1998
From our Past through the Future: Creative Connections
Boulder, CO
June 16-20, 1998

The big sky country of Colorado warmly welcomed 185 participants in June 1998. From Boulder to Denver, Loveland to Estes Park and back again, the delegates visited magnificent historic theatres, such as:

• The 1909 Stanley Hall Estes Park (and of course the adjacent Stanley Hotel, where exterior photography for Stanley Kubrick's The Shining was shot).
• The Elitch Theatre, an old stock palace theatre, where attendees were given a chance to honor [former] board member Joan Dillon for her many contributions to the League and preservation in general.
• The University of Colorado's impressive 1922 Macky Auditorium, Loveland's 1920 Art Nouveau Rialto Theater Center, as well as the 1930 Mayan Theatre were also included on the 1998 tour.

Throughout the week, 23 educational sessions focused on three professional development tracks: Where Do We Start?; Now What Do We Do?; and "Where Do We Go From Here? Areas of interest areas included: rehabilitation, programming, communications and marketing, fund raising, human relations and your theatre, community development and focus on film. The Opening Reception featured remarks by Peter McLaughlin, nationally noted management consultant and suthor of Catchfire: A Seven-Step Program to Ignite Energy, Define Stress, and Power Boost your Career. Night Norma Kaplan, chief administrator of the Arlington County Cultural Affairs Division, offered the keynote address.

The conference ended with a Closing Night Cookout at Ellis Ranch, where buffalo burgers, honest to goodness cowboys, musical entertainment and wagon rides delighted all who attended.