Paul Tainter's Treasure Expos were legend back in the 80's and 90's, and if you were fortunate enough to attend one you will appreciate the following. I asked Paul a while back if he had any photos from these events, and damn if he didn't dig out some. As I said before, if you are newcomer to the treasure hunting pastime these photos will probably not mean a lot to you. For the rest of us...Jeez I hate to say oldtimers....they should bring back a lot of great memories.
The photos are scanned and not all that crisp, but they still evoke a time when all was well and all was fun within the treasure hunting pastime. Hopefully I have attributed the correct names to the correct faces, but if have not please let me know and I will make the necessary changes.
It was at Expo that you could and would meet up with all the legends of the pastime. You would learn, you would share, and you would always have fun 24/7.
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Attending Treasure Expo in Ames was a yearly must and if you didn't happen to attend you always wondered what you missed, and in many cases, what trouble you averted. The group I remember most? The late Gary Bischke, Fred Brust, Herb Dunn and Rich Green. Join up with them, take your chances and don't even count on turning in before 4 or 5 am in the morning. Add in the local watering hole "Boomer's" and you were in a whole lot of trouble. Details to this day remain misty and purposely lost in the deepest recesses of my mind....
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I've been very fortunate to have been involved in this pastime when the treasures were plentiful, and the characters were one of a kind. I was privy to a lot of
expert advice and a lot of legendary stories. What I learned was that no matter your quest, or no matter the outcome, you will have had a helluva lot of fun along the way,
and you can't ask for anymore than that!