SAM Championships
MADERA, CA is often thought of as wine and orchard country in the heart of the San Joaquin Valley. During the last week of June, it was also the site of the 19th Annual Society of Antique Modelers (SAM) Championships. This yearly event has grown rather rapidly until, now, it is thought of by many as second only to the AMA Nats. SAM was formed by a group of "nostalgic" Free Flighters in the early Sixties. Their goals are eloquently expressed in the preamble to the SAM Official Rule Book:
