@Allan Miller posted:Folks are always lamenting growing the hobby. My recommendation: Forget about putting the responsibility for future growth on the TCA or, even more unfairly, on the TCA Eastern Division. Those groups have heard it all before.
If you want to see the hobby grow, the very best way to do it is to do it yourself. If every member of our great hobby--including OGR Forum participants--would take it upon themselves to attract just ONE new participant to the hobby on an annual basis, the growth would be there. "Grow the hobby one person at a time" is something I have advocated for years, and I firmly believe that OGR magazine has helped to cultivate interest successfully, even though the magazine is no longer readily available at newsstands and large book retailers such as B&N and others.
When you have a visitor to your layout, or come across someone else in your circle of friends, colleagues, or acquaintances, who asks about your hobby, consider giving him or her one of your past issues of OGR. Perhaps--just perhaps--when they see a sampling of what this hobby offers, they may may enticed to jump in and give it a try. And they will know who to turn to if/when they have questions or need some advice.
Alan, although I'm not a member of the TCA, I was at one time but not in the future for me because of other things, I have in the past 4 or 5 years donated Three completely new train set to a child with a note included on how great the TCA is and what they can do for you in items like research. It's my way of supporting.
