It is Canoecopia time again!!

Here is a cabin fever buster for us stranded paddlers!! It's Canoecopia, known as the "Worlds Largest Paddlesports Exposition", held March 9-11 at the Alliant Center in Madison, Wisconsin (the birthplace of the WCHA).

The Great Rivers Chapter (formerly the Illinois and Wisconsin Chapters) has been given booth space again to hawk the wonders of wooden canoes and the WCHA. We will have some canoes on display and will have some other activity going as well....possibly caning, paddle making, or wanigan making.

Please stop by and introduce yourself to those of us in the booth. We all love to commiserate about our passion. Also, if you feel like you want to join the chapter and help it become more active, we could use the help! Check out our paddling outing plans.

I heard that there may be some Minnesota, UP and lower Michigan members attending! It's all good roads to Madison. Hope to see you there.

Cheers to all!!
Dave Osborn

 

1st Official Mug Hoisting Details

If you are planning to attend Canoecopia and want to meet other WCHA members, please join us for what we hope to make an annual event.... Our first official WCHA Great Rivers Chapter Hoisting of the Mugs.

Gather at Canoecopia inside entrance lobby between 8:30 & 8:45p.m. Friday night March 9th. At 8:46 sharp, we will all go to a secret predertermined location to socialize over Wisconsins tap offerings and talk canoey talk. No need to bring any paddles or canoes to this, our first official event of the year! A great way to meet fellow WCHA members from IA, MN, UP-MI, IL, WI & IN similarly afflicted with a "growing wooden boat problem" (sort of like a support group but, with beer). No reservations needed, just remember we walk out the door at 8:46. Those who think they're going to miss lift off at 8:46 can pick up directions to secret pre-determined location at the WCHA Booth #107 in the Exhibit hall between 4 & 9:00 p.m. It was suggested that we have name tags for this, so I will bring some. You can put your real name on it OR your Forum name on it (if different). I hope we see a good representation from the ambassadors of all of our surrounding states.

See you then!

Splinter
WCHA Great Rivers Chapter
Program Chair

 

How to/What to/ Where to details

18 days until Canoecopia ! !
Additional information can be gathered at the website.
www.rutabaga.com/canoecopia
The side bar on the left of the homepage has all the information on what the event is, where it is, maps & directions, where to lodge, the schedule of events, speakers bios and what topics will be covered and the exhibitors in the Alliant Energy Hall. For those that don't know about this 17 year old event but, would like to "see what all the shoutin's about", this is the largest paddlesport expo in the world. WCHA has been a guest exhibitor for 11 years now! A three day pass is still only $15.00! They have grown from 10 speakers per year to 50 this year. In 5 lecture halls, and a swimming pool has demonstraitions, classes and 1 hour sessions on every topic you can imagine. These are professionally presented in the most comprehensive manner possible by the sports well known and best qualified! It's a good idea to review all the speakers and the presenting schedules ahead of time so you can make a plan for the weekend prioritizing what you want to hear about as sessions are presented concurrently. The exhibit hall is about 4 football fields (I think) and the 184 exhibitors, both retail and non-profit groups, have lots of great resources, deals and even a give-away or two. Great way to comfortably discover indoors whats new and helpful as well as comparison shop under one roof. One large handy checkout outside the exhibit hall doors with 20 check-out lines make purchasing a dream. This event is run like a well oiled machine. And then there's the people you meet...........

 

Secret Location Revealed

VP Dave Osborn will be the official 2007 HOST of the First Annual WCHA Hoisting of the Mugs Invitational. The location is "The Bar Next Door" (real name!) 232 E. Olin Ave. It is about 2 blocks north of Canoecopia. Gathering time is between 8:30 and 9:00 p.m. if you are going straight there, OR if you want to leave with the caravan from Canoecopia, leave The Alliant Energy center lobby at 8:46 p.m. Maps to the location from Canoecopia will be at the WCHA Exhibit #107. Bring your party shoes.

 

Which day?

Are you planning this on Friday, or Saturday?

 

Up to #2

Hi again, please re-read details for Friday in the second post on this thread. Let me know if you have any questions.

 

Everyone!

Is was asked to clarify by private message, if ANY WCHA members can attend the "Hoisting of the Mugs" or are only member from MN, IA, IL, IN, WI & UP-MI invited? OF COURSE ALL WCHA MEMBERS ARE INVITED! ! So if you're visiting Canoecopia from Napa, B.C., Sweden, Connecticut or the Home Depot (I'm only saying that because I KNOW men that say they live there....), PLEASE join us Friday Night. All are welcome and dress is casual, of course.

 

Duh...

Sorry, I must have been at work, where my brain gets scrambotated...

I'd be willing to help with some paddle-making stuff. Pretty booked up with speakers to go see, but there's no way I can sit through all those anyway...

 

Careful, Splinter - I have evidence that Dave Osborn cannot effectively find his way to a pub. Assembly 04 - almost everyone found their way to the Lake Placid Pub & Brewery - Dave? Nooooooo!

 

Gosh, It's only 2 blocks away!

But, if that's really still a problem we'll put someone else in charge and pin a note to Daves sweater.......

 

Cavy,
That has to be one of the worst evenings of my life! To think that I missed a hoisting event with the likes of you, the cranky canoeist, and the "Old Curmudgeon".....it would have been way cool!
Somehow I always managed to hit the late night campfire, though. What a great time!

Splinter......Make sure that someone is in charge of me AND pin a note to my sweater, if you want me to "host the hoisting" for the Great Rivers Chapter at C'copia.......

 

4 Days Til Canoecopia !!!

By now everyone going should have made travel/lodging arrangements, reviewed the schedule of events/programs speakers, prepared their 3 dimensional matrix for attending as many concurrently running programs as possible, bought new notebook, pens and arch supports, jogged 2.5 miles per day, gotten beer money out of the ATM, checked credit card limits, packed their party shoes, marked their calendars with a red "X" on Friday, constructed excuses for leaving work early or discovered they will have "a low grade fever" by tomorrow or Thursday morning at the latest. We're looking forward to seeing all our fellow afflicted WCHA members at exhibit #107 and at the First Annual Hoisting of the Mugs invitational Friday Night.

 

Splinter and Dave,

I'd love to hoist a few with you guys, but unforcanately I've got way to many other distractions going on now to make it.

And a minor clarification for you Splinter, I would argue that no "real" man would be caught dead in the orange store, as their selection is so poor and they don't carry any wood worth buying. (to say nothing about it being inside and it being hard to get it from the pile to the truck.)

Dan

"or the Home Depot (I'm only saying that because I KNOW men that say they live there....),"

 

Stores, Men, Veneer, etc.

Years ago, I vowed I would never get in a comparing/contrasting discussion regarding the "man malls". This is more personal to men than is reasonable to evaluate. Myself not being qualified to judge fluffy gray material upstairs of the most well reasoned and insightful of the other gender, I remain dedicated to the only place that does not have staff running from the room screaming with their hands in the air everytime I walk in with a needed solution to a problem, a missing part search or those tricky electical/plumbing mysteries. I KNOW my favorite "capable and going beyond the call of duty to serve Margaret" Bruce and Dave-O (not Thor, different Dave O) will jump in to tackle all my weird requests. I didn't say I lived there, I only said I know men who say they do. I have no idea what they have in wood selection. I have never had to get any. I get my hardwoods from secret sources related to my occupation. BTW anyone need any hardwood veneer? I probably have access to what ever you might be looking for. Talk to me.

 

)

My long time favorite was Knox (who after Cashway hardware bought them promply when out of business) where you could drive into the yard, load up, and drive to a exit lot where you would park and go pay for you goodies, and get inspected when leaving the lot.

This having to pay before entering (Menard's) or even knowing if they have what you want, is for the birds.

And wood stored inside that has to be loaded twice is just wrong. (HD/L's)

Of course if you want decent lumber, you go to a real lumber yard, not a Home Ctr.

But more on subject, how about sources of cedar or gunwale stock?

Dan

 

Ccopia

I feel something dreadful coming on, & I'm sure it'll hit full force Thursday, between noon and quitting time. See you there!

And stay away from L'Homme D'Pot, and all other big box stores, where the only person in the store who can give you an intelligent answer to your question is NOT an employee... if you can even find her/him. I won't go in to buy a box of screws... would rather drive farther & pay more at the real lumber yard, hoping they'll still be in business next time.

 

Must be something going around

Because I'm starting to feel a little on the dizzy side myself. I'm sure it's because everytime I go up to Headquarters the office staff has at least one sick person and I bring it home with me. At least I know who I can blame it on. As for the cedar... I am working on it. I'm going to start a new thread on this subject. Look for it, I want some input.

 

Great Canoecopia Weekend

What a wonderful weekend! So marvelous to see our WCHA chapter members and those visiting from Chapters near. Attending First Annual Hoisting of the Mugs Invitational were, GRChapter VP and 2007 Hoisting Host Dave Osborn (Thor), GRC Treasurer Eugene Ott, GRC Program Chair Margaret Fisher, GRC board member and Canoecopia speaker Jerry Karbon, GRC members Paul and Cindy Miller, Paul Klonowski, Ferdy Goode and our neighbors to the north (UP-MI Chapter Klos & Kallery. Thousands of people attended the event and hundreds showed extreme interest and enthusiasm to the WCHA-GRChapter exhibit. Attendees were immediatley drawn to the action of Paul Klonowski carving a paddle, Dave Osborn replacing 4 ribs and several planks on his '63 on horses, Margaret Fisher working on the handle of her crooked knife and the looped WCHA Video tape. Everyone else answered questions and worked on recruiting new members. Nearly all the membership forms were handed out and great interest was shown in participation of our 8 events planned for this year. In a sea of paddleable jelly-beans, the WCHA Wooden Canoes stood out in a way no other craft there can, invoking a quieter, more aesthetic vehicle which can't help but attract you with it's sensuous smell, look and feel. It was fun. Thanks to everyone who manned our exhibit and brought the world of Wood Canoes to life for the attendees. Gene Ott, Dave Osborn, Jim Okemma, Jerry Karbon, Paul Klonowski, Ferdy Goode, Klos & Kallery, Mark Morrall, Mike Borrett & Denis Ehle. Only 363 days 'til Canoecopia....... Hopefully, more of our WCHA will come on over to join us for the Second Annual Hoisting.

 

In Total Agreement!

What a wonderful time... and what a lot of People! But the best folks were those manning the WCHA booth and other WCHA members--past, present, and future-- who ventured in.

Thanks, Splinter, for encouraging us to attend. We were especially honored to share our ride with Ferdy and get to know him.

~~Kathy