Big Breyer News

 First Post of the Day

Yesterday my Breyer Ambassador shirt arrived. I was surprised at the color.

Pink!

The bright colors of the tee shirts help people find the volunteers if they have questions, a problem, or need some sort of help. While I was surprised at the color, I do really like it.

Some very big BreyerFest news came out yesterday. News that is startling, news that is inconceivable to many of us.

After 36 years of hosting, this is the last year that the CHIN will be the host hotel for BreyerFest.

A post on the BreyerFest Official Facebook Group innocently let the cat out of the bag. 

Breyer quickly responded that yes, they were aware and would release more information after BreyerFest 2026 has ended.

Part of me is not surprised. If you have ever attended BreyerFest and gone to the CHIN, you will find that the motel is packed, decorations, ads, and other things are taped up all over the building, both inside and outside of rooms, and there are throngs of people everywhere. 

Parking is at a premium, it's noisy, it's crowded, but for most of us it is also a lot of fun to wander and shop, meet up with old and new friends, and just immerse ourselves in the hobby.

Having said that, I am hopeful that the new host site will have more rooms for those of us who want to attend. I have never stayed at the CHIN. Never. I've tried to get a reservation, I've been on the waitlist, but I never was able to reserve a room.*

At the moment there are conversations on social media about the fairness of the CHIN's system of reservations and how it seems to benefit one group but excludes others who'd like a chance to stay there along with hopes that that will change in a new place. In that discussion, I can see pros and cons on both sides. If that policy is going to change, this transition to a new host hotel would be the ideal time to do so. (I am not picking sides here - these remarks and discussions originated on social media.)

The loss of the CHIN could also be a springboard for a better BreyerFest experience. Breyer has had events elsewhere and experience finding hotels that work for their purposes. I would assume they would use that experience as they find a new host hotel for us.

But, there is also chatter that perhaps the CHIN will continue hosting BreyerFest and the coming changes that Breyer mentioned only apply to the room sales. If you reread what the original poster asked, she says she was told  "the Clarion will no longer be hosting/allowing BreyerFest sales..." And that they (the CHIN) were "making changes."

A new place, bigger, cleaner, better maintained... there could be some real pluses in moving from the CHIN. Or, if we stay there, what would BreyerFest look like without the room sales we treasure so much? Would Breyer accommodate that somehow?

We will find out the plan in a few weeks.

Stay 'tooned!

*Learning that I wanted to stay there but hadn't been able to, Marilou Mol once invited me to stay with her and Brenda Metcalf who always room together. I declined as I knew they had a lot of room sales and that adding me to the room would really make it crowded. Still, I have never forgotten Marilou's kindness.