And SE FL Chaser Picnic In 2002
NSCC Music Presentation For 2002 (Chases Until 2001)

	Here is the view across the 5,000 square-foot convention hall when over 100 chasers and spotters attended the Colorado Chaser Convention held on February 9, 2002 in Denver. This is a yearly event hosted by Roger Hill and Tim Samaras. The convention included some great and informative presentations on severe storm analysis as well as software demos. We spent nearly 14 hours from 12 noon into the early morning hours the next day! Many chasers including myself brought in their videos and presentations to show off to the crowd of chasers, after all, we had a "big screen" and great sound mixing at our disposal.
	This is a birthday cake for Phil Flory, one of many chasers at the Colorado Chaser Convention held on February 9, 2002 in Denver. The cake is decorated and shows a beautiful wedge tornado with massive supercell lowering and little yellow chase vehicle with antennas to it's lower right. I can imagine what the bakery person in the store thought of when he or she decorated this cake.
	This picture shows the entrance and one of many tables for the Colorado Chaser Convention held on February 9, 2002 in Denver. This is a yearly event hosted by Roger Hill and Tim Samaras. In this picture, we can see several familiar faces, well, I can see Tom, Graham, and I believe Jeff with former "Weathervine" to the right? Between 100 and 200 storm chasers and spotters attended this convention, more than at Tim Marshall's chaser picnics. A nasty 75-MPH blizzard closed a highway east of Denver, so there probably would have been even more chasers. If you know a chaser on the Great Plains, chances are you would find them at this event.
	This picture shows the view across the 5,000 square-foot convention hall and many tables for the Colorado Chaser Convention held on February 9, 2002 in Denver, hosted by Roger Hill and Tim Samaras. Roger Hill is a very avid storm chaser who spends the most time out in the field chasing, with an unusually high sucess rate, than any other chaser in the United States. Some people call him "Mr Tornado". This yearly event attracts chasers from all over the US, even as far as Europe and Australia. We are all here at the convention for a great and informative time, after all, this is a seminar, show-and-tell, banquet, and chaser "party" all rolled into one event.
	This is a view of the "free demo" area of the Colorado Chaser Convention held on February 9, 2002 in Denver. From left to right are pictures of storm photography, my "Weatherlab" portable weather station, and a video swap table. My WX station was set up with full functionality so it can be displayed with demonstrations. This thing got a lot of attention and compliments. The barometer read 24.84" at Denver's 1 mile elevation.
	This picture shows another view across the convention hall at the Colorado chaser convention. The entrance to the banquet room is in the far corner next to the "Weatherlab" station on display. How many faces can you pick out?
	What's a party, any party, without the added spice of some great cocktails? Here is a picture of Amos Magliocco pouring some "Parrot Bay" rum after an early dinner just prior to our video presentations. The Colorado convention had a full liquor bar and free southwestern style food.
	Here is a picture of the main entrance to the chaser convention in Colorado as storm chasers mingle and "rag-chew" about many topics. My "Weatherlab" portable weather station can be seen on the table at the left.
	This picture is a rather mis-conceiving picture of Roger Hill, left, talking with another chaser, maybe Doug kiesling "lightning boy", about showing their presentations at the Colorado chaser convention. No, there's nothing going on between these two guys except an extreme interest in severe weather!
	Each group of chasers threw their own little party complete with pizza, beer, cocktails, even "Mike's Hard Lemonade" (great after a turbulent flight into Denver)! Here we see some chasers up in Amos Magliocco's suite on the night before the convention. Jeff Lawson and Eric Nguyen are here to name a few plus one of only two women at the convention. There were many such smaller chaser parties were much like the little tornadoes going around the big main vortex, LOL! These "private parties" went late into the night ... Until ? ... well, whatever!
	Here is another view of the packed convention hall at the Colorado chaser convention with maximum attendance over 150 chasers and Skywarn spotters. Again, let me know how many familiar smiling storm chaser faces you can recognize.
	Tim Samaras gives an in-depth speech at the Colorado convention on tornadoes and severe thunderstorms. This man did a fabulous job at setting up the audio and video system for the convention as Roger Hill did hosting it. The AV system at the storm chaser's disposal could handle just about ANY audio and video format us chasers could supply. Tim is also noted for developing and testing tornado seismic detection systems.

	Two large signs were posted on March 2, 2002 in the Welligton Village park for the 2nd annual SE storm chaser picnic. Jeff Gammons (KG4PGA) did a great job on their design and blow-ups at Kinkos. One was posted outside the picnic area entrance, and the other, obviously on the back of my Ford Escape SUV with full instrumentation of the "Weatherlab" portable weather station on display on its roof. Guests just couldn't miss it (or even resist, if you were a storm chaser)! In-depth demonstrations of the "Weatherlab" were given to numerous guests. Photo by Jeff Gammons.
	Mike Johnston prepares some hot dogs and hamburgers as Larry Lazar points at some incoming weather in the background, well not actually, the weather was quite windy but remained sunny and warm the entire event. Larry Lazar (KS4NB) of the Wellington Radio Club did a beautiful job at reserving the pavilion for the entire day for this event, the 2nd annual SE storm chasers picnic at Wellington Village Park in Palm Beach, Florida on March 2, 2002. Photo by Jeff Gammons.
	Storm chasers and their friends gather around the TV and VCR to watch some great video and enjoy food and drink at the 2nd SE Chaser Picnic in Wellington on March 2, 2002. Jason Foster (N3PRZ) and Charley Roop are in the foreground. 28 People showed up and some people who could not make it due to work or other obligations made the effors to send us their best video, even Jim Leonard (Cyclone Jim) contributed some spectacular video ... Thanks Jim! Video and food were not the only events at this picnic, Larry Lazar (KS4NB) had his Icom-746 HF rig up and running on 10 / 20 m. We were able to get a contact and WX report from northern Italy! Photo by Jeff Gammons.
	A beautiful sunset wraps up a rather warm and windy day at the Wellington Village Park at the 2nd annual Southeastern US storm chasers picnic hosted by Myself and the former "Weathervine" storm intercept team. A total of 28 people attended this year which was more than last years. In this picture, the setting sun silhouettes some palm trees and the instruments of the "Weatherlab" portable weather station atop my Ford Escape SUV on display at the picnic. The picnic was held on March 2, 2002. Photo by Jeff Gammons.

This is a picture of the front of the down stairs meeting / conference room at the City of Wellington Community Center in Palm Beach, Florida. Video equipment is set up for an attendance of about 67 people to hear speeches by myself, the former "Weathervine" Chase Team, Channel 5 News, the South Florida Water Management District, the NWS Miami, the Wellington Radio Club, and the Mayor of Wellingtom himself to name a few. The presentations ran from 9 AM to 3 PM on August 10, 2002 complete with barbacue and donations! Our part, myself and Jeff Gammons (KG4PGA) of the former "Weathervine" chase team, put on a presentation on Florida severe thunderstorms as well as video of our 2002 Chase Expedition in the central US. As a finale, I was even able to create some "real lightning" with my 1/4 KVA Tesla coil system!

In this picture, we can see Steve Weagel with WPB Channel 5 News interviewing Jeff Gammons (KG4PGA) in my modified 2001 Ford Escape SUV with all weather equipment operating. Channel 5 was delighted to interview Jeff and myself while taking detailed footage of the chase vehicle with the "Weatherlab" system on August 10, 2002. This was part of a special presented by the Palm Beach Channel 5 weather department.

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