President's LetterHello Everyone!
Thank you, John and Amy Gilliam, for hosting the September meeting. They served a ton of food, including "to die for" brisket! We had several guests, Jon and Jill Holland, Mary Burns (husband Lonnie dragged her to her first meeting), and Dwain Nixon. It was great to meet Dwain, the talented man who carves the fish awards for TCA's shows. Dwain is also carving awards for the Denver club for the 2004 ACA Convention. We talked abo ut the Fall Workshop and speakers for 2004. Jim Lancaster gave a demonstration on how to use the auction software.
The Fall Workshop was great! Our speakers did an outstanding job! They gave us interesting and useful information about fish rooms, fish breeding, food, helpful gadgets, plants and creative ideas for 29-gallon aquariums. The "exhibition" of some 80+ tanks was a hit for attendees. Thanks to Page Ullman, Phil Tucker, David Andrews, John Nicholson, D'Wyatt Green, and Randy Rhoades for all the hard work setting up and tearing down. The auction was a huge success--we sold several hundred bags of fish and numerous supplies. Thanks to Diane Stewart and Coleen Ullman for their work on the sil ent auction; everyone loved all the cool fish stuff! Many thanks to all TCA members who volunteered. Without them, TCA could not host these wonderful workshops. TCA is fortunate to have generous manufacturers and vendors who donate hundreds of dollars worth of items annually. They are listed here in Cichlid Tails, so be sure to thank them by using their products.
The annual TCA Christmas Party and gift swap is December 6th at 8:00 p.m. at Texas Land and Cattle on Copeland Road in Arlington, the same road as Harrigan's (last year's meeting site). We always have some really nice fish and fish-related items. You do not have to be a TCA member to attend, so bring along any of your fishy friends!
The big news is that TCA will host the 2005 American Cichlid Association Convention in Fort Worth! Work has already begun. The Radisson Plaza Hotel Fort Worth has been chosen as the convention site. We have contacted speakers and are researching tours. World-known cichlid collector, author, and photographer Ad Konings will attend. Willem Heijns of The Netherlands will speak on Central American cichlids (husbandry and expeditions). Downtown Fort Worth has been renovated over the years and has lots to offer convention-goers. While very exciting, hosting an ACA convention is a huge endeavor. The club has a lot of support from many members, but we will need to get many more involved over the next year and a half.
Hope to see y'all at the Christmas Party!
- Kathy