Memories of Maryland Conventions!

by Atlantis 35 Replies latest jw friends

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  WingCommander

  1. Good to see John Redwood on here! Welcome!

  2. I attended several Conventions at the Capital Centre in Landover Maryland. The Polo Grounds / racetrack in Delaware, as well as Veterans Stadium in Philly and Grantville.

  Kill me now.
  
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  joyfulfader

  I grew up in Maryland and was baptized at the Crownsville Assembly Hall in 1988. I remember being young when my dad was the Kitchen Overseer and we would get there at 6am or before to start making food, back when the breakfast sandwiches were handmade and lunches were hot (anyone remember the Salisbury steak??). I always felt special because I didn’t need to be 16 to work in the kitchen. I buttered those English muffins with pride and would get first dibs on the freshly delivered doughnuts. I ran around with my friends whose parents also cooked and played hide and seek in the dark assembly hall.

  The carpet was red and green plaid-like. I remember the original hall, then the added cafeteria, the updated bathrooms and then the big remodel back in ‘91 or ‘92 where I helped as a regular volunteer of the RBC work crew.

  The Cap Center had the best facility for the conventions with the big screens. I loved seeing my friends and would get dressed up because there were so many cute guys to flirt with lol.

  I vaguely remember the heat of Laurel Race track but I vividly remember those miserable RFK conventions especially the rainy one where I froze!

  Vet Stadium had so many people and it was level 6 where all the single people made the rounds. We had umbrellas and the heat would be awful. The traffic and getting to the hotels over the Walt Whitman Bridge was horrible.

  I left MD in 2001 and left the cult 10 years ago. I still have fond memories of the social aspects of the assemblies and conventions.
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  Listener

  John Redwood (Mark O'Donnell) I know you are really, really busy with very important work but have you written a book about your JW experiences or do you plan on doing so?

  I imagine one book wouldn't begin to cover it all. Not to mention, it would be ongoing.
• 

  LongHairGal

  SMIDDY3:

  I also thank the Cosmos that I wasn’t brought up a JW.. I was raised Catholic. I got involved with JWs as young adult and I remember the hot and uncomfortable District Conventions in Yankee Stadium, getting up early and being dead tired.

  One time my car group volunteered for food service. Got there at a ridiculously early hour..Hours later, when I got back to my seat..my belongings (bible/songbook) were moved into the aisle by a bunch of little bastards!..Of course my handbag was always with me!! You couldn’t pay me to ever do this again.

  I remember one summer the convention was in the Philadelphia stadium in hundred degree heat.. I went with three older people. It was a disaster with the heat being so oppressive and people passing out. Come Sunday morning we had Enough!..and headed home.

  The highlight of the trip was us going out to restaurants..We got no spiritual food that weekend!
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  Phizzy

  I remember many bum-numbing bored to tears time at Conventions in the U.K, I used to come away after the last day slightly depressed, I could never understand people who said the enjoyed them, apart from maybe young people on the pull.

  One time we sat behind a friend from our Congregation, who was saving a good number of seats, a little upstart Attendant told him he could not save so many seats, my friend said " But they are for my family", the little Hitler said well can you move the books saving seats for your family, and I will find you somewhere else " (Why ? just to show his power ? ) my friend said " O.K. That's fine, if you can find somewhere better for all of us", Protonazi asked " How many seats does your family require ? ", my friend answered " 23" ! Which was true ! all his extended family from various parts of the Country were turning up. Little Hitler scuttled off, and said no more.
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  Rivergang

  Smiddy,

  My father stood his ground against his newly-converted JW mother, and refused to bring up his three children as JWs. No doubt the guilt trick was used on him - i.e. "Your children are going to die".

  For what he did, I cannot thank him enough.

  (As an aside, the only JW assembly I ever enjoyed was the 1973 "Divine Victory" international assembly, in which I fell in love for the first time!).