BEST IN THE WEST 2026 INFORMATION
REGISTRATION & GENERAL INFORMATION
Location
The 2026 Best in the West is back at the Monarch Hotel in Clackamas, Oregon! It has
changed ownership and is now the Hilton Garden Inn Clackamas.
Address is 12566 SE 93rd Ave, Clackamas, Oregon, 97015.
Phone number for the hotel is (503) 652-1515.
A large block of rooms has been set aside for us at a special rate.
Room rates are $169.00 per night for all of the room options except for the King Suite, which is $219.00 per night.
You will need to ask for the Pacific Northwest Tool Collectors rate.
Nearest airport is Portland International Airport. It is 12 miles north of the hotel.
as of this writing, the hotel does not have an airport shuttle.
PNTC membership
Membership in the Pacific Northwest Tool Collectors is required to register for Best in the West,
except that we recognize membership in other recognized tool collecting organizations for our out of area guests.
Those include the MWTCA and PAST.
BITW leadership
For 2026, Bill Racine is the BITW chair, Chuck Guilford is the BITW registration chair, and
Walt White is the BITW Favor chair. And there are many other volunteers working to make this
happen, who we will recognize at the event.
How to register
There are two payment options.
1. there is a registration link below (click Pay Now button) as well as through the PayPal Registration PDF at the bottom of the Home page you can complete your registration via the link on the PDF if opened on your desktop computer.
2. if you prefer, you can mail in your registration to the registration chair Chuck Guilford.
2026 BEST IN THE WEST SCHEDULE
THURSDAY PROGRAM
Thursday August 20, 2026
--- registration packets will be available for pick-up from 5:00pm to 8:00pm.
--- registered attendees may sell from their rooms. A white board will be provided next to
registration for sellers to list their room numbers.
--- dinner on your own.
A NOTE ABOUT REGISTRATION
The Monarch charges us only for meals, and doesn’t charge us directly for the rental of the
banquet room or the parking lot (for the tailgating). And the PNTC has to guarantee that we
will purchase a certain number of meals Friday and Saturday. Because of that arrangement,
the meals are included in the Friday and Saturday registrations, because that is how you are
paying for the use of the facility, whether you actually eat a meal or not.
Questions about display or sales tables, contact Bill Racine.
Questions about registration, contact Chuck Guilford.
Questions about volunteering to help, contact Bill or Chuck.
Questions about favor tools, nobody knows what the favor will be until they are opened
Saturday evening.
FRIDAY PROGRAM
Friday August 21, 2026 – Friday registration required for all Friday events.
--- as early as you want, tailgating in the designated area in the parking lot.
--- breakfast on your own.
--- 10:00am, the main sales and banquet room will open. Registration will open in that room.
--- 10:00am throughout the morning and early afternoon, displays may be set up at your
designated table or tables. Inside sales tools may be brought in and stored under your
designated tables, no sales tools to be unpacked or set up, no selling in the main room on
Friday, please.
--- bucket raffle items will be set up. Ticket sales on a schedule to be determined.
--- lunch on your own.
--- 2:00pm, speaker No 1.
--- mid-afternoon, the Friday auction will be set up and available for inspection. Please let
the auction crew finish setting everything up before viewing.
--- mid-afternoon the displays should be set up and available for viewing. Display tables
must be ordered in advance, no charge for display tables. No selling from display tables.
Displayers are encouraged to be near their displays to answer questions and talk about their
displays.
--- 3:00pm to 5:00pm tools for the member auction can be entered into the member auction.
There will be a limit of 3 items per member, minimum expected value $50. Winning bidders
will pay PNTC, and PNTC will mail out checks after BITW to the consignors, less a 15%
donation to PNTC.
Friday August 21, 2026 continued
--- 5:00pm, seating for hors d’oeuvres meal and evening program.
--- 5:30pm hors d’oeuvres served in the banquet area. No-host bar available.
--- 6:45pm, first of the bucket raffle items raffled off!
--- 7:00pm, opening remarks Bill Racine
--- 7:15pm, member auction begins
--- next, the Friday evening auction begins
--- at conclusion, pay for and receive your winnings. Do not pick up your winnings, the
auction crew will hand them to you.
--- during the evening, judging of displays and member voting for display awards.
--- 9:00pm approximately, sales and banquet room secured.
SATURDAY PROGRAM
Saturday, August 22, 2026 – Saturday registration required for all Saturday events.
--- 7:30am, sales and banquet room opened briefly ONLY for sellers to bring in sales tools to
be stored under their designated tables.
--- 8:00am, inside sales opens. Sales tables must be ordered and paid for in advance. Set
out your tools and sell! Registration table open.
--- lunch on your own.
--- 2:00 pm, speaker No 2.
--- mid-afternoon, please take down displays and pack up inside sales tools. They may be
stored under your tables.
--- mid-afternoon, the Saturday auction will be set up and available for inspection. Please let
the auction crew finish setting everything up before viewing.
--- 4:00pm, begin seating for banquet and no-host bar.
--- 4:30pm, second half of bucket raffle.
--- 5:00pm, opening remarks by Bill Racine.
--- 5:15pm, banquet served.
Saturday, August 22, 2026 continued
--- 6:00pm, favors handed out and all opened at the same time! Special favors will be put
out for viewing.
--- 6:30pm – clean-up of banquet by hotel staff
--- 7:00pm – display and other awards
--- 7:30pm – auction of special favors. Then move directly into the Saturday evening auction.
--- at conclusion, pay for and receive your winnings. Do not pick up your winnings, the
auction crew will hand them to you.
10:00pm approximately, sales and banquet room secured.
SUNDAY PROGRAM
Sunday, August 23, 2026
--- visit Open Houses on your own. A list will be provided at the event.