ARBA FB page 'rant' about KY

[Frosted Rabbits]

Okay, there is a 'thread' on ARBA page-- that was basically, a one sentence rant about the host club in KY this past week.

The 'issues' were never mentioned in the OP- so no one who had not been there would know what went on...

Some interesting and informative discussion has ensued.

Don't know if the 'ranter' is a sore loser, an overworked volunteer, or what--

but then someone else asks why the post was left up--

why not-- the discussion is civil-- and it seems the 'reason' may have been inexperienced club memenrs doing jobs they are unfamiliar with, not enough help, or some 'beyond our control' type of stuff.

It is my understanding, ANY club will welcome volunteers on the day of the show--
so, if there was some big issue, why didn't people help out?

 

[sommrluv]

It won't last long, that board is so overmoderated they don't allow any criticism of any kind. Very good comments on there Terry.

I know of several breeders that had to leave today without showing because they were running hours and hours late.

 

[ladysown]

no link? never mind. found it.

 

[Random Rabbit]

https://www.facebook.com/groups/2213368565/


From what i read... there Were volunteers and some were not treated very nicely... IDK... was not there and have Not spoken personally with anyone who Did go.

 

[SatinsRule]

The show was an unmitigated disaster. I know because I just got home from it.

I really don't think the overall plan for how the show would be conducted was bad at all. As with most clubs, there seemed to be few doers and alot of people who talked about putting it on.

Breeders arrived Friday night from each coast after having reserved coops for their rabbits, and many found themselves either having to put up what remained of the unassembled coops, or left out in the cold and having to take rabbits to their hotels. That can be a real problem if you've booked to stay at a hotel/motel which does not accept pets (and thankfully, I was in a motel which allowed them).

Another problem. The parking passes were not available, leaving exhibitors to foot the bill to the tune of $8 every time they left and re-entered the fairgrounds. Want something to drink along the lines of a soft drink? Hope you brought it yourself, as the lone vendor at the showroom was selling fountain drinks for $4.25 for a 32-oz drink. The least expensive drinks sold for just a dollar less, and standing in a long line to get it was a PITA. No drink machines, either. IOW, you were up a creek without a raft if you did not bring a cooler full of drinks.

The final straw was this morning when exhibitor entry forms for pre-entered rabbits were never printed. The show was scheduled to start at around 8 a.m., and at 9 a.m. when I left, they were nowhere near being ready to start the shows, as the lines of people either wanting to put in day-of entries, as well as the folks like myself who pre-entered rabbits, were lined up out the side doors. The staff also could not make up their minds which lines exhibitors were supposed to get into, and several exhibitors wound up being bounced between one line and the other 5 or more times and waiting thru lines which got longer and longer by the minute. Excuse me if I'm wrong here, but it seems that the purpose of pre-entries is not to save exhibitors money, but rather to lighten the load of administrative paperwork at the showroom. There was absolutely no reason to wait until the morning of the show to start printing pre-entered exhibitors' entry forms. For that matter, the day before, when breed specialty and nationals were being held would have been the ideal time to start with that, but it never happened.

I'm pretty much known to be a bit negative to begin with, but that scene this morning was a clustered mess. One of the worst executed shows I've ever been to. It's a shame, too. Louisville is a great place to hold a show of that size, and the state of KY is absolutely beautiful.

And one more thing. I will go on record that a free-for-all will develop on that ARBA forum, and the OP will be kicked off the site for it. Bunch of thin-skinned, immature zeros moderating that site.

 

[rittert3]

I'm not happy to hear all this, I had wanted to go but couldn't afford it this time. I did learn at nationals in October to bring my own food and drink when I go to another big show as it was over priced there as well. Parking wasn't quite as expensive, I think 25 cents and hour and I was staying across town with a relative. Anyway I'm just sorry to hear that KY went poorly and hope it didn't turn people off. I like my little local shows but I loved getting to meet all my freinds from around the country at nationals and look forward to going to more big shows in the future.

 

[phillinley]

Satinsrule description was accurate. This show was the worst. We show up at 11:30 pm and they said no coops period. Fortunately we found out that our Lilac and Silver Fox clubs already put names on all of our coops ahead of time. But our Flemish were out of luck and we brought them back with us since in the show catalog it said any coops on the floor would be confiscated into a seperate room and charged so much money per day. We get to the hotel. More madness. They overbooked by about 50 rooms and if you had made a reservation more than five months in advance they had a tendency to not be able to find it. A lot of people had to find other hotels past midnight on a Friday night with a major volleyball tournament also going on at the Kentucky Exhibition complex. So they had to look for a while. Saturday's shows went off very well and that was only because the individual clubs took over their shows and made sure they were run well. The Silver Fox and Lilac executives did an amazing job on their shows. On top of the shows the Silver Fox club held a great seminar that evening with an awards banquet and the Lilacs catered out lunch to all the members which was great given there were almost no food options. Also it was an amazing turnout. It was estimated the Silver Fox had more rabbits entered at the national than any other show in the past few decades include convention. So that was great to see.

Back to the show officials. We still had no parking passes and by afternoon they finally acknowledged their were none forthcoming. We were supposed to have our show sheets for Sunday now available at 3pm. We go to the desk at 3 pm. Whoops, scratch that, we'll have them by tomorrow morning. Show up this morning. Huge line. When most people got to the end of the line, they didn't have their entry sheets (we had to have them e-mailed in a week ago). So they wrote our name, asked how many rabbits we thought were on our entry sheets, we paid and then they said they would sort it all out later. Now this again is where the individual clubs picked up the slack. When they called for Silver Fox, they assigned a judge but their was no control sheet, nothing. So they just called out all the Senior bucks, and they hand wrote all of our names, class and ear numbers and then put down the placings, there was no easy way to give comments. Those they submitted back to the show staff. If it wasn't for club members I don't know how we would have got the classes organized cohesively. We basically said forget it with our Flemish. There was no need to put them on the table since our kids were the only youth showing, and we ended up skipping the second show since the first was so disorganized. When asked how they would work out legs, most of the other members we talked to did not hold out much hope for it, which would be a shame since we would have the third leg on our Lilac buck and legs are not easy to come by in Illinois/Iowa for a Lilac.

Now there was one completely understandable excuse. The show secretary had a heart attack on Friday. That is terribly unfortunate and also detrimental to the organization as a whole. But it happened friday and they still couldn't pull together as a show on Sunday. I feel any massive errors on Friday and Saturday could have at least been explained away if they had gotten their act together on Sunday, but Sunday ended up being the worst of them all. They didn't announce the first breed until at least 10:30 and some judges were standing around with nothing to do until noon.

All that being said, would I have done it all again, absolutely. Our kids had more success on the show table than any show previous and we got firm confirmation that our rabbitry is on the right path, especially with lilacs winning two of the three entered. But more importantly, we got to meet all the great members of our club who've we've often heard about or talked to online but finally got to meet in person. It's an awesome feeling knowing you are in groups that are vibrant communities that all help each other learn and grow. I learned more this weekend about the Silver Fox than I had in the last year getting into the breed. I even got to see my first white silver fox, which was just crazy seeing the sparkling silvering within the white.

I don't think the kentucky cup will see many nationals from here on out, but I also do not regret my weekend and had a great time despite the bumps along the way.

 

[sommrluv]

Thread appears to be gone.

 

[phillinley]

From what i read... there Were volunteers and some were not treated very nicely... IDK... was not there and have Not spoken personally with anyone who Did go.

I had heard the same from multiple people at the show but I could not get information from show volunteers. The funny thing was, on Sunday, most of the volunteers at the front table had been people in line who were getting frustrated and volunteered to help out on the spot to make everything go smoother, and I greatly appreciate those people who went out of their way to help save a sinking show.

 

[SatinsRule]

I will add this much. I did not at all envy the folks who were trying to make the best of a very bad situation this morning. The masses in the two lines were growing more restless and somewhat frustrasted/hostile seemingly by the minute. Again, I really think the major part of the problem is that the local clubs were probably full of people who were big on talking about putting on a show of that magnitude, but short on pitching in and doing their parts to help it go off better. Also, reliance on the new computerized software programs seems to have created a great deal of procrastination on the part of some clubs out there. It was clearly a situation where a group invited disaster by waiting until the last minute to do simple tasks like printing off forms, and disaster showed up in full force. If they had just taken care of printing up the pre-entered exhibitor forms ahead of Sunday morning, it would have relieved much of the pressure on what quickly turned into a very aggravating situation. The people who were working that table on Sunday morning were in a no-win situation, for sure. One has to admire their heart in trying to deal with the situation.

 

[phillinley]

The masses in the two lines were growing more restless and somewhat frustrasted/hostile seemingly by the minute.

It was actually three lines which made it even more hilarious. One line to get your open sheet, one line to get your youth sheet, and then a third line both went into to pay for the sheets if or if not they had your sheet. The youth line mutinied at a certain point and wouldn't move until they let them pay at the same spot they were not finding their sheets, and another person jumped out of line to get that started.

 

[MamaSheepdog]

The youth line mutinied at a certain point and wouldn't move until they let them pay at the same spot they were not finding their sheets, and another person jumped out of line to get that started.

:lol:

 

[mystang89]

From what I understood about the show was that the people who were supposed to host the show in the beginning dropped out and so they had to find another set of people at the last minute. As can be seen from the results the people who tried to pick up the slack left over didn't quite know what was supposed to happen. Sorry for all the people who came to Louisville, Kentucky and had this experience. Should of let me know you were here and I'd have shown you around the city. Or at least gotten lost and asked you for directions on how to get back to my house

 

[MamaSheepdog]

Sorry for all the people who came to Louisville, Kentucky and had this experience. Should of let me know you were here and I'd have shown you around the city. Or at least gotten lost and asked you for directions on how to get back to my house

You're such a giver, Mystang!

Now we know the true reason you bought homing pigeons... "Organic GPS Systems"- never leave home without a pigeon in your pocket.

 

[SatinsRule]

The masses in the two lines were growing more restless and somewhat frustrasted/hostile seemingly by the minute.

It was actually three lines which made it even more hilarious. One line to get your open sheet, one line to get your youth sheet, and then a third line both went into to pay for the sheets if or if not they had your sheet. The youth line mutinied at a certain point and wouldn't move until they let them pay at the same spot they were not finding their sheets, and another person jumped out of line to get that started.

Yeah, I was there when the 3rd line formed. I was about half way thru the "Payments and Corrections" line when it took place. The only other 2 Satin breeders who showed up for the event came up and let me know they were leaving. No real reason at that point to stick around, especially since doing so would have ultimately meant another night on the road, and "for what?" became the logical question to ask.

Later on in the day, I changed into my "Satin Worshipper" t-shirt during my return trip home. Oh, you guys should see the looks I get from people who see it and misread it :lol:<br /><br />__________ Mon Apr 15, 2013 11:05 am __________<br /><br />

From what I understood about the show was that the people who were supposed to host the show in the beginning dropped out and so they had to find another set of people at the last minute. As can be seen from the results the people who tried to pick up the slack left over didn't quite know what was supposed to happen. Sorry for all the people who came to Louisville, Kentucky and had this experience. Should of let me know you were here and I'd have shown you around the city. Or at least gotten lost and asked you for directions on how to get back to my house

You know what? I can actually see how that might have happened. As I said before, alot of talkers and very few doers, and it was the recipe for the chaos which ensued. Once the people involved with putting the thing together realized the work that was going to have to be done to make it work, they bailed. Again, I really believe the venue was the perfect setting for a show like that. Heck, they held an ARBA convention there not too many years ago in that same building. The plan put together for the event would have worked, but the hosts had to be ready to apply the elbow grease for it to do so.

 

[phillinley]

From what I understood about the show was that the people who were supposed to host the show in the beginning dropped out and so they had to find another set of people at the last minute. As can be seen from the results the people who tried to pick up the slack left over didn't quite know what was supposed to happen. Sorry for all the people who came to Louisville, Kentucky and had this experience. Should of let me know you were here and I'd have shown you around the city. Or at least gotten lost and asked you for directions on how to get back to my house

It was a fact the superintendent/secretary had a heart attack on Friday. What hasn't been confirmed 100% is how many people quit on the club that week. There was a lot of rumor floating around.


As far as Louisville, we tried to find the best donut place and the best pizza place in town. We found Nord's Bakery and I think that one would be hard to beat. For pizza we went to Hometown Pizza. That one was debatable. Any pizza place better down there mystang?

 

[Bunnie]

I was there, got there late Friday night. Was allowed to leave my rabbits in carriers in the building since so much was going on and there were no coops for the extras. No one was there to explain how the cooping stuff worked (never been to a show where you coop) so I played find a needle in a haystack for about 30 minutes trying to find my coop.

No parking pass, that was preordered! NO food/drink options other than the extremely overpriced bbq thing they had set up that had a mile long line and food that we don't eat. If you left to get something to eat you had to pay 8 bucks to get back in! So we just starved...

Mini Rex specialty ran smoothly and was alot of fun.

English Spot nationals ran extremely slow, the judge was cold and very rough with the rabbits. He almost dropped the doe that I had bought (she was entered in the show) and I was very frustrated with the way he was handling them.

 

[SatinsRule]

From what I understood about the show was that the people who were supposed to host the show in the beginning dropped out and so they had to find another set of people at the last minute. As can be seen from the results the people who tried to pick up the slack left over didn't quite know what was supposed to happen. Sorry for all the people who came to Louisville, Kentucky and had this experience. Should of let me know you were here and I'd have shown you around the city. Or at least gotten lost and asked you for directions on how to get back to my house

It was a fact the superintendent/secretary had a heart attack on Friday. What hasn't been confirmed 100% is how many people quit on the club that week. There was a lot of rumor floating around.


As far as Louisville, we tried to find the best donut place and the best pizza place in town. We found Nord's Bakery and I think that one would be hard to beat. For pizza we went to Hometown Pizza. That one was debatable. Any pizza place better down there mystang?

Phil, I am appalled at you. How in the world can you go to Louisville, KY and eat pizza anywhere but Papa John's? That town is their world HQ's, ya know!! LOL!!!<br /><br />__________ Mon Apr 15, 2013 5:09 pm __________<br /><br />

I was there, got there late Friday night. Was allowed to leave my rabbits in carriers in the building since so much was going on and there were no coops for the extras. No one was there to explain how the cooping stuff worked (never been to a show where you coop) so I played find a needle in a haystack for about 30 minutes trying to find my coop.

No parking pass, that was preordered! NO food/drink options other than the extremely overpriced bbq thing they had set up that had a mile long line and food that we don't eat. If you left to get something to eat you had to pay 8 bucks to get back in! So we just starved...

Mini Rex specialty ran smoothly and was alot of fun.

English Spot nationals ran extremely slow, the judge was cold and very rough with the rabbits. He almost dropped the doe that I had bought (she was entered in the show) and I was very frustrated with the way he was handling them.

Don't worry. Those overpriced $10 combos they were selling were not worth 25% of what they were charging people for them. It was a stark contrast to the Cattlemen's Assoc. exhibit at Tulsa State Fair a couple of years ago. The Tulsa ribeye sandwiches were twice as big, ten times as good, and half the price.

 

[Lastfling]

After the $2.25 small cup of coffee, I lived off a bag of apples, a bag of potatoe chips, and a bag of oreo cookies I had brought with me. Now I did have a small Poppa Johns "The Works" takeout on Friday night! I think most others have fairly presented the Sunday show(s) and associated issues. I almost decided to leave Sunday morning, but didn't, and later wished I had. Breed Nationals showing did go fairly well, I thought, but that is the only thing that came close to doing so.

 

[SatinsRule]

After the $2.25 small cup of coffee, I lived off a bag of apples, a bag of potatoe chips, and a bag of oreo cookies I had brought with me. Now I did have a small Poppa Johns "The Works" takeout on Friday night! I think most others have fairly presented the Sunday show(s) and associated issues. I almost decided to leave Sunday morning, but didn't, and later wished I had. Breed Nationals showing did go fairly well, I thought, but that is the only thing that came close to doing so.

I had carryout from Papa John's Friday and Saturday night. I just didn't feel like going to a sit-down restaurant, and they were nearby to my motel. Hard to believe, but I actually preferred their thicker crust pizza, and I'm normally a thin crust guy all the way.