Happy New Year!

Happy New Year from the Treeing Walker Breeders & Fanciers Association!  I hope you all had a nice Christmas and haven’t broken ALL of your New Year’s resolutions yet!

Congratulations go out Jeremy Kollek for handling Rat’s Magic Trick to 1^st Place in the 2009 PKC World Championship in Salem, IL at the end of October.  Magic Trick is owned by TWB&FA member Shane Groves, Larry “Duke” Proulx and Steve Burkholder.  These guys are no strangers to the winner’s circle and like reminding us all of that fact at least once a year at a major event somewhere around the country.  A story surfaced shortly after the World Hunt about Magic Trick nearly drowning in a river on a cast in Alabama as a young dog.  His handler, Jeff McCord, was unable to go in after him, so David Taylor, another man on the cast, removed his hunting gear and headed into the river after the dog.  Magic Trick was saved from drowning and went on to win the cast.  David, meanwhile, nearly got frostbite (yes, it gets that cold in Alabama) and absolutely refused to take a penny for saving the dog.  David certainly didn’t know it at the time, but he had saved a future World Champion.  That’s the kind of story we all like to hear and I’d like to thank Keith Dean of Alabama for sharing it.  Congratulations once again to Jeremy, Shane, Duke, Steve……and David!

The TWB&FA held its annual Fall Officers and Directors Meeting on Saturday November 7^th in Liberty, Indiana.  The agenda was full, as usual, but those in attendance managed to stop telling jokes and stories long enough to get through it all.  Details for Walker Days and the Youth Hunt were finalized at the meeting.  Discussions also took place on the TWB&FA website, annual yearbook, hall of fame ballots and turnout at sectionals this year.  The turnout at 2009 TWB&FA sectionals has been better on a per event basis than it was in 2008.  Although the association held 70 sectionals in 2009, versus 80 in 2008, a total of 1,548 dogs had been entered in 2009, versus 1,347 in 2008.  Bench show entries were up as well, with 592 in 2009 versus 520 in 2008.  All statistics are as of the Fall Meeting.  It’s good to see folks turning out in strong numbers, despite the state of the economy. 

As a way to thank those clubs that supported the association last year, the TWB&FA will be giving away a certificate for a new dog box to one of the clubs who held a Treeing Walker Sectional in 2009.  The TWB&FA decided at its 2009 Fall Meeting that this would be one way to create another incentive for clubs to hold walker sectionals.  We expect to continue this practice for 2010 sectionals, so please take note and work with Sectional Chairman Jody Scott to schedule a one at your club.

2010 WALKER DAYS: 2010 Walker Days will be held in Angola, IN on April 15^th, 16^th and 17^th.  After a holding 2009 Walker Days in Cadiz, Kentucky, the decision was made to bring it back north.  The Angola, IN club has done a good job of hosting larger events in the past and we expect they will be outstanding hosts.  The Lee Crawford Invitational will be held on Thursday night, as will the Lee Crawford Pup Extravaganza.  The pup hunt has been a hot topic in recent years, but the board feels that the turnout in 2009 was in line with what they hoped for when the event was founded.  Rather than tinker with the formula once again, the pup hunt will be held under the same rules and format used in 2009.  Furthermore, please keep an eye out here and on the website in the coming months for more on the role Lee Crawford played in the TWB&FA and why Thursday Night of Walker Days is dedicated solely to him.  Make your travel plans early, because I think this year will be another big one for Walker Days.

2010 TWB&FA Youth EXTRAVAGANZA: Meanwhile, the 2010 TWB&FA Youth Extravaganza will be held in Liberty, IN on June 12^th.  The hunting around Liberty is outstanding and the event will be a bit farther south than it has been in years past.  We hope you all can make it and look forward to seeing you there! 

YEARBOOK ADS: The deadline to submit yearbook ads for the TWB&FA Annual Yearbook January 20, 2010, but please don’t wait until mid-January to submit yours.  Ads should be mailed to Mike Carmack at 1288 North 9 Mile Road, Liberty, IN 47353.  You can email your ad information and pictures to Mike at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it , but the quality of your pictures will be better if materials are sent via regular mail.  Yearbook ads are $75 for a full page black and white ad and $125 for a full page color ad (limited supply).

2009 HALL OF FAME BALLOTS!  2009 Hall of Fame ballots will be individually mailed to all members, with separate ballots being mailed to spouses.  Ballots were mailed in the same envelope as the yearbooks last year, but many were inadvertently overlooked.  It seems folks were too excited to read through the yearbook that they forgot to even notice the ballot!  (At least we’d like to think so.)  Winners will be announced at the annual membership meeting on Saturday of Walker Days.  PLEASE remember to vote and mail your ballot in this year.  Fewer than 10 percent of TWB&FA members typically vote each year, a statistic we would really like to see rise.  So, please do your part when the ballot arrives in your mailbox.  Vote and mail it back so your voice is heard.

HALL OF FAME PHOTOS: If you have a good picture of a dog in the Hall of Fame, please email it to me at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .  I am trying to get good pictures of each Hall of Fame dog placed on the website and need your help to get it done.

Lifetime members!  Contact me if you SHOULD BE listed on the Lifetime Membership list at www.treeingwalkerbreeders.com, or if someone you know on the list has recently passed away.  Your help in maintaining the accuracy of our Lifetime Membership list is much appreciated.

Membership Dues: If you would like to join the TWB&FA or renew your membership, you can do so by contacting me, Grant Noeske, at 815-275-6233, This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or 9680 W. Northern Ave, #3306, Peoria, AZ 85345.  You may also join or renew at any Walker Sectional or Major Event where the Association has a booth set up.  Membership dues are $20 and include a spouse and children under 16 years of age still living at home.  Our membership runs from January 1^st through December 31^st. 

Walker Sectionals: As of the writing of this column, the only sectional scheduled for January 2010 is in Ruth, MS on January 22^nd and 23^rd.  If your club would like to host a Treeing Walker Sectional, please contact our Sectional Chairman, Jody Scott, at 731-656-2669, 731-501-6970 or 105 Archers Chapel Road, Halls, TN 38040.

Single Registration: Single registration is open year around and the fee is $55 for all members.  You must be a member to single register a dog and Melvin Myers is the person you need to contact.  Melvin’s phone number is 918-667-3603 and his address is Route 1 Box 4A, Boley, OK 74829.

Finally, if you have internet access, please visit our website at www.treeingwalkerbreeders.com and browse around a bit.