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Greg Helding
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VCF Midwest 2025

·206 words·1 min
Events Vcfmw Vintage-Computing Retro-Computing
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Every September, we load up and head South to the Vintage Computer Festival Midwest in Schaumburg, IL. This year I brought an Apple IIe, a dot matrix printer, a serial terminal, and some other odds and ends for the auction the famous free pile.

The haul, packed for the drive down
The haul, packed for the drive down

Meeting Lee Felsenstein #

The highlight of VCFMW20 was meeting Lee Felsenstein. Lee played a pivotal role in the development of the personal computer — he designed the Osborne 1 and was a central figure in the Homebrew Computer Club. A genuine legend, and generous with his time.

Me and Lee Felsenstein
Me and Lee Felsenstein

The Find of the Fest #

My find of the fest: a Magnavox Odyssey², complete in an original box with both joysticks. It’s the first game console my brother and I got when we were kids, so I had a hard time passing it up. It came home with me.

The Odyssey², complete in the box
The Odyssey², complete in the box

Two Odyssey² cartridges: Pick Axe Pete! and K.C. Munchkin!
Two Odyssey² cartridges: Pick Axe Pete! and K.C. Munchkin!

The Stop Bits #

The fabulous Stop Bits played VCFMW again this year. The Stop Bits is a rocking retro band composed of Veronica of Veronica Explains, Taylor and Amy from the Taylor and Amy Show, and Sean from Action Retro.