Greetings from the Big Lake.
Our 49th annual MTA Convention has just come to an end. We leave for Iowa and the NTA Convention in Mason City, Iowa, soon. It will be nice to enjoy a couple of demos and do some shopping for our own lines. Here is a brief review of our own Minnesota event before we leave.
I heard mostly positive comments on the Otter Tail County Fair grounds in Fergus Falls. We had plenty of sun and it was very warm, but we often had a decent breeze. The many demos saw very good attendance. Our thanks to Dave D’Aigle for stepping up and lining up a large variety of demos. If you have a demo in mind that you would like to see, approach Dave and he will do his best to line it up next year. The crews at the Fergus Falls facility were wonderful to work with. They did everything in their capacity to accommodate the MTA. Every time a need arose, the grounds crew or our local contact, TJ Johnson, came forward with a solution. You were all wonderful.
This convention really seemed to bring some young MTA members forward. We can never recall more youngsters wanting to be involved in the MTA. Your help was awesome and so very much appreciated. The youth are the future of our organization and we need to you get involved!
We would like to give a special thanks to David Bauer. He has followed in his Dad’s footsteps and become a fixture at Convention time. From the beginning to the end of the event, David was asking where he could help out. He did an awesome job with the Sadie Hawkins Trappers Race course. His effort takes a lot of pressure off those of us involved in the Convention.
Another individual that needs to be thanked for his effort with the Trappers’ Race is Carl Ernst. Carl stepped forward and became the perfect announcer and added his brand of color, as he announced the event. He was a perfect fit and had the crowd cheering and laughing through the entire event. If that is not enough, Carl accepted a challenge to do a belly flop in the Trappers Race pond. Wisconsin Trapper and MTA Member, Jerry Drolshagen produced a $100 bill and motivated the crowd to produce $450 for the legal defense fund. This was enough to motivate Carl to take the dive! Our THANKS for all that donated. Even though the lawsuit is over, the legal bills are still coming in. This was a much appreciated act on everyone’s part.
If you missed the race, you missed one heck of an event. All the racers who stepped forward, left with a huge smile and the crowd’s respect. Most racers, as well as the official timers and announcer, left wearing mud from head to toe. Dave Bauer was able to defeat his dad, Tim Bauer, and became the new champ. Had Dan Swedberg not stopped in the middle of the race thinking it was coffee time, he probably would have beat David. Just kidding, Dan!
The trap setting contest seemed to have great participation as well. Our thanks to Patty and Merlyn Ladd for hosting this event every year. They do a wonderful job taking care of every detail and keeping it moving smoothly.
While attendance was down slightly with the NTA event so close in Northern Iowa, we still had a large number show up to support the organization and buy their supplies. Most dealers mentioned the good outlook for the raccoon market has produced an increased interest in trapping this fall.
The Wild Game Pot Luck was very well attended. Our thanks to all involved in setting up, running, contributing, and cleaning up the event. A special thanks to Dave Graham for making sure that most of the volunteers behind the MTA booth got a plate. It was a wonderful thought and the food was delicious!
There seemed to be lots of items on Friday night’s consignment auction. Perhaps a changing of the guard of sorts may be happening, as some of the elder trappers were parting with their trapline tools, and many young up and coming trappers were eager to provide them with a new home. Saturday’s auction provided a wide variety of donated items to benefit the MTA. Again this year, Betty’s Brownies were a very popular item – always delicious and a great fund raiser. Thanks Tim and Nancy for that wonderful brownie! The #5 Bridger donated by Jerry Drolshagen from Charles Dobbins’ trapline did very well. It seems that this was the year our own Arnie Peterson will no longer be up a poop creek without a paddle. He proudly left the Benefit Auction carrying a commemorative MTA paddle from days gone by. The MTA thanks all that chose to participate.
If you have comments or concerns on making the MTA Convention more enjoyable get in touch with us. We have had several individuals step forward and ask to be involved next time. They recognized the fact that about the same individuals carry the bulk of the work load every year. They vowed to be involved next year, how about you? It is a wonderful way to meet new people, learn how your organization works, and provide new ideas!
Time to look ahead to the Winter Meeting in Isle on January 3, 2009. Again this year, we will have a crew available to tag your cats and otter. There will be an Instructor’s training class the Friday afternoon of January 2.
Next year will be the 50th Anniversary of the MTA. We will have our Anniversary gathering in Chishom, MN, at the St. Louis County Fairgrounds. This is the newest fair grounds in MN with several huge new buildings. The community plans to have several activities planned to correspond with the event. Look for more details in the next newsletters. This will be a very big show so make your plans now. The dates are August 14, 15, and 16th.
Cory & Deb Van Driel
Convention Coordinators
320-676-1722