[Killietalk] Killie Karnival 2009: A Review

[Gary Hoover <gmh52389 at yahoo_com>]

Hi folks,
Another Killie Karnival is past, and the 30th year was an extremely enjoyable show.
Firstly, Art Leuterman's talks were just fantastic.  He covered several groups of fish in his well-attended first talk, noting things they can't do in Texas versus what we can't do up here in the Midwest.  It was a very informative talk, ending with a good discussion on L. tanganicus.  Between 50 and 60 people were at the talk (depending on when you counted), which is a fantastic turnout for an afternoon talk.  The evening talk on collecting trips was the most realistic collecting trip talk I've ever heard.  It wasn't just the regions were you catch fish, and the supplies--Art talked about the permits, the diseases, the foreign governments, and other issues that are often glossed over in most talks.  
The show was small, but included some fantastic pairs, and a lot of fish went into the auction on Sunday.  The box sales were extensive as well, with lots of fish available, most at very reasonable prices as well.  For the show, congrats to Dave Hemmerlein for his Best Old World pair of Aphanius vladykovi, Vern Cloud for Best New World pair of Rivulus rectocaudatus, Greg Schoenberg for a fantastic pair of Fp. gardneri Rayfield that took Reserve Best in Show, and Scott Davis for his Best In Show pair of Fundulus notatus. 
I thought the New and Rare fish went over very well, ticket sales were very good, and the auction proceeds made this year's N&R selection one of the most successful yet.
The auction went quickly, with prices staying in a good range.  No killies were sold for under $5, no new and rare fish went for under $10, and nothing in the auction sold for $1.  
We also thank Ray Lucas and Kingfish Services for their support, Ray had a group of chairs around his that held a steady rotation of folks discussing various aspects of the hobby.  It was a great way to sit and talk fish after walking around for a while. 
While final numbers are by no means available yet, I am fairly confident that the show will see financial success, a feat impossible without the help of all who attended.  Thanks to all who made it, I got a chance to talk to a lot of you (or at least harass you for raffle tickets!) and had a great time myself.
Killie Karnival '10: February 27th and 28th, mark your calendars now!
-Gary Hoover
Killie Karnival co-chairman



      
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