Lifetime Achievement Award

[John]

The idea for the “Ameraucana Breeders Award” was conceived by Don Cable and instituted, in 2001, at the ABC National Meet, in Galax, VA.  At that time the club president decided on which member would receive the honor each year.  Mike Gilbert was the president at the time and chose John Blehm to receive the award, but before Mike presented it he was surprisingly presented with the first ABC Breeders Award, dated 2000.  The award has been renamed Lifetime Achievement Award and a member has been honored with it each year since then.
   Although there is no written criteria, the recipient is generally a member that has been in the club for ten or more years.  Many have been breeders that have developed and/or improved varieties of Ameraucana, have served as officers in the club, published articles promoting the breed and club, traveled extensively to ABC sanctioned meets to exhibit Ameraucanas, donated financially to the club, and the list goes on. 

[Mike Gilbert]

Was an award made at Lucasville?   Why no announcement?    From the above photo, it looks like Harold Knapp was the 2014 recipient.    Congratulations Harold!    For me the national meet has always been more about the people and the birds than the awards and prizes.
While on the subject, was there an egg contest this year?   The important news has been very slow coming this year for some reason. 

[Sharon Yorks]

This is what was announced at our National Meet's annual membership meeting.

The Lifetime Achievement award is present every year at our annual meeting to someone who the ABC feels has contributed a lot toward the club and also to the breed itself. This year, the award goes to a man who has been an ABC member for nearly a decade. He has mainly focused on LF but is now considering bantams. He has raised Black, Blue, & Splash, and also Wheatens and Blue Wheatens. He currently has around 40 birds and is still actively showing and is also one of this year’s sponsors. He is also the man who should be credited with trying to launch the Ameraucana Auction Fundraiser which I feel needs to be an annual event to promote the breed at all of our National Meets.

The Lifetime Achievement Award this year, is awarded to former 2-Term Northeast District Director, Harold Knapp.

[Sharon Yorks]

The important news has been very slow coming this year for some reason.

The reason being that there are a few things that need to be clarified and I feel that correct information is more important than speedy. The winners and full report will be posted later today.