2010 NADKC Annual Meeting

Chicago Area, Illinois USA

23-25 Apr 2010

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I would like to thank the Upper Midwest Region for hosting the NADKC Annual Meeting and to compliment them on an excellent job. For those of you that were unable to attend, you missed a first class event. From the time I made inquiries about lodging and transportation through enjoying the Derby on Sunday, the members of the Midwest Region went out of their way to make attendees feel welcome and to make their stays both interesting and enjoyable.

King's Kennel is unquestionably the best NADKC Clubhouse and is a perfect site for the annual meeting and Zuchtschau. The meeting schedule and topics were both interesting and creative. The “Hunting with Hawks” presentation was very interesting and informative. When it became impossible for Margitta Albertsen to attend the VGP Seminar because of the ash plume, an internet conference was setup and we enjoyed both an audio and video feed from Germany as the seminar went on without a hitch. The Zuchtschau was very nicely done, even with the weather’s lack of cooperation. There were large classes and some very nice dogs in each group. The conformation judges (Formwertricher) did a nice job of evaluating each dog and of communicating to the audience the rationale for their decisions.

Saturday's business meeting was conducted flawlessly by President Rob Engelking. A number of items were discussed and successfully dealt with. When one considers chairing a meeting of this group, it is a lot like herding cats. We are very fortunate to have a person with Rob’s skill and patience at the podium. The dinner at Deerfield Country Club was very nice. Joe Gallo, Upper Midwest Region Director, did a great job with the auction and fun was had by all. The special moment of the night was the salute to Willie Engelking and the recognition he received from the group; it a very special moment and a fitting tribute for a person that has meant so much to the NADKC. The only low point of the evening was that I did not win the raffle for the shotgun.

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On Sunday morning a large group of the attendees proceeded to Richard M. Bong Recreation Area, the site of the Derby. Again, everything was very well organized and the dogs in the group I observed were well prepared and all received Prize 1’s. The 2010 NADKC Annual Meeting, hosted by the Upper Midwest region, was a very well organized and enjoyable event from the eyes of this attendee. Congratulations on a fine event; you have set the bar high for next year’s event.

Frank O'Leary

Taken from NADKC eNews | June 2010