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Ontario, Canada.

Please note the name change from the International Giant Pumpkin Growers Seminar. The location is still Niagara Falls, Ontario.

The IGVGC committee has put together an outline for the events. What do you think?

Tentative Agenda
International Giant Vegetable Convention
Sheraton Fallsview Hotel & Conference Centre
March 4 & 5, 2006

Saturday March 4, Master of Ceremonies > Dave MaCallum

9 am – Registration Opens

10 am –10:30 am - Welcome & Club Introductions. Past Champions, Orange and Green Jacket Winners.

10:30 am – 11:45 am – GPC Awards, Presentation of 2006
-Top Pumpkin - Grower Orange Jacket, Short Q&A with Larry
-Top Squash - Grower Green Jacket, Short Q&A (TBD)
- Misc. GPC awards, Q&A with the GPC.

12:00 pm – ‘A Cut Above” Steakhouse Lunch Buffet (included in Package) Meet & Greet during lunch.

1pm – 1:30 – Meet & Greet, Club presentations. Durations for each club (TBD) Approx. 10 to 15 minutes with the floor. During three separate time periods of the convention.

1:30pm – 2:15 pm – Agro K, with Craig Lemke.

2:15 - 3:00 pm - Andy Wolf, Soil Reports

3:00 – 3:15 pm – Break

3:15 – 4:00 pm – Steve Jepson, Organic & Conventional Fungal Controls.

4:00 pm – 5:30 pm – Seed Bazaar, Club meetings & presentations. Durations TBD as above.

5:30 pm – 7 pm – Dinner on your own

7 pm – Seed Auction & Networking, Bill bobier's Poker (TBD)


Sunday March 5, Master of Ceremonies > Matt Wickless

8 – 9 am Seed Bazaar Sale, Club presentations. Durations TBD

9:15 – 10:00 Heavy Hitter Q & A, (TBD)

10:00 – 10:15 Popular Giant Pumpkin Internet Resource Links, by Russ Landry.

10:15 – 10:30 – Break, coffee & muffins.

10:30 – 11:30am – (Tentative) Calcium More Than Just Limestone, Dale Cowan, President A

11/20/2005 9:36:22 PM

Ontario, Canada.

Transportation from Buffalo airport. Who requires assistantance?

It may be possible to organize three carpools starting at 4PM, 6 & 8PM. Looking for anyone travelling through that might like to meet fellow growers for transportation to the Fallsview Hotel from the airport. Please respond by email or forum.

Russ Landry

11/20/2005 9:41:10 PM

Ontario, Canada.

10:30 – 11:30am – (Tentative) Calcium More Than Just Limestone, Dale Cowan, President AGRI-Food LABOURATORIES

11:30 – 12:30 – draws, door prizes, final words

End Convention

11/20/2005 9:44:09 PM

Ontario, Canada.

INTERNATIONAL GIANT VEGETABLE GROWER CONVENTION (IGVGC)
ORGANIZATION COMMITTEE

Please contact any of us for more information.
More details to follow as they become available

Matt Wickless, MC & IGVGC, Organizer

Russ Landry, IGVGC, Director of Events

Phil Hunt, President GVGO,
IGVGC, Organizer

Dave McCallum, GPC Board Member
MC,IGVGC & Organizer

Eddy Zaychkowsky, IGVGC Organizer

Lisa Irwin Coordinator
Port Elgin Pumpkinfest

11/20/2005 10:01:12 PM

Rhode Island

kahuna
the sngpg is planning on being their in full force.
we may need two large vans. one for the attendies and one for the refreshments.
looking forward to seeing everyone.
one suggestion
dont give stelts the mike until the end of the day lol
agenda looks very informative.
dick w

11/20/2005 10:37:08 PM

Syracuse, NY

personally, i think everything is scheduled about 3 hours too early in the day...i guess i just liked the previous years' scheduling. i mean, a Saturday night at a place like Niagara Falls and then everything starts at an early-bird 8 am on Sunday. too early for me. and then the thing tentatively ends at 12:30 on Sunday. okay, so people get home in Ohio in time for dinner. i would imagine that is why everything IS so early, to convenience people that have a longer way to go. everything should NOT be rushed to get it overwith, especially Steve Jepsen's informative talk.
probably shoulda said all this privately, but it's what i think. sorry----eric

11/21/2005 1:20:27 AM

Ontario, Canada.

Eric, thank you for your thoughts. The schedule is set up to accommodate air flyer's leaving on Sunday afternoon. We have also based the requirements of the convention on the survey that BP.com growers filled out here last month. Lastly we have tried to build this years program to run more as a convention to allow the grower to pick and choose the events they wish to attend. There are several breaks in the schedule to allow for some additional time should any of the floor have be adopted to keep this years program on track.

Examples may provide that clubs may want to hold internal meetings in the lobby area as the GVGO did last year during the day on Sunday. There will also be plenty of time for club presentations this year as the seed bazaar will run concurrent with the convention. I hope this helps.

11/21/2005 5:02:15 AM

Cameron,ontario Team Lunatic

We are also asking Clubs and individual growers for some quality proven seed donations for the raffles & auctions held at the International Convention. I know that proven seeds are hard to come by, but if each attending club could donate 2 or 3 proven seeds each, we might have enough. If any individual grower would like to donate a proven seed as well, please email us. Remember that all the money raised will go to help support the Convention. Contact person is Dave McCallum. You can contact him at [email protected] We appreciate any support you could provide. Thanks.

Phil Hunt,
IGVGC Organizer
President GVGO

11/21/2005 6:37:17 AM

Cameron,ontario Team Lunatic

We are also asking growers for seed donations for the International Convention's seed bazaar. As you know, each year at the Convention, the committee hosts a seed bazaar for growers looking to purchase seeds from this and past season's bigger pumpkins & pumpkins with great crosses. Seed prices range from $5 to $20. We are looking for donations of 20-30 seeds from this season's great crosses & larger pumpkins. If you plan on attending and would like to help out by donating some of your seeds, email Dave McCallum at [email protected] for his mailing address. Any help will be gratefully appreciated. A special thanks goes out to all that donate. All the money raised helps support the Convention and keep rates at a more reasonable price. Thanks for your consideration.

Phil Hunt
IGVGC Organizer &
President GVGO

PS. If we can set it up, we might be offering to sell bazaar seeds to growers (via the internet) who are unable to attend the Convention, during the Convention. Matt Wickless is looking into setting it up. Details will be announced ASAP.

11/21/2005 7:06:57 AM

Massillon, Ohio

pal, as one of those 'ohio people who need to get home for dinner' i must say i took offense at that. LOL. j/kidding man. i leave early from niagra to get home and get to bed after such a tiring/fun weekend so i can deal with 165 students early monday morning.

i like the new schedule A LOT !!!!!!!

11/21/2005 10:58:47 AM

Rapid City, SD

I heard that Pumpkin Supply was buying the beer on Friday night.............LOL

11/21/2005 11:27:25 AM

No Place Special

Pumpkin supply buying beer.... im going for sure!!!

11/21/2005 12:15:22 PM

My opinions, just a few comments . . .

8 AM is a little early on Sunday, I agree with Eric on that one.
Organizing the carpools for rides to the airport is a great idea!

11/21/2005 1:13:40 PM

Omaha, NE (N41-15-42 )

Yes, PumpkinSupply.com is sponsoring the beer on Friday night.

11/21/2005 1:47:15 PM

Syracuse, NY

yo, i will for the first time request that Friday off;
my job is such that friday is potentially the busiest day,
but hey, i'll have vacation time comin'!
basebell7---i couldn't think of another state to mention;
didn't wanna tick Steve Daletas off, either, lol!
even if i had said Florida...ohhh, boy! lol! eric

11/21/2005 6:09:19 PM

Roselle, IL [email protected]

Wow, Free beer. That is worth the trip just for that. I have been there for the Friday night meet and greet. That is very generous of you. If I can drag Shazzy and Timmer up there, Its going to cost you. Great seminar line up too!

11/21/2005 6:11:50 PM

Ontario, Canada.

Brigitte, I will have a fine Tim Hortons coffee ready for you. What do you take in your coffee? You could join us when ever you get up.

11/21/2005 6:46:07 PM

Long Island,New York

Starbucks is across the street and down 1 block.

11/21/2005 6:50:45 PM

Omaha, NE (N41-15-42 )

He speaks the truth on Starbucks. I tried to get the venue moved closer to Starbucks, but Phil, Russ, Eddy and Dave all thought I was just nuts.

11/21/2005 8:15:27 PM

Halifax, Nova Scotia

Starbucks, that's funny. Only yuppies in Canada drink Starbucks. Until they find a way to give it to us through IV, we drink Tims!

11/21/2005 9:17:02 PM

Free beer is always good. Coffee is always gross. I prefer the expensive version, a tall nonfat peppermint mocha with whip. (when I have the money to afford it)

11/21/2005 9:27:07 PM

[email protected]

How do you sign up for the convention?

11/22/2005 12:01:09 AM

Syracuse, NY

keep up to date with the announcements on BP., here...
long story short, WHEN the time comes you will call and register (at which time they want your credit card #; there are three different "packages", usually from 60-90 dollars Canadian) with the PumpkinFest headquarters in like Port Elgin, in Canada. immediately after that, you will
call the hotel where the SEMINAR will be AT and reserve
youself a room(s) for your intended duration.
the SEMINAR usually has blocks of rooms reserved and you need to mention that you will be associated with the
International Giant Vegetable Growers' Convention,
which, by the weigh, SHOULD have an apostrophe after
GROWERS to indicate plural possessive, lol, i think,
and there you go....all of this jibber jabber i am sayin'
MIGHT NOT BE exactly what will happen leading up to your stay and participation in the event, but it IS what i have done or had to do in the past...sincerely, eric gerry

11/22/2005 2:12:43 AM

[email protected]

Thanks for the help Eric.

11/22/2005 9:05:35 AM