Clips

The clips contest rewards members for published articles, either printed or online. Four members can win once per quarter. The emphasis is on pieces inspired by our conference host sites. Hundreds of articles have been published over the years. Our last clips contest covering 2 quarters, January – July 2024, had 123 article entries; 14 of these were from conference sites. 

A Sampling of our Writing (Conference sites are noted with a *) 

• *Fort Wayne, IN – “Bag Ladies,” Amy Lynch, AAA Crossroads.
  Vera Bradley sale, AAA Crossroads, Jan Feb 2024 (wordpress.com)
• * Fort Wayne, IN – “Urban-Pop Art, a New Boutique Hotel and More—Here’s What to See and Do in Fort Wayne Right Now,” Amy Lynch, Midwest Living.
  Urban-Pop Art, a New Boutique Hotel and More—Here’s What to See and Do in Fort Wayne Right Now (midwestliving.com) 
• *Mammoth Lakes, CA – “Flaming Colors Brighten Mammoth Lakes Fall Season,” Randy Mink, Canadian World Traveler.
  Flaming Colors Brighten M (yumpu.com)
• *Lafayette, LA – “French Flair,” Rich Warren, AAA Explorer.
  cajun.country – Rich Warren.pdf – Google Drive
• *Bismarck/Madan, ND – “Bring Your Passport to the International Peace Garden,” Diana Lamden Myer, Garden Destinations Magazine.
  Bring Your Passport to the International Peace Garden | Garden Destinations Magazine
• *Mammoth Lakes, CA – “A Ghost Town Not Forgotten,” Todd Wessel, Journals and Topics.
  A Ghost Town Not Forgotten – Journal & Topics Media Group (journal-topics.com)
• *Sanibel, FL– “Sanibel and Fort Myers, Anecdote to Winter,” Carla Waldemar, Lavender Magazine.
  Sanibel and Fort Myers – X Wade.pdf – Google Drive
• *Branson, MO – “This Missouri Music Town Is Hiding an Irresistible Dessert Scene,” Wendy Pramik, Food and Wine.
  Branson’s Nostalgic Sweet Shops to Seek Out (foodandwine.com)
• *DeKalb County, GA – “Northern Georgia Rises Up,” Todd Wessel, Journals and Topics
  Northern Georgia Rises Up – Journal & Topics Media Group (journal-topics.com)
• *Columbus, OH – “Columbus, Ohio’s Coffee Culture,” Wendy Pramik, USA TODAY.
  Columbus, Ohio’s coffee culture (usatoday.com)
• *Sanibel, FL – “Sanibel Island Florida,” Terri Petersen Smith, RV Magazine.
  Local Flavors_Sanibel and Grouper – Terri Smith.pdf – Google Drive
• *Sanibel, FL – “Sanibel Splendor: Sea, Sun, Surf and Sand,” Randy Mink, Destination Reunions.
  Sanibel Splendor: Sea, Sun, Surf and Sand (destinationreunions.com)
• *Columbus – “History in Ink: Preserving the World’s Largest Cartoon and Comic Collection,” Rich Warren, The Saturday Evening Post.
  History in Ink: Preserving the World’s Largest Cartoon and Comic Collection | The Saturday Evening Post
• *Fort Wayne, IN – “Fort Wayne, Indiana: Why Anyone Who Loves Art Should Visit,” Laura Watilo Blake, Cleveland Magazine.
  Fort Wayne, Indiana: Why Anyone Who Loves Art Needs to Visit (clevelandmagazine.com)
• *Detroit, MI – “America’s Motor City Detroit Roars Back to Life,” Mary Bergin, East-West News Service.
  America’s Motor City Detroit Roars Back to Life
• Columbus, OH – “Hilton Columbus Downtown: At the Hub of What’s Happening,” Jamie Rhein, Hotel Scoop
  Hilton Columbus Downtown: At the Hub of What’s Happening (hotel-scoop.com)
• Frankfort, KY – “Capital Plaza Hotel: Hospitality in Frankfort, KY,” Jamie Rhein, Hotel Scoop.
  Capital Plaza Hotel: Hospitality in Frankfort, KY (hotel-scoop.com)
• Louisville, KY – “Galt House Hotel, Louisville: Where People Come to Celebrate,” Jamie Rhein, Hotel Scoop.
  Galt House Hotel, Louisville: Where people come to celebrate (hotel-scoop.com)
• Pigeon Forge, TN – “Margaritaville Island Hotel, Pigeon Forge: Fun in All Directions,” Jamie Rhein, Hotel Scoop.
  Margaritaville Island Hotel review, Pigeon Forge, Tennessee (hotel-scoop.com)
• Lafayetta, LA – “The Old Castillo B&B: History Lesson,” Jamie Rhein, Hotel Scoop.
  The Old Castillo B&B: History Lesson, St. Martinsville, LA (hotel-scoop.com)
• Lafayetta, LA – “Made in Louisiana: Flavors of Lafayette and Cajun Country,” Wendy Pramik, USA TODAY.

A Sampling of our Writing (Samples of clips at non-conference sites) 

• “Cheers to 50 Years,” Susan R. Pollack, Michigan Blue.
  Cheers to 50 Years – Michigan Blue Magazine (mibluemag.com) 
• “Exploring Spain’s Basque Country,” Susan R. Pollack, Wander with Wonder
  Exploring Spain’s Basque Country | Wander With Wonder  
• “Peace, simplicity and a sense of mystery: Exploring Amish communities across the Midwest,” Mary Bergin, Chicago Tribune.
  https://www.chicagotribune.com/2024/03/06/peace-simplicity-and-a-sense-of-mystery-exploring-amish-communities-across-the-midwest/ 
• “Lake Michigan car ferries make for a fun Midwest shortcut,” Mary Bergin, The Minnesota Star Tribune.
  Lake Michigan car ferries make for a fun Midwest shortcut (startribune.com) 
• “The Best Mississippi River Cruises to Discover America’s Heartland” Jackie Sheckler Finch, Condé Nast Traveler.
  The Best Mississippi River Cruises to Discover America’s Heartland | Condé Nast Traveler (cntraveler.com) 
• “Frank Llyod Wright Martin House and Gardens,” Rich Warren, Garden Destinations Magazine.
  The Frank Lloyd Wright-designed Martin House & Gardens | Garden Destinations Magazine 
• “6 Top Destinations in Spain for Art Lovers,” Pamela Dittmer McKuen, Travel Awaits.
  6 Top Destinations In Spain For Art Lovers | TravelAwaits 
• “7 Unique Places to Eat and Drink in Knoxville, Tennessee,” Pamela Dittmer McKuen, Travel Awaits.
  7 Unique Places To Eat And Drink In Knoxville | TravelAwaits 
• “Georgia: Visiting the Allman Brother’s’ Big House,” Jackie Sheckler Finch, GoNOMAD.
  Georgia: Visiting The Allman Brother’s Big House (gonomad.com) 
• “Park Staffers Love Your Likes,” Diana Lambdin Meyers, USA Today Special Edition
  NPSSocialMedia – Diana Lambdin Meyer.pdf – Google Drive 
• “Nosh on Nostalgia: The Mayberry Café,” Damaine Vonada, Long Weekends.
  Nosh on Nostalgia; Mayberry Cafe. Damaine Vonada. Long Weekends F,W 2022 – Damaine Vonada.pdf – Google Drive
• “Trailblazer in the Sky,” Diana Lambdin Meyer. AAA Midwest Explorer.
  IMG_20240627_0001 – Diana Lambdin Meyer.pdf – Google Drive 
• “Tiptoeing Through Tulips on an AmaSerena Tulip Time Cruise in Belgium and the Netherlands,” Katherine Rodeghier, Quirky Cruise.
  Tulip Time Cruise On AmaSerena — Tiptoeing Through Tulips (quirkycruise.com) 
• “Brown County’s Aspen Lake House Originally Built as a Writer’s Studio,” Jackie Sheckler Finch, The Herald Times.
  Aspen Lake.pdf – Range 1 – Jackie Sheckler Finch.pdf – Google Drive 
• “Lizzie Bordan Took an Axe, or Did She?” Rich Warren, Travel World Magazine.
  Warren – Lizzie Borden House-print – Rich Warren.pdf – Google Drive