Philly Show Set to Return; TriStar Too; Chicago Uncertain; Expo a No-Go
The Philly Show, operated in one form or another since the mid-1970s, will return June 11-13. Promoters say they’re planning to have some autograph guests as well.
The show at the Valley Forge Convention Center normally takes place three times per year but hasn’t been held since just before the pandemic shut most events down. In fact, the winter 2020 show was one of the last events to take place before state and local regulations put the clamps on public gatherings of any significant size.
Organizers say they “will be offering as many dealer tables as possible.”
Other Philly Show dates for 2021 include September 24-26 and December 3-5.
TriStar’s show at NRG Arena in Houston is set to return as well. Originally scheduled for February, the show was pushed back to June 4-6 and is now officially a go. New Hall of Famer Larry Walker is among those who will be on hand to sign autographs at the event.
That’s the same weekend as the Chicago Sports Spectacular, which is still on for now, but promoters say they are still ” waiting to see when Illinois will open up for large conventions.” That goes for the National Sports Collectors Convention, too, which is scheduled to open in late July.
Illinois is currently at Stage 4 of its re-opening plan with a “bridge” to Stage 5 in the works. Stage 5 is when the state would largely re-open without limits. However, the activation of that plan depends on a number of factors, including vaccination rates.
The “bridge” stage would allow no more than 1,000 attendees at conventions so both shows likely wouldn’t be able to take place until the state was able to reach Stage 5.
As we reported last week, the Chantilly (VA) Show on April 9-11 has been rescheduled to April 30-May 2, at The Dulles Expo Center. The show will only take place if Virginia COVID-19 restrictions and guidelines allow for it.
On the west coast, the Long Beach Expo, which had been scheduled for June 17-19 has been canceled.
The show, which is generally focused more on coins but does include sports cards and memorabilia as well, is typically held three times per year at the city’s convention center, but hasn’t taken place in more than a year because of COVID-19.
The September event remains on the schedule for now.
On average, over 2,800 cases of the virus are still being reported in California on a daily basis, but that’s a decrease of more than 35% from earlier this month.
