President — Paul Kelley, P.O. Box 75, Hudson, IL 61748; phone: 309-726-1443; e-mail: pkelleyp@aol.com
Vice President — Mike Gragert, 511 South 5th St., New Douglas, IL 62074; phone: 618-637-9061; e-mail: gfur@madisontelco.com
Secretary — Dean Corgiat, 620 Clarksville Rd., Pittsfield, IL. 62363; phone: 217-285-4984; e-mail: dcorgiat@verizon.net
Treasurer — Timothy M. Kelley, 17458 Tice Rd., Petersburg, IL 62675; phone: 217-632-3521; e-mail: tmkelley69@warpnet.net
Membership Options:
• Individual membership including subscription to The Trapper & Predator Caller — $20
Complete membership application on first page of
association section and send dues to:
ITA, Treasurer
Tim Kelley, 17458 Tice Rd.
Petersburg, IL 62675
http://ilta.we.bs
PRESIDENT’S REPORT
Hello to all,
Our convention is fast approaching in the southern Illinois town of Anna. At our last Board meeting in Anna, we looked the fairgrounds over and things appear to be more than sufficient for a state convention. As far as this goes, this fairground would accommodate a National FTA convention with few problems. I wish to take this time to thank Monte Russell for his efforts to bring this to fruition.
Thank you Monte!
Our demo schedule is still to be completed, but for the present refer back to last month’s column in T&PC. At this very moment, Vaughn Suhling and Bob Swearingin are finalizing the demo line up at the NTA convention in Ohio. All vendor inquiries should be directed toward Neal Graves at 309-912-6843 for both inside booth space as well as tailgate locations.
Dates to remember : Sept. 26-27 National Hunting/Fishing Days Silver Springs State Park. Contact Bill Paulsen at 847-356-4173 if you wish to help at our booth.
Contact Carroll Williams at 618-516-2275 to volunteer to help at our booth at Carterville for the Southern Illinois H/F days
Contact Jaime Larrea at 217-652-9207 to volunteer to help at Nilo Farms near Alton
Sept. 11-13 “Young Trappers Camp” Lotus Camp Lake Carlyle Full weekend of camping with Trapper Education as the primary focus First 30 kids 18 and under to respond Food and lodging are furnished by the ITA. Bring proper clothing for the season, both rain or shine Contact Mike Gragert at 618-637-9061 or Paul Kelley at 309-726-1443 to pre-register.
Oct. 1-4, Illinois Trappers Convention Anna City Park/Fairgrounds
Fur auctions will again be held in Odell, 8 miles north of Pontiac on Jan. 9, 2010.
Auction will again be in Fairfield on the Jan. 23, 2010. Contact Carroll Williams 618-516-2275 for more info.
Leon Bilbrew, Cody Champ, Carroll Williams, and Derek Dutton will be providing us with a fish fry on Friday evening after the days events conclude. Approximate time will be from 5-7 with a board meeting afterwards. Hall of Fame Banquet on Saturday evening
Election of officers and board members can be accomplished by requesting a ballot by calling 309-726-1443 or requesting a ballot by mail at PO. Box 75 Hudson, IL. 61748. Ballots will be available at the ITA booth during the convention.
— Paul Kelley
TREASURER’S REPORT
Greetings to all,
As you will read in our President’s report, our annual Fall Convention will be held at the Anna City Park in Anna, Illinois this year. The dates are Friday, Oct. 2 through Sunday, Oct. 4. Doors will open to the public at Noon on Friday and we plan to run the show until 3 p.m. on Sunday, so please plan to join us in Anna!
For those with families, you’ll be interested to know that Anna is located in the heart of the Shawnee National Forest, so you and your family can attend the convention, as well as take advantage of all the recreation activities available in that part of the state such as camping, hiking, horseback riding, fishing and a host of others. Check the ITA Web site (the Web address is listed in the column header) for more updates concerning the convention.
Remember that our convention includes our association’s annual general membership meeting. At this meeting, the membership has the opportunity to have their voices heard and votes counted, so please plan to attend this meeting and join in the process of moving our organization forward. In Anna, the general membership meeting will occur on Saturday afternoon. Please check the ITA Web site in the coming weeks to see a detailed schedule of events.
For those planning to join us at the convention, be aware that the Anna Super 8 is also available in the area as an additional lodging choice (the President forgot to mention this in his column and asked that I pass this along). Their phone number is 618-833-1888.
Take care and hope to see you in Anna!
— Timothy M. Kelley