We recently heard from a new subscriber who says that he enjoys
GEM, but is somewhat disappointed. ‘My hobby,’ he writes,
‘like many others, is working on kick-pedal engines. Could you
please have some articles on these engines also?’ He would like
to see more on Maytags and Briggs & Strattons, particularly on
rebuilding, painting, etc.
Our answer to this subscriber was that it is truly our readers
who determine the content of this magazine, not a group of
‘experts’ who pick and choose among topics. We encouraged
him, as we do all such subscribers, to write and submit the kind of
article that he would like to read. From time to time, it does seem
like a good idea to remind our readers that they DO have control
over the content of the magazine, and that the best way to guide in
the direction you wish it to go is to write to us on your own
favored topics, or try to locate someone else you can encourage to
write on the topics of your choice!
Sometime before that letter, we had a request that we use more
engines on the cover that are in ‘original,’ rather than
‘restored,’ condition. This too is a bit of a challenge for
us, as restorers send us far more photographs than those folks who
prefer to keep their engines in their original state. Nonetheless,
we are open to the idea, and welcome good pictures from
everyone!
This is probably the last time for the year that I will mention
our 2000 Show Directory; remember, if you haven’t gotten one
yet, there are still months of good use in these books, as they do
have dates until the end of the year, and a good number of early
2001 shows listed. We should also remind you that before you get in
your car or camper to travel a fair distance, it is always a good
idea to phone the contacts to determine exactly the scope of the
show-particularly if you will be disappointed to come across a
small display when you expected something much larger! And while
you’re out there, take lots of pictures!