Worker's Party
By 6:30 pm on Wednesday night, Berkley Party Barn (on the ranch of Bill Berkley) was alive with music and laughter. People were greeted at the door with a hat from Eukanuba, a T-Shirt from Dogtra, and a raffle ticket. Everyone's raffle ticket was a winner, as people gathered around four tables full of goodies to match up their raffle ticket number to the appropriate item. A stage was also set up in the back of the barn, on which a four person band entertained the crowd with country music and cover songs. Bill Berkley himself even came up to sing a couple songs!
Scenes from the Worker's Party
The room was scattered with tables and a dance floor was set up right in front of the stage. Folks made good use of that dance floor as they let loose after four days of hard work in less than ideal weather. When dinner was served, people were presented with a buffet line of brisquette, sausage, baked beans, potato salad, and bread. This Wisconsin girl tried her very first brisquette (with some encouragement) and found it to be really good! Everything else was also delicious and a few people even went up for seconds.
Mike Kammerer came up to the mic just before the food was served to thank our gracious host. He also announced that this party was meant to be the retirement party of the late NRC Secretary/Treasurer Tony Snow. Jan Snow was called up to the stage and presented with Tony's retirement gift, a statue of a mallard head. Jan thanked everyone for their kind thoughts and overwhelming support and concern. Mike Kammerer was also presented with a Patron Membership to the Bird Dog Hall of Fame on behalf of the Brazosport Retriever Club. John Green, President of the BRC, presented him with a plaque to mark the event.
Guests made good use of the open bar, which turned into the most popular spot of the night. An assortment of beverages were offered, included beer, mixed drinks, bloody marys, wine, and they even had a slushy machine mixing up batches of margaritas! After everyone had their fill of drinks and eats, they made sure to be available for committee photos taken by Official Photographer Roger Byrd.
By 8:30 pm, the band was still playing and the barn was still host to many workers. However, there were an equal amount who had gone back to their resting places for the night to prepare for the remainder of the trial. As always, the Worker's Party was certainly a good time.
10:00 am Update
Temperatures this morning are once again very comfortable. There is a touch of humidity in the air and the clouds are just now starting to roll in. Temps should reach in the low 70s and there is only a predicted 20% chance of rain.
The gallery watches the 5th Series
At 6:45 on the nose, the test dog team of Ty and Jazz took the line and did a very nice job on the test. At 7:00, the first running dog, #95 FC-AFC Watuaga's Bull Gator with handler Steve O'Connell, took the line and testing was started. So far this morning, we have had 3 pick-ups, #s 6, 9, and 21. It is not expected that we will get to the 7th Series until at least noon and possibly later. According to Marshal Steve Karr when asked at the re-birding at 9:45 am, the 7th Series has yet to be determined.
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Mark Smith and Whiskey wait in the holding blind
while Magic and Bill Sargenti run the combined 5th/6th |
Bill Eckett and Bo wait in the holding
blind during the re-bird |
2:00 pm Update
At 12:45 pm, the last running dog of the Combined 5th/6th Series was called to the line, #65 FC-AFC Widgeon's Carbon Chip with handler Mark Madore. He returned to the line at 12:52 and the two series were in the books. When the callbacks came in, Official Announcer Gay Houser called out the following 47 dogs to come back for the 7th Series: 3, 4, 10, 11, 15, 19, 20, 22, 28, 29, 31, 32, 35, 36, 39, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48, 49, 53, 55, 56, 57, 58, 65, 66, 67, 70, 71, 74, 77, 78, 79, 81, 82, 84, 86, 87, 89, 90, 93, 97, 99, 102, and 105. Twelve dogs were not asked to continue on in the competition.
Test 7 - Land Blind
The transition to the 7th Series was very quick. The cars were not required to move, only the gallery was asked to move back about 30 yards.
The Grounds crew is at the ready for a quick transition to the 6th Series
The 7th Series is a Land Blind, with the line intersecting the paths to the Blind and the Mark from the combined 5th/6th Series. The line to the blind is over the bottom of a small hill, through a bit of water, then uphill and across the road. The bird being used is a drake mallard and it is planted 252 yards from the line. The blind planter is hidden behind a camouflage blind just behind where the blind is planted.
Test 6 - View from the line
The first test dog team of Ed Aycock and Trumarc's Reverend Reggie came on line at 1:19 pm. At 1:22 pm, the 2nd test dog team of Ty Rorem and Jazz were on the line. This translates to approximately 3 minutes per dog and indicates that the 7th Series should today. At 1:32, the first running dog, #4 FC Holy Cross's Moses with handler Steve Yozamp came to the line and the 7th Series was underway.
Miah and Stephen Ritter run the 7th Series
Evening Update
That may have been the quickest series in history! At 3:31, the final running dog, #3 FC Quickmark Power Play with handler Bobby George, was on the line. He returned with the blind at 3:33 and the series came to an end.
Zoom and Al Arthur wait in a holding blind during the 7th Series
Just before number 3 came to the line, it was announced that the next series would be started today still. After the callbacks were given, the first 10 handlers would need to line up and caravan to the next site. When the callbacks did come in, only 2 dogs had been dropped. Those called to the 8th series were #s 3, 4, 10, 11, 15, 19, 20, 22, 28, 29, 31, 32, 36, 39, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48, 49, 53, 55, 56, 57, 58, 65, 66, 67, 70, 71, 74, 77, 78, 79, 81, 82, 84, 86, 87, 89, 90, 93, 97, 99, and 105. Number 22 will be the first running dog for the 7th series.
Test 8 - Land Quad with Honor
After another fast and efficient move to the next test site, contestants, gallery members, and workers found themselves behind the site of the first series and still on the Kammerer property.
Test 8 - view from the line
The test is a land quad with 2 live rooster pheasants and 2 dead hen pheasants. The left-most gun station throws and shoots a live rooster pheasant flyer from right to left, landing 140 yards from the line. The left-middle gun station is perched atop a hill. They throw and shoot a live rooster pheasant flyer from right to left, landing 190 yards from the line. The right-middle gun station is situated on the bottom quarter of a hill. They shoot and throw a dead hen pheasant from left to right, landing 390 yards from the line. The right-most gun station is positioned in front of a large bush. The shoot and throw a dead hen pheasant from left to right, landing 240 yards from the line.
The order of the throws is right-middle, left-middle, right, then left. After the dog is sent from the line located at on top of a hill, the right and right-middle gun stations retire. The team must then honor to the right of the hill after running the test.
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Handlers watch the 8th Series test dogs |
Ty and Jazz demonstrate Test 8 |
At 4:00 on the nose, the first test dog team of Ty Rorem and Jazz came to the line. They did a very nice job and required no handling. At 4:10, the test dog team of Ed Aycock and Reggie came to the line. They had to handle on the 1st and 2nd birds down. By 4:25, the first running dog, #22 FC CK's Rabbit Rabbit Rabbit with handler Mark Mosher, was on the line and the 8th series began.
On average, it takes about 10 minutes per dog to run this land quad. Due to the setting sun, only 5 of the 45 dogs were able to run tonight. The rest will run tomorrow morning, with the first test dog expected on line at 6:45 am and the first running dog, #36 FC Fish River's Out of the Park with handler Dave Rorem, at 7:00 am.
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