The Bay City Poultry Club did an outstanding job of hosting our National Ameraucana meet! There were 83 large fowl shown this year with every recognized variety being represented plus a few in the any other variety (AOV) class.
There were over 100 bantams also with every recognized variety plus black gold, birchen and red in the AOV class.
Angela and I photographed all the BV (best of variety) and RV (reserve of variety) of the bantams and large fowl. Angela will get the photos on ASAP.
The BB (best of breed) bantam was a black cockerel shown by Robert Walchak of Holmen, WI. Robert\'s black cockerel also won Champion Ameraucana and Champion All Other Comb Clean Legg (AOCCL). Robert also had RB on his white cockerel which also was reserve AOCCL. Congratulations, Robert on a tremendous accomplishment from your birds and for the Ameraucana breed!
The reserve Ameraucana was a white LF (large fowl) hen shown by Jerry DeSmidt from Pulaski, WI. Jerry\'s white hen also won reserve All Other Standard Breed (AOSB) and BB large fowl. Angela and I had RB on our black pullet. Jerry had the highest scoring displays with his black bantams scoring 92 and his white LF scoring 88. Jerry also had best trios on his black bantams and white large fowl.
The egg contest was down a few in entries but another success for the ABC. Jerry DeSmidt had the best bantam eggs in both the hen and pullet classes. Angela and I had best LF hen eggs and Larry Clionsky had best LF pullet eggs, which were the highest scoring and bluest eggs of all that were entered.
The ABC meeting was held at 2:30 Saturday in the show barn. Members present voted to accept the proposals from the board and the recommended changes in the silver description from the committee which submitted it. Discussions were held about a site for the 2007 national meet, the recent election and the black gold variety\'s progress. Angela and I were placed in a state of shock during the meeting by being named recipients of the Outstanding Ameraucana breeder of the year award.
Later that afternoon most of the Ameraucana breeders in attendance at the show, went to John and Kathy Blehm\'s house for a tour of their poultry facilities and great hospitality! Thanks John and Kathy! We sure enjoyed seeing the birds, and the visit. Eight o\'clock that evening most of us enjoyed a fabulous chicken dinner at the Bavarian Inn. It was a very good German cooked meal.
The ABC table was very nice and well run by many of the club\'s members. Angela held down my shift so I could watch the LF Ameraucanas being judged by Jim Fegan. I thought Jim did an excellent job of placing the birds. The club gained several new members and did well with it\'s fund raisers. The handpainted awards by Areatha Mahan were outstanding and an attention getter by most fanciers who passed by the ABC table.
Angela and I had the pleasure of meeting Vicky and Lee Thompson. Vicky and Rita have worked many hours for the ABC - starting and keeping the ABC Sharing Place Forum going. Thanks, to both of you!
There were 15 Ameraucana exhibitors from 10 states. Angela and I picked-up the farthest traveled distant plaque at 1259.2 miles there. We also had the priviledge of meeting Curtis Beck from Greencastle, Indiana, and Jerry Segler from Sparland, Illinois. We were looking forward to meeting Harold Knapp of East Bethany, NY, but didn\'t get to due to the massive amount of snow which kept Harold from being able to come. Speaking of snow-it was quite a contrast from the low 90\'s and upper 80\'s we left in Texas to go to Frankenmuth. It was so warm that we had to stop in Oklahoma and buy ice to put in the cages with the birds on the way up. When we returned Tuesday it was in the upper 80\'s again. A great time was had by all in attendance. Looking forward to next fall for another great Ameraucana national.
