SCRANTON, Pa. — There's a convention going on this week for a club you've probably never heard of.
Collectors of matchbooks gather every summer each year. This year, they're striking up in Scranton at the Four Points by Sheraton Hotel on Meadow Avenue.
Members of the Rathkamp Matchcover Society are meeting for their annual convention.
Strike up a conversation there, and you'll find a collective burning passion.
"It goes back to Prometheus, the gift of fire from the Gods. Convenient fire you can have in your pocket when you need it," said Richard Greene of New Jersey.
The irony is that you'll have a hard time finding an actual match. The collectors are all about the cover.
"I've never smoked in my life; I just like the graphics on the covers," said Nancy Smith of Murrysville.
Smith is organizing the convention. She collects matchbooks from casinos and country clubs.
"I have over 8,000 country clubs, and I was fortunate a few years ago to pick up the US Open matchbook covers with golfers' signatures on them," she added.
Sparks fly over round tables covered in covers.
"Well, we do a little scavenger hunt, so we have to find a match with skis, find a match with a picture of a moving van. And if you collect them all, you get to put it in a drawing and win money," said Sherri Kayhoe of Waynesboro as she searched.
What many of these collectors have found are decades-long friendships that just need a light.
"I got into it when I married my husband 21 years ago. Until then, I didn't do any, but if you can't fight them, join them," added Ruth DeLong of Myerstown.
You can always join them; the Rathkamp Matchcover Society is always collecting new members. The convention runs through Saturday.
Yes, a whole week at the hotel booked for matches.