mbroberg
IAP Activities Manager, Emeritus
"I had no idea of the amount of work that goes on behind the scenes!"
Anytime we swear a new member into the International Association of Birthday Bash Planners (IABBP) it isn't long before that new member utters those words. The annual Birthday Bash would not be possible were it not for this dedicated group of members who start planning months in advance of the actual event and forfeit hour upon hour of their personal time, all for your enjoyment.
The Bash Planers lost one of its MVPs during the last year. Landon Smith, better known within the IAP community as Hunter-27 fought a prolonged battle with a medical condition that eventually got the better of him. Landon was THE go-to guy not only during the Bash, but year round. There wasn't an activity he wasn't willing to chair, or a favor asked of him that he would refuse. It often got to the point where he had to be told that he was taking on too much. He'd just laugh and say something like, "This is my way of giving back. I may not make the greatest pen in the world but I think I can put on a pretty good show". He was right. He did. He gave a lot to the IAP and his absence is already felt.
This year's lineup of Bash Planners included many familiar faces along with a few new ones. I am always amazed that some of our members come back year after year. I don't think it is the hard work, no pay or occasional criticism they receive that keeps them coming back, it is their dedication to this wonderful community and knowing that they contributed positively to the overall excitement and joy that is the Annual IAP Birthday Bash.
In addition to giving up hours and hours of their personal time for planning during the months preceding the Bash, most of these guys also chair the contests that make up the Bash. Many chair multiple contests. One contest can get confusing and time consuming enough. Multiple contests and daily contests can get old real quick. Not only do these guys give up their time, they also give up the privilege of entering many of the contests simply because they are privy to information that could be perceived to give them an advantage. These are the guys that actually contribute by stepping up to do what needs to be done instead of just sitting around griping about what others should be doing or how they ought to do it, never lifting a finger to actually help. Without these dedicated volunteers there would be no Bash. They deserve our sincere THANK YOU!
Please join me in thanking these members, listed in no particular order, for their hard work.
Mike Redburn (mredburn)
Chaired the Advanced Beautiful Pen Contest – Sponsored by Exotic Blanks
Chaired the Youth Beautiful Pen Contest Under 14 years old
Chaired the Youth Beautiful Pen Contest 14 to 16 years old – sponsored by Maj'K Blanks.
Matches the prizes to the contests
Chris Pukalo (Displaced Canadian)
Chaired the Freestyle Pen Contest
Chaired the Modified Pen Contest
Chaired the Edible Pen Contest
As Bash Co-Chairman Chris kept an eye on things and put out any fires that arose while I was away taking care of a personal matter.
Mannie Steglich (Monty)
It was Mannie who suggested and chaired our newest Bash pen contest, Antler, Horn, Bone.
Jonathon Brooks (Brooks803)
Chaired the Intermediate Pen Contest – sponsored by R & B Crafts
Chaired the Beginner Beautiful Pen Contest – Sponsored by JohnU Fantastic Feathers.
Johnathon also sponsored the Russ Fairfield Memorial Modified Slimline Contest
Eric Bueker (Buzzzz4)
Eric chaired all three of the Casting Contests; Colors, Embedded Objects, and the Tube-on Casting Contest sponsored by PTownSubbie Silicon Molds.
Wayne Racinowski (wracinoski)
Wayne, who has done so much as the Library Manager chaired the Best Library Article Contest. Wayne also helped me locate a source for the plaques some of our winners will be getting.
Todd Lajoie (toddlajoie)
Todd is a professional photographer who chaired the three main photo contests. Speaking as one who struggles taking a good photo, I really appreciate the job he did and the creative entries that made it into the contest.
Jon Piper (GoodTurns)
Jon chaired the Match the Shop contest, always one of the members Bash favorites.
Chuck Hutchings (DaleCamino)
Chuck came back again and handled the Daily Trivia contests with the assistance of two 1st time Bash volunteers. He is always a welcome member of the IABBP.
Chris Houstin (Sumterdad)
Chris was baptized by fire during this years Bash. Chris stepped up and chaired the Wood Identification Contest – sponsored by the Classic Nib. He did a great job. The daily contests can be very demanding especially on a small business owner who understandably must devote the majority of his day to his work and family. Thank you very much Chris! Ya did good!
Curtis Seebeck (Mesquiteman)
Curtis remained behind the scenes during most of this year's Bash, but he did contribute in very important ways. Curtis designed and maintained all the contest entry forms. Also, Curtis obtained the Bash Calendar for us and got it up and running. He created and posted a crossword puzzle and donated a beautiful IAP Clock to award a lucky IAP member. Thanks Curtis!
Ed Brown (ed4copies)
In addition to being the best online auctioneer I know, Ed devotes many hours to the Bash as well as to other IAP concerns. His advice and council are always welcome.
Andrew Jordan (Maxwell_Smart007)
Andrew is the person responsible for obtaining all of the fantastic prizes for the contests. He starts months in advance emailing vendors soliciting prizes. His success never ceases to amaze me!
Jeff Brown (Jeff)
You all know Jeff's role in taking mug orders, packaging and shipping mugs. Jeff also conducts the annual Donation Drawing. Jeff personally contributes prizes to that drawing. Many of the donated prizes are shipped to Jeff who then reships them to the winners. This year Jeff also oversaw all the prize delivery which is a task that can last into April or longer. Jeff is also working constantly behind the scenes taking care of the many things that the Bash planners can't take care of themselves. Create this forum, create that forum, move that thread to here, delete this thread until a later time then restore it, fix my poll so the results are hidden, why aren't my pictures showing up?, and on and on it goes. Jeff is one of the most patient men I have ever known!
Dawn Kizor (PR_Princess)
Dawn has offered many good suggestions during planning and is always willing to step up and help with needed.
Ed McDonnell (parklandturner)
Ed jumped in and chaired the Russ Fairfield Memorial Modified Slimline Contest – Sponsored by Brooks Blanks. Not only did he do an excellent job with the contest, he, along with Mike Redburn, Chuck Hutchings and others kept us all entertained with their verbal jousting. He is a great addition to the IAPBBP.
Dave Lyons (lyonsacc)
Dave answered a call for volunteers and ended up assisting with the Daily Trivia Contest. That contest can be very demanding because of the large number of entries in the short period of time that each trivia contest runs.
Robert Sherlock (Robert Sherlock)
Robert also volunteered to help and ended up assisting with Trivia. Robert, Dave and Chuck made a great team!
I don't think I forgot anyone but if I did I am truly sorry. If I forgot to mention an individual contribution to the planning or running of the Bash I also apologize for that. There are so many little details that get worked out and tasks that get performed prior to the actual start of the Bash it is difficult to document them all.
My sincere THANK YOU goes to all of these fine members and I hope to meet with you all again over the next 12 months so we can do it all again! By the way, there is always plenty of room at the conference table.
If you would like to be a member of the International Association of Birthday Bash Planners just drop me a PM.
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