Keith Arnold's Eulogy for the Congress Mug
Chris Garlock | Published on 9/25/2024
by Keith Arnold
For the first time since the tradition began in 1991, there was no Congress coffee mug this year. I should say from the outset that this walk down memory lane should not be construed to take anything away from the amazing job the Portland crew did this year. The first job of a Congress Director is to do a good job. The first job of a former Congress Director is to NOT criticize future Congress teams. That job is quite easy for me as the staff in Oregon was simply amazing, always ready to respond to an issue, never succumbing to the understandable temptation to try to enjoy their own event, and always doing their best for their guests. And, let’s face it, 99 and 44/100 percent of regular Congress goers' significant others are breathing a sigh of relief, and I suspect, most Congress veterans have reached their limit of mugs. Certainly my wife is thrilled. Still, the collector in me mourns the end (?) of, if not an era, certainly a streak. And so, in a classic act of self-indulgence, let's look at this mostly ceramic history.
CLICK HERE for Keith’s run-down on every Go Congress mug from 1991 to 2023, including 1991 (Rochester) “one of my very favorites”; 1995 (Seattle) “here the elements of the number, the year and the city appeared together for the first time” and 2001 (York) “the only complete wrap around mug we have had.”
Correction: The York Go Congress was held in 2001, not 2002 as posted originally.