When the author said "Go west, young man", he probably was not thinking in the context of hosting an NCSSAR Annual Convention, but go west we did and stopped at Hickory, NC, in the Foothills District, just one district shy of our western-most district, the Mountain District. Folks from across the state attended and renewed old friendships while forging new ones. The State Awards Banquet is the night that North Carolina Compatriots dress to the nines and celebrate the accomplishments of their friends, most of whom are pictured below.