In This Issue President s Message 1 Thanks from the Co-Chair 2 Show Report 4 Wing Ding?? 5 Officers & Board of Directors 7 Know Your Birds 8 President s Message The Dust Has Settled Greetings from Fallon Nevada. If you attended this year's show, you know that it was a success. Being president, I practically hold my breath for the entire weekend, hoping that the show is a success, and hoping that we brought in enough money to make it one more year. From the initial financial report, it appears that we had a successful show, and we made enough money to do it again next year. After the financial report, I sat and wondered why we were successful at a time when many shows are closing their doors. I know the answer to that one, and in case you are not sure, I will try to explain. It's our people. (Continued on page 2) Mystery Photo 8 Bird A Month Club 9 Publicity Committee 10 Thanks Sponsor Thanks 10 Wildlife Artists 11 In Memoriam 12 Quack Facts Crossword 13 Calendar of Events 14 Answers to Puzzles 15 1
Members, committee heads, board of directors, officers. Every year they do their part to make the show a success. The commitment is almost invisible because it runs so smoothly. From set up on Friday, to tear down on Sunday afternoon, everything went without problems. The results in all categories were posted on the web page four days after the competition. I don't believe there is another show in the country which can make that claim. In a nutshell, we have the most dedicated people in the carving show business, from hard work to socializing with other members, nobody does it better. I just wanted to thank everyone again for your hard work and dedication to PFDA. If you are not already an active part of this elite group, let me know, and we will find a job for you at the show. I think you will see how rewarding it is to dedicate some time and help to make the show a success. Bob Joseph President Thanks from the Co-Chair I would like to take a moment to say Thank You to each and every one of you that helped make the 2014 Wildfowl Festival a success. This show had challenges, as we were missing some of our long-time committee members, and I personally was unable to spend the time preparing as I have in the past. But, in true show fashion, many of you stepped up, helped out and worked harder. Again I say thanks to all of you! Fritz Zanker, Co-chair, 2014 Wildfowl Festival 2
SHOW REPORT FROM THE SHOW CO-CHAIR, BOB SOLARI My personal huge Thank You goes out to all of the committee chairs, multitude of volunteers, contributors, donors and bidders that made the 2014 Classic a success. Some show highlights follow: Guest Room reservations had a slight improvement over 2013. Approximately 170 room nights were booked. This was much better than the required minimum of 166 nights, thereby preventing an increase in the cost for show rental space. The Cocktail Auction was a success. Uniqueness appeared, and many new and different approaches were seen. The collection of mini carvings made for a delightful evening of discussion and bidding, despite limited attendance. Folks who were not there certainly missed out on some great carvings and the opportunity to enhance their collections. The Auction income paid for the party and we still had some funds left over! To all of the carvers and successful bidders a hearty Thank You! Food reports it was delicious! We had 142 folks who attended the Saturday Night Banquet. This was down from a year ago. However, from post mortem results numerous comments reflected that the dinner was very good and folks had lots of fun. 3
The Saturday Night Auctions (Live and Silent) were great, thanks to all of the folks donating excellent art work ranging from original carvings, paintings, over-night trips, wine tasting tours, carving/painting lessons, and much more. Once again, the Sitzensnitzlers featured a delightful presentation of They were Decoy Carvers Not Miners! And a new group - The Rogue Carvers appeared with a great donation. Thank you to all of the successful and unsuccessful bidders who helped make a fun and great auction night. Thanks to all of the Raffle basket makers who again provided great contents for the Raffle Baskets. Dorothy Wilcox and Penny Hovie deserve special recognition for their tireless work to produce many of the amazing baskets for the raffle. Another special recognition goes to all the volunteers who filled the various jobs needed for the multitude of competition events. Sally Hanson, once again, presented an excellent Registration/Clerking seminar/refresher on Friday afternoon. The numbers of clerking volunteers were less than last year, but Sally managed to pull it off. Hopefully the 2015 show will have more volunteers available for this important area. We will need both our seasoned volunteers and new volunteers in all areas registration; clerking; bird traffic; and repacking the mail-ins; look for more information in future newsletters. Way to Go Volunteers! Once again, Barbara MacDonald did an outstanding job with the children s painting project. She had lots of enthusiastic youngsters who kept her very busy during the two days. Special thanks go to her and the teenage volunteers who showed up. 4
Rick Banko had a great panel of judges to evaluate and award the avian and aquatic competition entries. Rick began a new trend the Judging Meeting was held in a quiet room away from the show floor. This year we also had clerks attend. Rick it was a great move. Entry numbers were down. Some competition categories had less than 20 entries, although we did have a large number of entries in Doubtful Antiques. Hopefully next year will see an increase in entries so carvers let s increase the number of entries for the public to see. Take note of the Bird A Month Club article in this newsletter issue. Wing Ding?? By Bob Joseph Alright, what in the world is a Wing Ding? It is a lot of things. Kevin Meline and Sherrie Russell Meline opened their spectacular house in Mt. Shasta for the weekend, and hosted about 50 people. It was a chance to mingle with other members, have some fun, and raise money for PFDA. For the last two years, Kevin and Sherrie have challenged the group to make something that can be auctioned off, with the proceeds going to PFDA. Last year it was an antique bird house. There were some really innovative bird houses. First place last year was Mary Hood, and second place was Elaine Cronin. It was announced at last year's event, that the project for 2014 would be weather vanes. In keeping with the spirit of the fund raiser, there were many weather vanes on display that were later auctioned off. During the auction, the two auctioneers (Kevin and myself) worked the crowd to get the highest possible bids. The bids flew in for some really great weather vanes, and midway through the auction, the piece many bidders wanted, came up for auction. Cindy Adkins made a wonderful wind chime from glass. I took the wind chime and showed it off to the group. Excitement was gaining by the second, but then, without warning, the wind chime slipped from my hands! It was like slow motion watching the glass hit the concrete patio. Only one piece of the wind chime survived. At that point, I decided that I would never touch one of the weather vanes again. Sorry Cindy. Cindy did say that she would make another one and donate it to the auction next year at the show. It was an incredible piece, so make sure you take a look at the show next year, and get your bid in on this great work of art. Saturday consisted of some friendly painting competitions. Each member was assigned one of three projects. A drawn number assigned the project to be painted. There were geese, duck whistles, and mini rubber-duckies. After judging, the first and second place pieces were traded with their artist. Then everyone else's name was written on a slip of paper and placed in a paper bag. Each artist then drew a name and took home that artist's work. A great time was had by all. Great company, great food, and great hosts, as can be seen by the following pictures! Thank you Kevin and Sherrie! 5
2014 Wing Ding! 6
PFDA Officers The Board of Directors President Vice-President Vice-President Membership Secretary Treasurer Bob Joseph Bob Solari Jim Burcio Judy Stemen Donna Burcio Rick Banco Elaine Cronin Chris Fitting Aaron Freitas Sally Hanson Penny Hovie (Historian) Barbara MacDonald Greg Mensik Shirley Pinches Brad Snodgrass Fritz Zanker (Show Co-Chair) 7
Know Your Birds By Jim Burcio 1. By average weight, what is the smallest wild duck found in California s Central Valley? a. Hen Green winged teal b. Drake Green winged teal c. Hen Bufflehead d. Dwarf Mallard 2. What diving duck nests in a tree cavity? a. Wood duck b. Common Goldeneye c. Red-breasted Merganser d. Bufflehead 3. What is the fastest flying bird as in a hunting dive? a. Golden Eagle b. Merlin c. Bald Eagle d. Peregrine Falcon 4. What is a male Swan called? a. Drake b. Bull c. Cob d. Male Swan 5. In relationship to their size, name the smallest duck that lays the biggest egg? a. Ruddy duck b. Bufflehead c. Green winged teal d. Cinnamon teal Answers on page 15 8
You may have heard about a new idea discussed at the PDFA Wildfowl Art Show thanks to Mary Joseph. It is called the Bird A Month Club, and it is focused on increasing show entries and adding some fun to our efforts. Each participant sends in $20 (checks made out to PFDA - B/M/C). Each participant tries to bring 12 carvings for the 2015 show. These might be 12 entries (pairs count as two), or eleven entries and a cocktail piece you get the idea. Those that bring the required number of carvings will have their name on a ticket and be entered into a drawing for 75% of the funds collected for B/M/C. Twenty five percent will be retained by the PFDA as a fundraiser. Lacking the required number of 12 carvings, you will not be entered in the drawing better luck next year! Don t get hung up on the term Bird you can also carve fish, or carve a critter for the cocktail auction or dinner auction. Imagine getting 20 carvers to participate that would create a target of 240 carvings. That total would equal nearly half of the carvings that we currently get in our show. We usually have about 450-475 carvings. So, if the challenge of getting more carvings to the show, and the possibility of winning the fundraiser raffle, appeals to you Mail your check made out to PFDA - B/M/C to: Jim Burcio 300 Marble Drive, Antioch CA 94509 If you can t possibly come up with twelve carvings, consider donating $20 to sweeten the PFDA pot, and encourage the carvers taking on the challenge. 9
Publicity Committee Thanks By Brad Snodgrass I would like to thank all of you who graciously agreed to give of your time, sometimes at very short notice, and sometimes during very early morning hours, to do Radio, Television and Newspaper interviews. A special thanks to Karen Bakula, our paid media coordinator, for her hard work, dedication, and early morning meetings! New members of the public came through the door to our show this year and were introduced to our art form, thanks to your efforts. By Brad Snodgrass There are more people who work behind the scenes of a carving competition to help make things happen than there is time to mention. One seldom recognized group that do a lot to make our competitions more interesting are our sponsors, many of whom have been with us for years, if not decades. Sponsors are the unsung heroes of our carving competitions. I think we all agree that winning ribbons, belt buckles and medallions are nice, but winning cash is even better. It adds another element to the competition and motivates us to bring our carving to another level. This thank you is extended collectively on behalf of PFDA to all of our sponsors. Individually, consider also taking time to say thanks the next time you see a sponsor. They are rare, and becoming more so as time goes on, and new sponsors seem harder and harder to obtain. Please let the ones who support us, know how much they are appreciated. 10
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Ken Kimble Hal Cushing April 2, 1924 July 7, 2014 March 8, 1932 June 11, 2014 Memories from the Early Years By Jim Burcio Within a period of a month, we lost two very special people who spent a lifetime dedicated to ducks, decoys, and nurturing the growth of the Pacific Flyway Decoy Association. Ken and Hal met in 1955 at the University of California, Davis. They both worked in the experimental plots department. A lasting friendship quickly developed, and both men had long careers in the Plant Pathology Department, Ken upon retiring from the college continued as a plant pathologist in the private sector, and Hal retiring as the Principal Superintendent of Agriculture. The two avidduckhunters tried their hand at a wide variety of quarry, but ducks were the most common target. With their wives Janet and Rosie, weekend activities included shopping for antiques which quickly led to decoy collecting, and attending the Santa Rosa decoy shows. There was no turning back as they quickly became linked to the growing PFDA. Both men became an integral part of the set up committee, with Ken arriving with his huge toolbox, and his always present leather gloves. Hal, the master gardener, arriving with grocery bags full of onions and garlic. Both continued this assignment well into their advanced years. These two were a bit of an odd couple with Hal always greeting you with a new joke that he had just heard, and Ken remaining straight-faced, not wanting to give Hal the satisfaction of a chuckle. As a young impressionable carver / Board Member, I attended my first meeting at Ken s house. Davis had become the hub for the PFDA as the Kimbles, Cushings, and Hansons opened their homes and generously hosted most, if not all, of the quarterly gatherings. It became readily apparent that Ken and Hal had a passion for the PFDA and took their mission very seriously. They set the bar high in the early years for growing this organization, and we owe much of our success to them. The PFDA has established a legacy fund. Anyone wishing to make a donation in the name of Hal Cushing or Ken Kimble can donate to the Pacific Flyway Decoy Association, 300 Marble Drive, Antioch, CA 94509. Donors will receive a receipt for their records. Ken Kimble Hal Cushing 12
Quack Facts Crossword Puzzle Answers on Page 15 13
CALENDAR OF EVENTS Columbia Flyway Show, Vancouver, WA September 13-14, 2014 PFDA Board of Director s Meeting, Davis October 10, 2014 Chesapeake Wildfowl Expo, Ocean City October 11, 2014 Lodi Crane Festival, Lodi November 7-9, 2014 Easton Waterfowl Festival, Easton, MD November 14-16, 2014 Snow Goose Festival, Chico January 21-25, 2015 PSWA California Open, San Diego February 14-15, 2015 Godwit Days, Arcata April 15-21, 2015 Ward World Show, Ocean City, MD April 24-26, 2015 PFDA Show, Sacramento July 11-12, 2015 Friday, October 10 th 10 a.m.-3:30 p.m. 45211 County Road 32B Davis, CA 95618 (Chiles Road) 14
Answers to Puzzles Know Your Birds Answers: 1. Hen Green winged teal 2. Bufflehead. This is a trick question as Goldeneye nest in trees, but they are classified as a sea duck. 3. Peregrine Falcon 4. Cob 5. Ruddy duck Quack Facts Crossword Across: 3 Labrador 5 Daffy 6 Preening 7 Precocial 8 Muscovy 9 Eclipse 10 Anas Platyrhynchos Down: 1 Drake 2 Antarctica 4 Omnivorous Mystery Photo Mandarin Duck END OF NEWSLETTER (Designed and produced by Lesley Parkin, September, 2014) 15