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Liveshow Report:
ALES-Palooza 2000!
September 9, 2000
Albany, Oregon USAgo HERE to view Palooza Show Results only:
go HERE to view the Palooza Photo Gallery only:
IN THE BEGINNING:
Back in 1998, when it was decided Nationals was going to be held in Oregon, ALES was approached by some very good people in the live animal sector to join them in their west coast celebration. Specifically, we were asked to hold an exhibition of our own, to parallel and demonstrate what the model hobby is all about. After much discussion, we settled upon one of the hobby's main signatures - the model liveshow. Why? Because of all the positive aspects it's capable of bringing out in people ... new friendships, the exchange of ideas, the chance to play with and show off our plastic/china/resin collections. This was our golden opportunity to showcase the model hobby to a brand new audience!
PALOOZA SHOW HIGHLIGHTS:
And so came about the birth of ALES-palooza 2000, held September 9th, 2000 at the Linn County fairgrounds in Albany, Oregon. Great pains were taken to ensure Palooza would also be a NAN-qualifier event, with membership in the North American Model Horse Showers Association. A webpage was put up, listing class offerings & prizes, along with an handy entry form ready to print out and mail in. When the dust cleared, a total of 5 vendors, 6 novices and 26 open show entrants (including 1 proxy entrant hailing all the way from Sweden) had all beaten a path directly to our show secretary's table.
ALES-Palooza 2000 was a show of many firsts - first liveshow ever held by the model club ALES (American Long Ears Society), first longear show allowing horse competition, first model show ever held in conjunction with the Western States National Donkey & Mule Extravaganza show featuring the following live or real longear organizations in attendance:
ADMS - American Donkey & Mule Society
AMA - American Mule Association
ACOSA - American Council of Spotted Asses
DUA - Donkeys Unlimited Association
NASMA - North American Saddle Mule Association
NMDA - National Miniature Donkey Association
OMLC - Oregon Mr. Longears Club
It was also the first opportunity for many hobbyists to sneak next door and take in a real longears show. Can you say 'photo opportunity?!' There were donkeys and mules of all size, breed, and colors demonstrating the infamous “CAN DO” motto under saddle, pack, and harness! The Western States National Donkey & Mule Extravaganza was a big 3-day weekend show, with Palooza restricted to just Saturday to allow for ample dual attendance opportunities!
Another first was the good fortune of having Tennessee Mule Artist Bonnie Shields (who sculpted the Breyer Brown Sunshine mold) visit our hall and autograph models for us. Bonnie had traveled from Idaho and was serving in capacity as one of several Judges for the Extravaganza show next door. Although she had attended book & model signings before, Palooza was the first model horse show she’d been able to really take in and enjoy. Those of us who’ve met Shields can tell you what a fun, friendly, talented and lovable personality she is! And generous too. Bonnie liked what she saw happening at our Auction and graciously donated an autographed bay Breyer saddle mule. We were all touched by her kindness.
PALOOZA AUCTION/RAFFLE:
One of the best things to come out of this real/model show union was the opportunity for ALES to hold a special Auction/Raffle, proceeds of which benefited 2 of our most favorite equine charity groups: Redwings Sanctuary and the Quagga Project. We were fortunate to have had the support of such artists as: Pamela DeMuth, Gina Anderson, Judith Northwood, Cheryl Mundee, Ruth Mahler, Zana Goulding, Traci Durrell-Khalife, Karon Caldwell, Karon Grieve, Dawn Calo, Suzanne McAllister, Bobbie Coulter, Samra Zelman, Myla Pierce, Jamie Jackson, and Leah Patton! Even Caroline Jones all the way from England deserves special recoginition here for pitching in with a beautiful donkey jennet & foal tea towel that proved highly sought after among raffle ticket holders.
AUCTION RECIPIENTS:
Located in Northern California (with a satellite site in Oregon) Redwings is a special group providing sanctuary to rescued equines from abandoned or abusive situations, slaughterhouses, and wild horses & burros at risk of being slaughtered. So far, all the burros are from the Death Valley area, where they’ve been labeled “non-indigenous” by the National Park Service. The NPS plans to zero out their population over the next four years by any means possible, including slaughter. In 1999, Redwings joined a coalition of other equine rescue & charity groups (called the Wild Horse & Burro Freedom Alliance) determined to fight this injustice. In the meantime, Redwings does what it can to provide permanent sanctuary for these unfortunate animals. Today, Redwings houses 20 wild mustangs and 14 wild burros.
Like many others, Redwings subsists greatly on private donations & fundraisers, virtual adoption sponsorships, and merchandise sales of clothing/stationary/books/videos/etc. from their mailorder service. ALES is happy to report that $600 was raised from our Auction/Raffle for Redwings alone. This is a good group of people. We encourage you to visit their website or contact them the old fashioned way, via snail mail at:
Redwings Sanctuary
PO Box 222705
Carmel CA 93922
email: info@redwings.orgAnother pet project of ours is the infamous Quagga Project, located in faraway South Africa. QP is a group comprised of scientists & researchers attempting to right a big wrong in history, and reconstruct the Quagga, a subspecies breed of zebra. This now extinct animal once boasted a herd of thousands covering the plains. Unfortunately, their wonderfully distinct hides led to their demise by trophy hunters. Additionally, they were seen as a threat to Farmers whose livestock competed for the same grasslands. By 1883, the last living Quagga in captivity (a mare) died in an Amsterdam zoo.
Currently, the Quagga Project is rounding up zebras with chestnut overlay coloring and/or stripe-deficient coat patterns (missing stripes on backs, rumps, legs) and breeding select individuals to produce foals with the special Quagga-like traits. Over the span of several years, the ALES club has been financially supportive of the Quagga Project, but this year QP has instead requested several hard to obtain reference books for their collective library. So at the moment we are happily fulfilling this request using funds raised by the ALES-palooza auction/raffle.
ADDITIONAL HIGHLIGHTS:
In addition to the Auction/Raffle, there was also a special table overflowing with wonderful doorprizes from some very generous people, as well as lots of vendor tables, a special “Parade of Breeds” display by our own Leah Patton, and more!!!
Ribbons/Prizes: Palooza and Western States Extravaganza personnel pooled resources and agreed upon a single design for use on all Ribbons given out this year. Leah Patton designed the logo, fitting as per her ties to both ALES and the ADMS. The design consisted of silhouettes of a saddle mule, standard donkey, and miniature donkey with each standing overtop the next. At Palooza, commercial flats (ribbons) 1st through 5th were awarded in all classes EXCEPT the “just for fun” classes, who had their own special prizes. Long beautiful burgundy & silver Rosettes went to all the sectional breed/performance Champions & Reserves. Special golden model trophies likewise went to the same sectional champs & reserves. But in the end, to our three divisional Overall Grand Champs and Reserves, went the spoils -- lovely gold & silver medallions accompanied by Truck & Trailers (albeit matchbox size).
In addition, there were other awards given out posthumously: Like ALES Pursuit of Excellence Awards (ribbons) given to any longear winning a Championship or Reserve in any performance class against a field of horses. And Special Artists of the Millennium Awards (ribbons) awarded to hobby artists who have contributed significantly to the model horse hobby on behalf of longear and exotics. This list included such greats as: Laurie Jo Jensen, Carol Herden, Lori Daniels, Diane Capwell, Lisa Donnelly-Knapp, Lee Francis, Janice Brent-Starr, Kristina Lucas, Bonnie Shields, Linda Lima, Lynn Fraley, Darian Buckles, Michelle Belisle-Locke, Barb Prestige-Jones, Sue Sudekum, Chris Jolly, Gina Andersen, Lisa Rivera, Jennifer Timm, Laura Rock-Smith, and Donna Chaney.
Of course, this show wasn’t without it’s share of problems as well, as many a showholder from other shows can probably attest to experiencing at one time or another ... some cute and laugh out loudable (like the gal who thought Palooza was an online photoshow and emailed photo entries), and some not (like last minute judge cancellations, room layout problems, time limit factors, and an overzealous janitorial staff who took down location flyers faster than we could get them up, resulting in less than expected generated foot traffic)!
PALOOZA SHOW RESULTS:
As mentioned earlier, the ALES-palooza 2000 show was an special event open to all equines (horses, donkeys, mules, zebras, przewalski, etc.) and accommodating as possible to both Novice and show Veteran. Working with room size & time frame limitations in mind, the ALES Board of Directors put their collective heads together and hammered out a classlist for 3 Divisions (OF, CM/OS, Novice/Youth), consisting of both halter and performance groupings, to give entrants a chance to strut their stuff. Performance classes between the open divisions (OF and CM/OS) were purposely set at opposite times of the day to give hobbyists time for shared tack changes.
Judges sharing the honors this year were: Dawn Calo from Brecksville OH (OF Division), Judith Northwood from Aloha OR (CM/OS), and Leah Patton from Mesquite TX (Novice Division). Armed with clipboards and good general equine knowledge or judging experience base, they all agreed upon and followed a general consensus or basic judging criteria:
OF Halter - condition, conformation, breed type, color (not value, collectability, rarity or age).
CM Halter - condition, conformation, breed type, color, workmanship.
Performance - suitability to event or task portrayed, appropriateness, fit, adjustment, detail of tack and props, placement of model in relation to props.
If you’d like to view the final Show Results of the day for all 3 Divisions, follow this link.
In appreciation for our Judge’s generosity given in time, donations, and such, special “Palooza T-shirts” along with our version of a “Palooza Show Judge’s Model” (large traditional sized donkeys overlaid with a fabric pattern of the American flag) were presented to them at the end of the day.
As “fun” was also an key ingredient to this show, a sprinkling of “just for fun” type classes were also thrown in. As a result people had a good time entering the Fantasy/Mascot class, Woodgrain/Decorator, Wildlife/Cats/Dogs, etc. and enjoyed reaping the many candy/stickers/wildlife kitchen towels/matchbox tractors/wooden tack boxes, etc. prizes awarded to the top 3 finishers in each class.
Palooza slowly wound down after the Auction, with a handful of entrants staying afterwards to help clean up and later join the Palooza show committee for dinner that evening. After a rousing driving game of 'follow that car' (keystone cops style), we finally found the Mongolian BBQ grill restaurant that came highly reccommended. We laughed and teased one another through dinner, recounted things we saw or overheard at the show hall (which I’m happy to say were 99% positive!) and as always, hated parting afterwards.
KUDOS:
I'd like to end this liveshow report with the following accolades:
to everyone who attended our show as entrants or vendors, we thankyou from the bottom of our hearts. It is YOU who greatly determines whether or not a show is a success. Kudos also for staying afterwards and helping clean up the showhall (you all KNOW who you are)!
to the many people both present at the show and beyond, who donated fabulous items towards our Auction/Raffle/Doorprizes ... and to those who donated a buck or two towards the purchase & mailing of a certain model (a Marx horse autographed by show entrants then put up for auction) as a special gift to our Swedish entrant & friend, Ulrika Ljunglof. Your generosity and support meant more than you will ever realize.
to Judith Northwood for her courage & upbeat attitude in filling last minute shoes as replacement judge in our CM/OS division, and for her wonderful generosity in donating a lovely piece of artwork towards our Auction.
to her hubby Jon Northwood for stepping in the middle of our chaos and becoming our show announcer and online tech support! His keen wit and charming personality united a tense show committee and kept everyone jovial, focused, and the show moving right along. Honestly, we COULD NOT have done this show without Jon!
to Leah Patton for the lovely Parade of Breeds display as well as for the good job in judging the Novice/Youth division. She took the time between classes to huddle with the newcomers and explain placings in that wonderful southern drawl voice, and how they could do better next time. For most it was a wonderful learning experience. Likewise our appreciation for painting those wonderful mule & donk tote bags, and lugging around all those great doorprize/auction/raffle items.
to Dawn Calo for judging our OF division and all those countless hours bent over Ertl models inhaling paint fumes just so champs could be rewarded with some nice trophies for their efforts. Additional kudos for all those unpainted Candace Liddy medallions that Calo picked up and painted specifically for Palooza champs. Lastly, hi-fives for the wonderful job in putting together the Palooza special suppliment issues given out at the show, as well as those countless hours spent garnering Vendors & Auction items and later setting up our online Auction webpage.
to Cheryl “cowpie” Mundee for all her work in printing out table signs & show flyers, and dragging her desktop computer all the way from Idaho to aid us in checking online auction bids, printing out last minute stuff, and for keeping track of 32 entrants & their models for integration in the final results. Kudos as well for the endless hours spent painting a fabulous Zebra and Miniature Donkey that was generously donated to our Auction, and of course for lending us her hidden auctioneering talents at the Palooza auction at the end of a very busy day. You did a great job Cheryl. Hugs.
to Robin Nere for sending out show packets and collecting entry fees, securing the conference rooms & ribbons, and for procuring NAN-qualifying status. Additional accolades for printing the wonderful show programs that were handed out, for running the Raffle, and lastly to both her and hubby Rex Nere for packing & hauling around the majority of our Trophies, Auction items, table cloths, mini clipboards for the judges, leg tags, etc. We are all greatly indebted to this couple!
to Monte Snyder, my faithful mate, who put up with alot, and was later drafted to serve as our official Show Photographer, PC troubleshooter, and food & drink getter, as well as our final savior of those darn Palooza t-shirts!
to Peg “Datababe” Harris, for providing us (and Cowpie) with the computer program that allowed us to keep track of those last minute entrant registrations.
to Sue Morgan for first approaching ALES about putting on a model exhibition during their Nationals & to both Sue and Billy Gangle for their help & assistance in coordinating the two big events!
to Paul & Betsy Hutchins for lending us their ADMS Office Manager (Leah Patton), and for donating countless items towards our Doorprizes & Raffle, and to the entire staff of the ADMS “Brayer Journal” for all the generous free exposure (ad space) in their international breed magazine! We are greatly indebted to you as well.
to the Oregon Mr. Longears Club and their newsletter “The Longear Ledger,” headed up by editor/publisher Robin Nere, for all the wonderful free ad space & additional public exposure in their show program at the preceeding Roseburg club show.
to the following model horse hobby publications which featured ads or news about ALES-Palooza 2000!: The Hobby Horse News, The Advertiser's Journal, Show Time!, The Model Bray~er, The Dixie Whinny, and to all those wonderful hobby related messageboards and listserv's in cyberspace who put the word out. You do our hobby a great service!
and to anyone else I inadvertently missed, my sincerest apologies & heartfelt gratitude. ALES-Palooza 2000 would have been nowhere near the success without the unwavering generosity and support of each of you.
THANK YOU ALL FOR COMING & BEING A PART OF THIS SPECIAL EVENT! Your time & efforts were greatly appreciated by everyone associated with this show.
“Bray~fully,”
Juanita “lespidey” Snyder
October 31, 2000
(This Page last updated: November 3, 2000)