There were displays, live bean plants, the Bean-A-Thon contest, Cathie Katz's "Nature Series" books, identification sessions, and slide presentations by Pete Zies as well as by the keynote speaker Dr. Curtis Ebbesmeyer (oceanographer and publisher of the Beachcomber's Alert newsletter). Some great newspaper coverage was provided by Florida Today on Oct. 17, 1999 and Oct. 25, 1999.