The South-Central District meet is now history. It was held at one of the largest and best shows in the past within our district. Unfortunately, this year was a shipwreck for the Shawnee Show. Many entries were in the wrong classes within the show room. Many of the jrs. were caged with the open show. Four out of six of the Ameraucana exhibitors entries were incorrectly placed in bantam classes. The show management did the best they could to make room for the large fowl Ameraucanas in the AOSB class. Ours were going to have be scattered through out the large fowl, so we opted to keep them-in the truck. One lavender was shown in the bantams and ten head of large fowl were shown by four exhibitors without our eleven head, so it still qualified for meet awards for the champions.
The first thoughts were the new show management didn’t like or want Ameraucanas in their show. Especially since Ameraucanas weren’t listed with a meet, even though I sent the paperwork months ago requesting a district meet. Talked with Roy Snider on the phone Monday and found out his father miss marked their entries as bantams. Aaron had both bantams and large-so I see how all of his entries could easily be incorrectly booked in as bantams. Our entries were sent in with “L” for Large on the top line which had the Rhode Island Reds first, then the Ameraucanas. Some reason, I forgot to ditto or draw a line indicating all our birds were large. Mistakes can and do happen! However the collect call to clarify the entries never came.
I like to be optimistic! Feel the miss cooped LF Ameraucanas in the bantam class was an accident on all four entries. I also think it happened to give us a reason to look harder for another show for our district meet. The Shawnee show has become so large that the few who work the show are not capable of handling one that large.
We did have a brief meeting with a couple of ABC members who showed and have decided to move the SC Ameraucana District meet to Fayetteville, ARK.-November 3, 2012, which will be the following Saturday of the 2012 national meet at Sedalia, MO. We have had the SC District meet at Sedalia, MO. once and all the rest have been at Shawnee, OK. since I have been SC District director. I have ask for suggestions for the district meet several times with no response. I feel good about Fayetteville, after meeting Jacob Bates who is in charge of the Heart of the Ozarks Poultry Association. They are trying to grow their show, which has about 800 head. Check out their website at hotopa.com-it’s impressive!
Aaron Hickson showed the only Ameraucana bantam a very nice lavender pullet. Aaron also had the BV-(best variety) black on a nice pullet which also won BB (best of breed). Rachael Snider won RV (reserve variety) with her black cockerel. There were 7 blacks shown by 3 exhibitors Larry Snider showed the only blue wheaten, a cockerel which also won RB (reserve breed). Two wheaten cockerels were shown. Larry Snider had BV and Rachael Snider had RV. The quality of the 10 head shown was good. We didn’t have anyone to exhibit EEL’s as there has been some in the past. Dwayne Jonas judged the large fowl classes.
No Ameraucanas were shown in the junior show.
Matthew’s pair of wheaten large fowl coops were also with the jr. bantams.
We did get to meet Clare Mikel. Had a great visit, and look forward to seeing some of her lavenders and mottled at the national meet in Sedalia, MO. on Oct. 27, 2012. The national meet will be a successful Ameraucana event as many of the club’s northern members will show!
We will try to get the pictures of the show on tonight.
