MINNEAPOLIS (AP) - Barbara Waters is a self-described 51-year-old grandma who's spending the weekend hawking cigarette lighters shaped like scantily clad ladies and candles with wax that melts into massage oil.
"I put my kids in braces by selling lingerie," said Waters, whose business card identifies her as a "romance specialist."
Waters helped make up what can only be described as an amazingly diverse crew of exhibitors at and visitors to the "Sex and so much more Show," a retail trade convention running through the weekend at the Minneapolis Convention Center.
Clad in a loose-fitting polo shirt and fanny pack, Waters on the surface didn't seem to have much in common with fellow travelers like "latex fetishist" Rubberella; an exotic dancer named Carmen wearing a work smock _ and not much else _ that labeled her "The Home Wrecker"; and Jay Ould, who cheerfully introduced himself as "the lube guy."
But they were bound together by a shared approach to sex as a healthy, normal pastime that's one of the few things that just about everybody has in common.
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"We're working toward promoting healthy relationships and an open attitude about sex," said Kari Calder, event coordinator for Saskatoon, Saskatchewan-based Showcase Productions, which put on the show. "I think people would find this is not as risque as they might have thought."
Indeed, there was no nudity or actual sexual hijinks at the show. But that's not to say that exhibitors like greatsexgames.com or featured products like chocolate body tattoos wouldn't be enough to make your average Minnesota Lutheran blush.
In fact, the Minnesota Family Council condemned the show _ the first of its kind in the state _ demanding that the city of Minneapolis "insure the event doesn't violate Minnesota's obscenity laws."
Calder was quick to point out that 85 percent of exhibitors are Minnesota-based. "We're not here to ruffle anybody's feathers, and we're not bringing anything new to the city," she said.
Showcase Productions, which has sponsored the shows in Canada for some time, is hoping to bring more shows to the United States. Another is planned for Denver in February.
Anyone over the age of 18 could get in for $20, which entitled them to shop for lingerie, adult videos and novelties, and some other items we can't really get into here. There are regular shows by exotic dancers, ice cream cones and beer for sale, and seminars with titles like "A Positive Approach to Sex" and "Toy Care."
"I came because I heard the hype about it, it made me curious," said Jed Wadi of Minneapolis, who was bearing a bag he said had a few gifts for his wife. "It's a peace of freedom. It's an individual decision and people shouldn't be making a big deal out of it."
Colleen Bertino, who helps run Fantasy Gifts, a chain of 10 Twin Cities adult novelty stores mostly located in suburban strip malls, was the first local exhibitor to sign up. She said she was nervous to see how it would go _ but said a few hours into the show that business was brisk.
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Wearing a T-shirt that said "We know, we know, it's not for you," Bertino said she doesn't understand why anyone would get upset over her family business.
"I've never understood it," she said. "There's really a lot of things in the world to worry about rather than what people are doing in their bedrooms."
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On the Net: Sex and so much more Show: http://www.sexandsomuchmore.com
