PGCA annual meeting

[Jean Swanson]

MY TWO CENTS WORTH:

It is a thankless job . I was the events co-ordinator for some 10 to 15 years for the PGCA. No matter what place one selects, there are always a few that complained about the food, the cost , the location , the time of year , you name it and there was a bitch !!!Wilmington ,Ohio was a great location and I established an excellent relationship with both the OGCA and the Civic Center. If I recall correctly, we where there the first year that the center opened and we had our banquet at that facility with approximatly 110 members for the banquet and maple syrup was given to the membership . The following year the OGCA occupied a majority of the rooms and the banquet facility, a problem . I drove to Wilmington from Vermont to find a NEW facility for the Banquet . The only place that was close was the upstairs room of a local restaurant that colud take care of us. We held the event there!! The following year , that restaurant was out of business . I researched additional places and the closest place was some 25 to 30 miles away and the BOD and I decided to look elseware.

I did demographics of the membership and concluded that a days drive was about the limit of the attending members. Also, if my memory is correct, 75% of the entire membership live within 500 milles of Louisville , KY and some 80%+/- live east of the Mississippi !! I spent countless hours on research for the banquet , trying to take all into consideration ! Not an easy task nor assignment .

I talked to many PGCA members about different places and there was usually one or two problems, no matter city or place we looked at .

No idea is bad---make suggestions to Dave Suponski and Josh Loewensteiner.

Allan Swanson

[Bill Murphy]

Thanks for the post, Allan. I still think Wilmington is worth a second chance. If we can get a banquet facility, members will be pleased. I understand the problem with a downtown facility going out of business, but maybe the "hotel" can offer us something this time.

[C grade]

In the South, Dove season opens Sept one and is as sacred as partridge and pheasant seasons are in other parts of the country. If you are a double gun guy the Saturdays in Sept are an important part of our culture as the dove shoots are a gathering of friends, usually a cook out and a few cold ones are shared after the shoot. The comments that we should avoid October are understandable to y'all that hunt those birds but about any time interferes with something. I feel it is really important the the annual meeting involves a shooting event and if I HAVE to I could sacrifice one dove weekend!
David Dwyer

[Opening Day]

Originally Posted by David Dwyer

In the South, Dove season opens Sept one and is as sacred as partridge and pheasant seasons are in other parts of the country. If you are a double gun guy the Saturdays in Sept are an important part of our culture as the dove shoots are a gathering of friends, usually a cook out and a few cold ones are shared after the shoot. The comments that we should avoid October are understandable to y'all that hunt those birds but about any time interferes with something. I feel it is really important the the annual meeting involves a shooting event and if I HAVE to I could sacrifice one dove weekend!
David Dwyer

As Gary said, the LC Smith boys have made OGCA their home. This year for their annual meeting, they setup a shoot on Friday with lunch etc and then did the show Sat and Sunday I talked to a few members and they were happy. We could do the same at Willmington the OGCA show is very nice,or take it to Louisville and do the same thing shoot Friday, show Sat and Sunday. Louisville is a larger city so setting up for the Banquet would be easier, also as I drove in last year I saw ads for a couple of SC courses. Just my thoughts and no not everyone is going to be happy no matter where it's held. Eric

[Bill Murphy]

Serious show goers don't shoot on Friday, they troll the show. Figure out how to get over that problem and we will do the Friday shooting thing. To be honest, however, at the Southern, some Parker guys would slip out of the area to shoot. How could they do that when a hot gun could appear at the show?

[Richard Flanders]

What's wrong with Fairbanks in January!!?? It could coincide with the annual -40F skeet shoot on the army base! Doesn't that sound like big fun? I'd even let everyone have a shot at the ever-present XXXXcicle in the outhouse!

[C.O.B.]

I'd go to Fairbanks in Janurary befor I went to whever this is the end of October.

David you should come to MI. and give some U.P. Grouse hunting a try

[Bill Murphy]

Depending on who is sitting at the table, a shooting venue is or is not important for the Annual Meeting. It is certainly to be preferred, but we have had a bunch of annual meetings without a shooting venue. Las Vegas, Richmond, Louisville, Knoxville, Wilmington, Baltimore, were all non shooting venues. Apparently previous boards did not think shooting was a big deal but things are different now and we are doing a lot of shooting. Planning future events is going to be the hardest job among many. Mid winter in a warm weather area with shooting is worth thinking about.