to read the full September Bulletin
Transcription
to read the full September Bulletin
Sharing Love & Care For Over 100 Years Est 1911 September 2014 President’s Message P.2 2014 Officers P.2 Editors Page P.3-4 2015 Grand National Update P.5 August Club Meeting Minutes P.6 Announcements August Monthly Meeting Highlights P.7 LAPC Logo Contest P.8 Get your copy of 2015 Grand National Premium Book 2014 Young Bird Show Sunday, September 14 This Month’s Club Meeting - Thursday, September 11 LAPC Young Bird Show Info P.9 Young Bird Show Entry Blank P.10 Are U A Pigeon Geek!! P.11 Pigeon Enthusiast’s Fraternity – Gregg McKnight P.12-13 MUST READ LOGO CONTEST P.8 Connect With Us www.losangelespigeonclub.com [email protected] https://groups.google.com/d/forum/lapigeonclub https://www.youtube.com/user/lapigeonclub H ello fellow LAPC members… First, let me start by inviting everyone to come and enter birds in our annual Young Bird Show on September 14 at the Irvine Regional Park in Orange. This annual event has become much more than just a show - it has become a great family day set under the many old oak trees providing ample shade. The park also offers many family and kid-friendly activities like horse riding, paddle boat, bikes etc., so invite your family and friends. We would very much appreciate anyone who can show up early to help with the show setup, and anyone who can stay after the show even for a bit to help take the show down. The latter is especially important as all are tired from a long day’s activity; just like they say, “Many hands lessen the burden on a few.” Things are rolling right along for the Grand National in Jan. 2015. It seems like only yesterday we were beginning to discus submitting a bid for the show… yet here we are counting down the few remaining months till the show hall doors opens. Personally, I cannot wait till that day and I’m sure I’m not alone. But before that day arrives, there is still much to do to insure this will be the best to date NPA Grand National ever. I count myself very lucky to have Fred Maenpa shouldering the bulk of the planning of the show so all the LAPC and NPA officers can be proud of this LAPC hosted Grand National. Fred has kept me constantly updated on his many meetings with the Ontario Convention Center, host hotel folks, his contacts with breed specialty clubs and the countless vendors that will be participating at the National. Hosting any Grand National requires months and months of planning if it is to be a success. Few realize the sheer number of hours Fred is putting in without any complaint. Of course one man alone cannot do all that is required, and the officers are 100% in support of whatever Fred asks of them help wise. Many have already helped carry the ball, but many more will be needed to step up as they can. Leon Stephens President: Leon Stephens (626-443-8314) 2014 Club Officers 1st VP: Charlie Rowe ([email protected]) 2nd VP & Membership Secretary: Fred Maenpa (714-538-7408, [email protected]) Treasurer: Dennis Weyrauch (310-832-2570; [email protected]) Recording Secretary: Kathie Johnson ([email protected]) Special Awards/Fund Raiser Chairman: Lynn Watson (949-492-3078) Junior Program Director: Lonny Mefferd ([email protected]; [email protected]) Bulletin Editor: Chuck Zeller ([email protected]) Bob Nolan Lonny Mefferd (949-493-0167; [email protected]) ([email protected]) Lennie Mefferd Lynn Watson ([email protected]) (949-492-3078) George de La Nuez Ken Davis ([email protected]) ([email protected]) Stan Makse Nick Sato - Junior Director ([email protected]) ([email protected]) J.P. Isom ([email protected]) P.2 2014 Board Members M Many years ago, when I first started going to LAPC meetings, there were in general at least a dozen youngsters like I was at each meeting. Back then, basically we were of course taken by an adult member and we stuck closer to that person. I saw Rick Barker, Donovon White, Tom McCaig and many others my age, a bit older or younger. Later I saw Bob Nolan, Leon Stephens, Fred Maenpa, Bill Griebel and others. Honestly we did not talk much with each other, we pretty much stuck by our adult pigeon mentors. We also were all in attendance at the LAPC young bird show and Pageant. “Something must be done to attract and keep younger Members…. and sooner rather than later” In the 60's when we were young adults, Griebel, What I see now is there are few younger members Maenpa, McCaig, Stephens and I were on the board and were voicing our ideas on how to take the LAPC into the 70's and beyond. Before that the club was pretty much run by guys in their 60's many of which did not care for us upstarts voicing our opinion, they wanted things to stay as they were and had been. willing to step up like we did years ago. Too many want the benefits the club offers but want no part of helping to insure seeing those benefits carry the club into the future. They are content to let us so called old timers continue to carry the load, which many of us are doing our best, but our ranks are fast being reduced in numbers, and many just can't carry the load we once did… the mind may be willing but the body is not. What I see too much is those who put themselves first and somewhere way in the rear what's best for the clubs (even some of the long time members unfortunately). No club of any type can survive long with attitudes like that. “I dubbed them Doom & Gloomiers” The thing was, for many years Don Andrews who was very wealthy and owned Andrews Hardware in LA had financed each year’s Pageant, supplied the help (most his employees) to put that up and tear it down, printed the bulletin and pageant show catalog in his print shop. In other words, he was taking care of the bulk of the LAPC costs. When Andrews passed away the old timers except for a few predicted without Andrews financial backing the LAPC would soon fade away into oblivion. I dubbed them the Doom and Gloomiers. Well, with the urging of Tom McCaig who told us young guys, we can do this, we can make the club, YB Show, monthly bulletin, Pageant and show report (Marked Catalog) self supporting and we can put on the Pageant without Andrews employees if we work as a team. We did… and it was charge full steam ahead with our new ideas and vision not to mention hard team work. As I said, that was in the 60's and it has been mostly full steam ahead till now. “the mind may be willing but the body is not” P.3 Really we are back to where the club was when Andrews passed away, but without the younger members there to pitch in, let alone take over. In simple words, a YB Show or Pageant does not just magically appear out of thin air, a monthly bulletin and so much more the club offers does not either. Meeting chairs do not get filled by us just hoping that they will. As members pass or just can't make the monthly trek to El Monte, less and less chairs will be filled due to fewer new and younger members joining the club. I've never been a doom and gloom type, but even I see something must be done to attract and keep younger members… and sooner rather than later. Many shows that have for years been well attended and have attracted large entries of pigeons have seen a steady decline over the last few years. Several are in danger of folding up or of holding on for only another couple of years, if something does not change and quick. Several are no more in existence due to no younger members joining the club, and of those few who did, were not willing to step up and shoulder any of the work load involved in putting on a large all breed show. Too many want to show up, put their birds in the coops and kick back enjoying the show… then as fast as they can box up their birds and any awards their birds won, hastily head for home rather than pitch in even for an hour to take the show down. “Let the young hold the mast gracefully as we did when we were young” Are we cultivating an atmosphere younger people want to be a part of? Are we doing something knowingly or unknowingly that drives them away if they do by chance come through the doors of our shows and meetings? Or is it a sign of the times where many are willing to take but not give? I do know it did not use to be like that, and know for a fact the givers by far used to outnumber the takers. I know also the numbers of club members in all age groups used to be well balanced, so of course that made a huge difference. But where is that balance in generation now? We all know younger generation is into gadgets and internet these days. Where is our vision for say the next 10 years to elevate ourselves through those amenities of current age? P.4 At the end, I want to clarify that I am not just trying to be a doom and gloomier. I think I am being as practical as possible. We do not like to think of the very basic fact of life…. most of us are an aging group. We lost so many valuable team players in the last few years…. who knows when it’ll be my turn or another veteran of the Club. So, let us all step up, do our brainstorming now, before a storm actually hits us. Let it be our biggest goal to attract and nurture a younger generation through whichever means we can, and pass on the responsibilities. Let the young hold the mast gracefully as we did when we were young. Only then, we can truly say we have done something great for our Club to continue with its full glamour for another few decades. “Only then, we can truly say we have done something great for our Club to continue with its full glamour…” GN Premium Book is in the press. Collect your copy before we run out. Floor Plan Premium Book If all goes as planned the 2015 LAPC hosted NPA Grand National Premium Book will be available at the September monthly meeting and at our Young Bird show the following Sunday. It will also be carried to various other upcoming shows for distribution. The PB will be in full color and approximately 500 copies will be distributed. caters not to a few breed clubs but the overall continuity of the show, taking into consideration that exhibitors and visitors can navigate the show with as little congestion as possible. We all can want an area in the show hall we think will best showcase our breed and breed club. But Fred’s job in consultation with the other officers, and it is not an easy one, is to see that all breeds and clubs, plus vendors and visitors are happy. Few ever take into consideration Fire Marshall’s rules which are particularly stringent at a venue like the Ontario Convention Center. Meaning, there may be areas in the show hall that a breed club may prefer to be their judging area, but fire rules or other safety concerns may preclude using those areas. So, please keep your chin high with a smiling face. Let’s keep the team spirit rising above all…… GN T-Shirts are on sale, buy yours… Everyone who receives our Bulletin through email, will receive an electronic copy of the PB. If your email address is not listed with us, and you would like to receive our Bulletin, PB and other publication, please let us know. Just send an email to: [email protected] Fred Maenpa is diligently working on a floor plan that P.5 January 29-31, 2015 Meeting was called to order by President Leon Stephens at 7:40 p.m. Officers in attendance included: J.P.Isom, Kenny Davis, Lynn Watson, Lonny Mefferd, Lennie Mefferd, Fred Maenpa, Charlie Rowe, Bob Nolan and Kathie Johnson. Absent were: Junior director Nick Sato, treasurer Dennis Weyrauch, and director Stan Makse. Visitors included Tom Moss from Pacific Grove, Calif. Tom made the eight hour drive to hear Drew Lobenstein present on Jacobins. Approved for membership: Rojello Armendariz. Proposed new member: Robert Jennings of Bakersfield. July minutes read by recording secretary Kathie Johnson. Motion by Bill Griebel to approve. Seconded by Mike Cobb. Motion passed. In the absence of treasurer Dennis Weyrauch, Fred Maenpa read a letter from Dennis about the club’s financial status. Communications Lenny Mefferd reported the NPA has issued a policy that no feral pigeons will be allowed in competition at the Ontario National for judging but they may be allowed for display only. The reasoning seemed to be there was no written and approved standard for feral pigeons. Lenny reported on NPA band sales. They are low on size /#9. Also a dove size band will be offered in 2015. Lenny asked for band orders for next year on the English Trumpeter and large bird size #14 bands. Dennis Rogers questioned Lenny on the bands being wider and the numbers larger and easier to read. Others noted the pink color was not easy to read. General consensus seemed to be larger size band numbers next year would be appreciated by those with "aging eyes". Lenny said he would look into it. Good & Welfare It was pointed out that Linda Masucci, member George Masucci's wife was in the hospital for a serious operation. Kathie Johnson passed around a card for members to wish her well on her recovery. P.6 New Business Old Business Bob announced that Md.Shaheed Fred Maenpa reported contract for would be assisting Chuck Zeller in putting out our monthly bulletins for the near future. Chuck will collect material and forward to Shaheed who will assemble it. Bob called attention to the new look and great lay out Shaheed did with the August bulletin and thanked him. The membership gave Shaheed a round of applause. Shaheed spoke about the shutting down of the My Family site and also the club website. He has arranged for new sites for both communicative tools. He has also created a YouTube Channel for the LAPC. Drew Lobenstein reported on speaking at the Lutheran Church Day st camp on July 31 with some 200 youngsters, teachers, and parents participating. Drew showed off many breeds of pigeons and gave a positive talk on the value of pigeons for young people. He passed out circulars he had made up and received much positive feedback. He dealt with the history of pigeons back to Charles Darwin and Noah and the ark. He also read a list of 21 reasons why one should appreciate pigeons. All in all it was a great opportunity to publicize the pigeon hobby in a positive light. Bob Nolan showed off the new club polo shirts/tee shirts for the national. They were a big hit with many being sold. Price is $22.00 for polo shirts and $17.00 for tee shirts. Lynn Watson will handle sales. Shirts to be available at LAPC meetings, young bird show and of course the national. Thanks to Diane Jacky for doing the art work. Bob also made a presentation to Ricky Arnold of the National Birmingham Roller Club of the LAPC's last Wm.H.Pensom Memorial cup. Ricky has been instrumental in getting the flying roller people to show with us at the Ontario National. Ricky will be putting the cup up for auction at their upcoming NBRC convention. Ricky will also be distributing entry blanks and information on the national at the NBRC convention. 2015 Pageant had been signed with Ontario Convention Center. We will be in the smaller hall "B". The dates will be the traditional week before Thanksgiving. The Raddison hotel will be the host hotel and there will be a rebate of $10 per room night to LAPC to help cover convention building costs. The Radisson will host the Pageant banquet. Fred displayed 1,000 flyers the LAPC had made up advertising the national and with an entry blank on the back. They have been put in feed stores, JEDDS Pigeon Supplies, Foys Pigeon Supplies and Boxes For Birds shipments. Bob Nolan gave an update on the Premium Book for the national. Donovon White did a masterful job fine tuning the book, improving photographs where possible, etc. The final proof will be mailed to Donovon for necessary changes and approval. It will be printed in Visalia, Calif. and if all goes well, will be available at the Sept. LAPC meeting and the Young Bird Show. Larry Hart and PUREBRED PIGEON greatly assisted in brokering a good price for the printing. Evening’s Program Drew Lobenstein gave a great talk on the Jacobin pigeons, its' history, standard, breeding methods and judging tips and procedures. Complete with illustrations and diagrams and Drew's wonderful speaking style it was a program greatly enjoyed by those in attendance. Meeting adjourned at 9:15 p.m. to raffle (raised over $165 dollars), birthday celebration for Drew Lobenstein, Armando Villanueva, Layne Gardner, and Steve Ball, and young bird table show. Respectfully submitted by Kathie Johnson P.7 Monthly Meeting Highlights “We need something unique that identifies our Club’s BRAND” The LAPC is looking to come up with a logo we can “Spread The Word” use on our website, club letterhead for official correspondence, in our bulletin, marked catalogs, flyers announcing show and any other club events, awards and acknowledgement plaques, certificates, internet media, etc. The logo would be a symbol of a brand; in other words, it would be a logo that when seen automatically registers in people’s minds that this is the official identifying logo of the Los Angeles Pigeon Club. “It is preferable to have an abstract design.” Over the years we have had many designs for specific shows or some other specific purposes, which might be called logos but in the true sense of the word they were really not; or at least they were not something unique to instantly identify our Club. Many years back the club’s bulletin had a cover with a group of marching pigeons carrying a LAPC banner, the Pageant of Pigeons show catalog going way back been identified by it being called the Pageant of Pigeons Marked Catalog. The Pageant itself has a ribbon design. Our 100 year centennial celebration had a 12-in centennial patch and a 6-in metal enameled medallion. The 2015 LAPC hosted NPA Grand National has a theme of “California Dreaming” and an official logo patch. However, a number of members have expressed the need for a universal logo that would serve as the Club’s brand. P.8 S o, what we are looking for is a logo encompassing all aspects of the pigeon hobby, can be used for years to come, and something that denotes no particular LAPC event but the Club itself. It is preferable to have an abstract design. The Club’s full name or the abbreviation can be used. Establishment year can be incorporated, but not mandatory. A maximum of three submissions will be accepted from each individual. No deadline has been set yet; it will be announced soon. At the end of the submission period, Chuck Zeller and Md Shaheed will select two to three of the best designs and submit to the board for a final decision. The board will come up with a suitable prize for the design that the majority judges best. We are most fortunate to have some great artists/designers in our Club; however, the contest is not limited to Club members. There is also no age restriction of the artist/designer. Anyone who has artistic/composition/design talent is encouraged to participate. This would be a great way to involve younger generation who are into Photoshop or similar computer programs. It will certainly be a great honor for the one whose design will be selected, as acknowledgement will be made to the person winning. “The contest is not limited to Club members” The logo must be submitted both as a PDF file, and as a picture file in full resolution. All submissions of designs should be e-mailed to [email protected], [email protected], and [email protected] Contest subject to Board’s approval. General Info Exhibitor’s Info • Entries of birds close at 12 noon. • The Young Bird Show is for all breeds that are banded with 2014 bands. • There will be classes for Mature young birds and unmoulted Squeakers. • The Parade of Champions takes place as soon as the individual breed champions are picked. Judges will pick the overall show Champion and 9 Reserve Champions. • Specialty clubs assign their own judges to judge their breed. • Non sponsored breeds are assigned an experienced judge by the LAPC. • $5.00 per vehicle charge to enter the park. • LAPC will have lunch at $5.00/person. • Irvine Regional Park has great expanses of lawn and lots of mature old Oak Trees providing ample shade, but it can be hot in September; so come prepared. • We advise attendees to bring lawn chairs and cold drinks for themselves. Bring snacks and plenty of drinks for kids. • The Park offers many Family-Friendly activities that can be checked out online http://ocparks.com/parks/irvine/ • Usually various breeds of pigeons are available to purchase. However, we encourage sellers to not use the privilege to peddle culls, but rather to offer quality birds. • Join the huge raffle at the end of the show. • All breed specialty clubs are invited to hold a meet. • We were delighted to have our long time master chef Bill Harrison back; we still need volunteers. • Help is needed (and lots of it) setting up the show and taking it down. The cages arrive around 9:00 a.m. so any early arrivers would be greatly appreciated. It is your show, so please help with the set up and/or tear down. A word to the wise Awards Grand champion – Bob Farley Perpetual Plaque & 50 lb feed; 2nd through 10th place – 50 lb feed; Champion Squeaker – $100; Reserve Champion Squeaker – $50.00; 3rd Best Squeaker – $25.00 (donated by Bob Nolan); Largest Entry of Squeakers – $50.00 (donated by Bob Nolan) Try to arrive early, as parking close to our site fills up fast. This will also assure you a chance to get your birds in the holding cages, as we usually have more birds than cages. The late arrivals may have to keep their birds in their carrying cages. Specialty Breed Clubs may offer their own awards for Champion and Reserve Champion in their breed. Junior Awards st nd rd th th Trophies for 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 & 5 place in Squeakers and also in Matures. “Be Sure To Invite Family & Friends” Sunday, September 14, 2014 P.9 1 Irvine Park Road, Orange, CA 92869 Please list all entries of one breed together, then the next one, and so on. No. Breed Color Squeaker/Mature* (Circle One) 1 S / M 2 S / M 3 S / M 4 S / M 5 S / M 6 S / M 7 S / M 8 S / M 9 S / M 10 S / M 11 S / M 12 S / M 13 S / M 14 S / M 15 S / M 16 S / M 17 S / M 18 S / M 19 S / M 20 S / M 21 S / M 22 S / M 23 S / M 24 S / M 25 S / M 26 S / M 27 S / M 28 S / M 29 S / M 30 S / M Band No. *Squaker – A bird in baby feathers that has few, if any, feathers that have already moulted. Mature – A young bird noticeably in its first moult or has finished its first moult. Entry Fee: $2 per bird Total Entry #________ Exhibitor Name: ___________________________________ Total $ ________________ Tel No.: ________________________ Address: _______________________________________________________________________ Awards: Look in the Bulletin for details. Origin A very old middle Asiatic Breed, originally a medium beak flying pigeon, in the late 1900's developed into almost short beaked pigeons with long Muffs. Overall Impression At the very most a medium sized pigeon with a low stance, full muffs and almost a short beak. An unusual feature is the variable head ornamentation. The RedNecked (Gulbadami) is often slightly larger than other colors. Answer will be in next month’s Bulletin. Email your answer to: Last Month’s Answer: Groninger Slenken (Slenke) Did you hear about the scientist who crossed a carrier pigeon with a woodpecker? He got a bird that not only delivers messages to their destination but knocks on the door when it gets there. P.11 …Test Ur Knowledge…. [email protected] Are U A Pigeon Geek!! Relationship with pigeons has been with me most of my life, and racing pigeons are my passion; although, the respect I have for showing and performance for these creatures of pleasure cannot be denied. My over fifty years with pigeons and the last 20 years employed with a national pigeon supply company has given me insight to many of our over 200 breeds of pigeons and their owners. I found that the show fanciers have very similar passion as the racers with many of the demands leading to the number one position. Today, I wanted to write about something that many might not have noticed, or even if they noticed, might not have been astonished about. The upcoming 2015 Grand National in Ontario will be attended by many of the Racing Pigeon enthusiasts!! Come on… think about it…. Racers and Fanciers under one roof!! I do not recall that ever happening in this land before. The joint effort from the American Pigeon Museum and the Los Angeles Pigeon Club has created this camaraderie between the fancy pigeon breeders and the over 1,000 racing fanciers in SoCal. This will definitely be one of the greatest show ever in North America. “Racers & Fanciers Under One Roof!!” You may not know, but our racing fanciers are lovers of pigeons, and many have show breeds as well. Most of the serious flyers have fancy birds which are used to entice the race bird as quickly as possible to the electronic timing device to gain the seconds needed to win the race. I personally have used Modena’s, Spanish Thief Pouters, Oriental Frills, Chinese Owls, and West of England’s for this purpose. I believe many of our racing members would use these birds as a dual purpose bird for shows, and for Dropper birds for the race birds. January is a down time for the racing pigeon fanciers, and with all the advance marketing for the upcoming Grand National, the interest is high and the curiosity is irresistible for many primarily racing guys like myself. P.12 Just to name a few of the cross-overs, I think back to the time of meeting Bill Pensom in the mid sixties with his Birmingham Rollers and his passion for the breed. Long after his passing in 1968 his name is mentioned every day at the store, a testament to his life and this breed. The late Bill Droessler, who at the time was a Modena man, and his jovial manners brought pleasure to all who met him. He entered the racing pigeon game some years later and became a real force to reckon with on race days. We became partners in some of the special races and one in particular, the San Diego Classic race… we won. He still maintained many of the show fancier friendships to the end of his life. Late Jim Larimore was also a Modena specialist and Treasurer/Band Secretary for the NPA at the time. He was a cantankerous union man whose passion with the birds was endless. Jim was a tireless worker for the Los Angeles Pigeon Club and not forgotten. Bill Rice, another hard working cross over pigeon enthusiast, is the only person that became the President of the largest Racing Pigeon Union in America, and also was the NPA President. He was a devoted man to our fraternity and maintained many breeds of pigeons. Pigeon Enthusiast’s Fraternity…… Gregg McKnight Fanciers from all walks of life visit our store. So, over the years, I’ve been able to read most of our customers’ preference by their ethnicity. I’ve been known to tease everyone. So for example, if I recognize one to be of Middle Eastern background, I guess that they have high fliers, so help him with endurance products for the long flights required in that breed, and tease them about why they don’t get racers, and we laugh about it. The Afro-American fanciers have Birmingham rollers for the most part, and I show them products to help them spin and in some cases give them more lift along with how to feed. I was born in Compton and being Caucasian we joke about that, and the bond through pigeons is made. Our Latino brothers like to gamble; so the racers are their passion of choice, but many are roller men. I tease them about you can’t beat that guy just to get a reaction out of them. This makes them bring there “A” game to the table. In the past, many Hispanics had the sporting pouters, but lately not so much. Asian fanciers like to gamble as well, and the racers are the pigeons of choice. They leave nothing for chance when it comes to buying the best of products. Taiwan racing is the Las Vegas of racing pigeons. China now has the honor of buying the most expensive pigeons in the World and now becoming the hub of our racing pigeon sport. I tease the Caucasian guys with quotes like “You’re lucky I’m not into that breed or you’d be second best.” I get that quick response and the brotherhood bond is made. P.13 As one can see, our fraternity of pigeoneers crosses all boundaries, and the beauty of show and performance are in the eyes of the beholder. The bond we have through pigeons is like no other, and if addicted, you become a lifelong enthusiast. Many I’ve met had pigeons at a young age and now returning to the sport with the best memories from the past. This live creature is a marvel in both showing and performing. Let us all simply call ourselves “Pigeon Enthusiasts.” I am sure the upcoming Grand National hosted by the LAPC will set an era of a great new beginning of cooperation between the two very different groups till this day – the racers and the fancy breeders; and break all boundaries of ethnic backgrounds. Great job LAPC for working hard for this brotherhood. Let us all simply call ourselves “Pigeon Enthusiasts.” Pigeon Enthusiast’s Fraternity…… Gregg McKnight Los Angeles Pigeon Club Place Fred Maenpa 1228 Jodi Street Orange, CA 92867 Postage September 2014 Bulletin Here Fold Here Upcoming Meeting: Thursday, September 11, 2014 @ 7:00 pm 11431 McGirk Ave., El Monte, CA 91732 N Rosemead Blvd Lambert Park Santa Anita Ave 210 Freeway Meeting Building McGirk Ave 10 Freeway 60 Freeway Invite Family & Friends