2007 Chinchilla Club Field Day ... #1

The Chinchilla Club

South East Chapter

2007 Field Day

   Before I get into the field day and show, we would like to thank Ralph
and Barbara Shoots for their help and support in making sure the show &
field day went off like clock work.

   As some of you know, Ralph took ill at a show he was judging two weeks
before our field day/show and had to be hospitalized. He had to go
through surgery.   Yet, he and Barbara traveled over 600 miles, each way,
to make sure they were there for our field day.   They brought with them
all the essential equipment and record keeping supplies needed for the
show. The trophies and certificates were also donated by Ralph and
Barbara.

   This, as they have done in so many ways in the past, is a testimony to
the true dedication, by the Shoots, to the education for the betterment of
all chinchillas, by anyone seriously interested in learning about, and
properly caring for them.

   I would like to thank those who hosted the field day/show for a
wonderful time and a weekend of fellowship with other chinchilla breeders
and owners.

   The Field Day & Show were hosted by Jamie Huggins, owner of the
Chinchilla Club, with the help and support of her husband, Randy. They
made sure everything was ready to go in Walterboro, SC. Our
accommodations at the hotel, the welcome packet, the air-conditioned
recreation center where the field day/show was held, tables, chairs, a
scrumptious lunch, door prises, show books and a fantastic and relaxing
social.

   Iris & Lee Musclewhite of Circle M Ranch, co-hosted. They were
instrumental in getting things started and worked to help co-ordinate the
event with the Huggins & the Shoots to make sure everything worked out
perfectly.

   There were many volunteers that worked in the background that are
also greatly appreciated. You will see many of them hard at work in
pictures to come.

   Everyone working together made it appear to be so simple and easy to
complete ... it was not ... it was allot of hard work by all involved.   That is
what made it enjoyable by all of us that attended. ;o)

    Any show or field day actually starts months before the special date arrives, with
plans for every little item that needs to be taken care of ahead of time for that
special day.

    But, I am going to start from the day before the Field Day/Show ...

    Below you will see a few pictures taken at the Recreation Center the night
before the events.

   This was allot to get done, but the hardest
part would come later.

    About 10 PM Ralph and Barbara would
make it in with the lights, cages, and all the
heavy stuff that would have to be unloaded and
set up after a 12 hour drive, with some bad
weather on the way.

This is just a small amount of what it takes to get a show or field day together.
But with all that you can learn, whether you are young or old, new in the chinchilla
world or old hat at it ... the people behind these events know it is all worth the time
and effort. It is a labor of love.