The Honkin' Huge Ribbon Show was a success again this year, thanks to decent weather, willing volunteers, and a full slate of competitors. It also added money to the chapter coffers, which is always a good thing!
Our November 1 meeting was a "show celebration" pizza party held at Clover Valley Equestrian Center. We had a great turn-out, and started work on our next show, which is Bears Above the Ground, March 5 & 6, 2011. Carolyn Ritacco has agreed to manage the show; our judges will be Paige Ruhl (Saturday) and Suzi Ronning (Sunday). Since we are returning to a two-day event and this show will be our chapter's only show in 2011, we need you to mark your calendars now so you'll be available to volunteer! It's not too early to let Janis Worrall (will.janis.worrall@gmail.com), our volunteer coordinator, know what job, which day, and what time works best for you. The funds we raise at this show allow us to provide clinics, events, and other educational opportunities for our members, so let’s all pitch in as best we can. Eric has volunteered to haul the show ring to the fairgrounds and to oversee its set-up on Friday, March 4. We’ll need at least four people on Friday night to set up the arena; let Janis know if you can be there to help with that.
We discussed the food vendor situation at the fairgrounds, since people were not happy with the vendor at the HHR show. Carolyn is going to make some inquiries into what other options we might have, in order to have a better menu and a more reliable vendor. We also discussed videotaping for the Bears show. We decided that we could pay the videographer $10 per ride, which would be covered by the office fee we charge, but we don’t want to pay more than what we collect from the office fee. We will seek bids from a few different videographers to get the best deal for the chapter. Carolyn will talk to a few videographers and report back to us in January on her findings and we can decide then how to proceed.
Clover Valley Equestrian Center is sponsoring a tack sale on December 4 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tables are $5. The sale will be set up in the indoor arena, so you don’t have to worry about rain. The sale is being advertised with flyers and on Craig’s List, so if you have things you’d like to sell, contact Ashley Bertell at aabertell@comcast.net or 503-936-6116 to reserve your spot.
Our annual CMC Christmas party is scheduled for December 5 at Thornhill Farm, starting at 4:00 p.m. The chapter will provide the main dish and beverages; bring a side dish or dessert to share along with a $20 gift if you’d like to participate in the always fun and exciting gift exchange. We'll also hand out awards* and draw the PowerBall winners for the year.
*Special award nominations needed! As yet your awards committee (Janet, Heather and Michelle) have not received any nominations for special awards, such as “Most Improved Rider," "Most Improved Horse," or any other award you can come up with. Be creative! This is your chance to honor your fellow chapter members for something they’ve done that you’d like to recognize.
If you took advantage of the chapter-sponsored opportunity to clinic with Julie Ronning and would like to ride with her again, please note that Julie will be in town during the Christmas holiday and will be available for private lessons December 28-January 2. Contact Suzi Ronning (503-537-6530) if you are interested in reserving a time.
Our first chapter meeting of the new year will be on January 3 at Clover Valley Equestrian Center. We plan to schedule a speaker for that meeting, so stay tuned for more information.
One final, sad note. This week Jane Bauer had to say good-bye to her long-time partner Hoby due to a severe colic. Most of us have experienced the pain of good-bye; we're hurting with you, Jane!
