Steve Fielder
UKC Forum Member
Registered: Dec 2003
Location: Todd, North Carolina
Posts: 254 |
Time will tell if this is a wise move but history may repeat itself and Todd's comment about Autumn Oaks moving may be the most telling of all.
Autumn Oaks was first held in 1960 in Greencastle, Indiana and after experimenting with a couple of moves in the first three years, settled back in Greencastle where it was very successful in a long run. UKC decided to move the event to Michigan in 1979, 1980, and 1981. It then moved to Winston-Salem, NC for one year and then to Oak Harbor, Ohio in 1983.
Autumn Oaks was dying by degrees, down to what I remember as about 230 total entries in 1983. In my first year at UKC we made the decision to move it back to Indiana where we held our Homecoming To Indiana where it had been so successful for so many years and the rest is history.
If the move to Mississippi proves to be successful it will prove history as it applies to major coonhound events, to be wrong. I hope it is successful but I do have some doubts based on reasons other than just the physical move from one southern state to the other. My concerns lie with the type of venue that has been selected.
The Convention Center-type venue is not “coonhound friendly.” I faced this decision when we were looking for the spot for the first UKC Winter Classic. Fred Miller and I were on nine airplanes in two days looking for just the right spot. One of those was the fabulous Agri-Center in Perry, GA, just off Interstate 75. The main problem with that type of facility is that coon hunters are used to parking at a fairgrounds, tying their hounds to the tailgate, putting up their puppy pens, campers, etc. and setting up a coon hunting “community” for the weekend. Unless I’m missing something, the Batesville location will require the hunters to park in the parking lots and “walk-in” to the community center. Hunters don’t want to be separated from their hounds and fellow hunters in that way. Maybe Todd can address this concern. Perhaps UKC will set up a “dog barn” type of arrangement inside the convention center but dog barns are not as popular as they once were. Most folks don’t want to leave their dogs unattended in a barn or anywhere except where they can easily access their dogs. I think the decline in the popularity of the Breeders Showcase stalls at Autumn Oaks also bears this out.
These are just some observations from my experience in planning major events for over 30 years. I most certainly am not criticizing the UKC management. I'm sure they believe this to be the right move. I do hope the move is successful. I know the hunters in Mississippi must be excited about it. It would appear that UKC wants to expand into PKC country with the decision to move the World Hunt to Louisiana and now the Winter Classic to Mississippi.
I recall the first UKC Winter Classic. We planned it at the South Daugherty Community Center and held it there 3 years before moving to the Exchange Club fairgrounds. I plan a trip to Florida each year to pleasure hunt before venturing over to the fairgrounds to visit on Saturday. I’ll miss that but I will continue to look forward to my pleasure trips down that way. Who knows, maybe someone else will pick up the event in Albany and the proud tradition will continue for the hunters in the southeast.
And one thing more. When UKC took over the Grand American it left no doubt that it would upstage the Winter Classic and provide UKC the opportunity to either dissolve the Winter Classic or move it elsewhere. While many of those that attend the Winter Classic will now opt for the Grand American the move will result in a loss of hunting opportunities for the hunters. The Grand American can only hunt so many dogs each night.
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Last edited by Steve Fielder on 07-19-2012 at 04:05 PM
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07-18-2012 10:00 PM
