Following the success of the prints-only show, the next version of "Showcase" included a slide projection facility utilizing a rear screen projector and a reel-to-reel tape recorder/amplifier.

However, the rain was a definite problem, and the "flats", now painted black on one side and off-white on the other, were still as heavy as in the previous year. The Show had now become a two-day stint, but as the Centre was not enclosed, the prints had to be removed each night and the "flats" had to be disassembled and reassembled the next day. This was not a job to be tackled by the weak or feeble! The work was not in vain, as the associated Club membership increased, over a two-year period, to over 100. DMCC began its long-standing reputation of being one of the most active and innovative clubs in Southern Ontario.

The shows continued using the same basic equipment. The image shows the flats in the garden-like environment of the 1976 exhibit, and shows the A/V enclosure used in the 1974 "Showcase".

In 1978 the Don Mills Centre was enclosed, and shortly thereafter David Broadhurst presented the Club with a set of modular display flats, declared surplus from the Royal Bank, having a cloth surface in bank corporate colors of blue and gold and aluminum support hardware. Prints were affixed to the flats by Velcro tabs. As the Centre was locked after store hours, the flats could be left erected, and the prints removed and either stored in the Japan Camera store or taken home to be mounted the next day. Also, samples of the Club's slides could be shown in a rain-free environment, on a rented Kodak rear screen projector, desk mounted adjacent to the flats.

In the early 80s when the 35mm camera was universally popular, the Canadian photographic industry held an annual trade show in the Automotive Building of the Canadian National Exhibition grounds in Toronto. Competition amongst clubs for members was fierce, and the Club decided to advertise by renting a stand (shown in Fig.6 at the right) at the 1983 show, "Focus '83". The stand featured the flats described above, and a portable rear screen carousel A/V projector was rented for the show's duration. This was the highest profile public show the Club participated in, but it was thought that the return in new members recruited did not justify the cost involved.

Subsequent shows were held annually at the Don Mills Centre for many years as the Club's primary vehicle for showing the public what we do and letting them know where we meet. Alas, the "Royal Bank" flats began to show their age and were scrapped in 2001. Fortunately, the Greater Toronto Council of Camera Clubs loaned us their flats for the 2001 "Showcase", and the tradition continued for a couple of years.

From 2012 until 2014 we set up a booth at Henry's Camera "Exposure" show at the International Centre in Mississauga, which was a great location and attracted more new members to the club. 2014 was the last year Henry's put on the event.

Now, for the most part, it is the DMCC website and MeetUp that allow us to reach out to a greater audience and attract members. It has been quite a journey from our early exhibits, using doors and paint, to today's digital world.

Credits and Acknowledgements

Research: Vincent Sheridan
Photographs: David Broadhurst, David Barr, Vincent Sheridan, and Cheryl Powers.

The photographs used throughout this site are the work of members of the Don Mills Camera Club.

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