ATA NEWS

ATA Board of Directors

Bob Mead President (928) 503-7612

Doug James Vice-President (623) 224-0158

Marlys Meacham Treasurer

(520) 991-7648

Suzi James Secretary (623) 224-0158

Chuck Meacham Event Coordinator

(520) 465-2616

Gerry Backhaus Venue Coordinator

480-220-2376

Christine Hartland Director

(602) 680-0191

Heather Robertson Director

(928) 238-0094

Roy Ruiz Director (602) 292-3281

Jonathan Cazares Director

(210) 279-4741

Chip Rougeaux Director

(702) 496-5135

Bob Mead Webmaster

ATA NEWS

EDITOR--BOB MEAD

FALL 2018

Judges, Hotel & Banquet for 2019 Show Confirmed!

A fter what seems like a hundred phone calls, emails and text messages, we have some exciting news to announce concerning our upcoming show in March!

First and foremost, and after an exhaustive search, we have finalized our judging staff for the 2019 show. Our judges will be Darin Gardner, Dave Ferguson, and Kenneth Bauman.

This cadre of talented taxidermists / sculptors will be a new group for the Arizona Taxidermy Association show, but they are by no means new to the taxidermy profession. We are confident this triad of judges will bring a fresh perspective to the ATA show, and we are excited to have another toptier level of judges coming to our show!

See the following pages of the newsletter to find profiles of each judge including their credentials and past achievements. We encourage you to get to know them !

Secondly, we are in final negotiations with the Orange Tree Resort as the venue for our Awards Dinner again in 2019. If all goes as planned, we should be able to keep the price of our banquet tickets the same as last year. We will announce menu information

and prices once we verify all of the details with them.

The final project we had pending was the hotel accommodations for 2019 ATA show participants.

We have just concluded a deal with the Ramada by Wyndham Tempe for a rate of $115 per night. This was a big challenge, especially in Scottsdale during March, but we got it done. Rates for comparable accommodations in this area are twice the rate we were able to secure, and this great rate more than makes up for the short 20 minute drive to the show.

We would certainly appreciate it if our members would take advantage of this hotel deal and book early. The cutoff date for the $115 rate is February 28, 2019. See Page 5 for more hotel and booking info.

Taxidermy Demos are a Popular Part of the ATA Show

T wo years ago, ATA volunteers began doing taxidermy demonstrations for the public during the annual ATA taxidermy show and competition.

These demos have proven to be a very popular part of the overall taxidermy exhibit the ATA presents at the International Sportsmen's Expo, with large crowds gathered to watch taxidermy

pieces being put together. Mounts that have been demonstrated in the past include: Black

Bear, Whitetail Deer, Mule Deer,

Mallard, Pronghorn Antelope, Rainbow Trout, among others.

For the 2019 show, volunteers have again signed up to mount various pieces, keeping this popular part of our show alive and kicking!

The ATA would like take this opportunity to thank all of our volunteers for helping out with this worthwhile endeavor!

Meet your 2019 ATA Judges!

Darin Gardner

M y name is Darin Gardner. I own and run a full time birds only taxidermy shop in Kaysville, Utah. My taxidermy interests started when I was 12 and wanted to have my first pheasant mounted. My mother priced around and found the cheapest place was $35. It may as well have been $3500 back then and she said no way. "But, why don't you just stuff it yourself," she said, "how hard could it be?" Well, I put that first pheasant together back in 1977 and have been at it ever since.

Taxidermy was just a hobby back then until my farrier career got derailed by a heart condition. After the doc said no more shoeing horses, I turned to the only other thing I was qualified to do. I opened my full time shop in 2001 and have been hard at it for almost 18 years now. I've competed on a State and National level and have many state Best Of Category awards, two Breakthrough Awards, and I'm a NTA North American Champion in Turkeys. I've also won an All Around title, and several other awards for creativity and artistic composition, W.A.S.C.O. Star Fish, McKenzie Best Of, and Van Dykes, etc. I also served as The President of the Utah Taxidermist's Association for five years.

In my 18 years as a professional I've seen it all: parakeets, penguins, parrots, pukeko, peacock, pheasant, and even an ostrich... I love all things birds and bird hunting.

I love my fine sweet wife of 25 years, and I love my job! May be the stupid heart condition was a blessing in disguise...

Darin Gardner: Birds

Meet your 2019 ATA Judges!

David Ferguson

To earn two "Best in World" titles in your career is amazing enough, but to win two in one competition is really unbelievable. Dave Ferguson did just that at the 2015 World Taxidermy Competition, where he won the "Best in World" title in two categories: live sculpting and best small-medium mammals. As a 12-year-old boy, Ferguson began dreaming of becoming a taxidermist. He loved hunting and he loved animals, so he found a way to make a career out of it. He studied wildlife management at Brigham Young University, where he worked at the Monte L. Bean Museum for three years. A highlight of his career was when he worked on a life-size elephant that is still at that museum. He is now in his 23rd year being a full-time taxidermist, running his studio from Harrisville, Utah. Dave also sculpts forms for TruFitt Supply, based out of Salt Lake City, and for Research Mannikins, based out of Oregon, as well as for his own taxidermy supply company "Ferguson's Taxidermy," in Utah.

David Ferguson: Mammals / Gameheads

Meet your 2019 ATA Judges!

Kenneth Bauman

K enneth has been involved in taxidermy since 1989 and has won numerous blue ribbons and special awards at taxidermy competitions throughout the United States. Kenneth is a 2-time National Champion, North American Champion, and World Champion. He is also an Oklahoma Taxidermist's Association certified master taxidermist and was the 2012 inductee into the OKTA Hall-of-Fame. He is a life member of the OKTA and the former association president.

Among his many other accolades, Kenneth has earned his NTA Award of Excellence, and currently holds 13 state champion honors with fish, whitetails, reproductions, reptiles, and gameheads.

Kenneth is listed in the National Taxidermists Association's Certified Judges Book, and has judged over 28 State, Regional, and National taxidermy competitions. He will also be judging the World taxidermy show in the latter part of 2019.

Kenneth Bauman: Fish / Reptiles / Mammals

The Ramada by Wyndham Tempe / At Arizona Mills Mall

1701 West Baseline Road, Tempe, Arizona 85283

480-413-1188

Must Mention "Arizona Taxidermy Association" for our Special Rate

Book Early!! Room rate of $115 valid until February 28, 2019!!

Free full hot breakfast and outdoor heated pool

"Our guest rooms offer 42" flat-screen HDTV, free WiFi, microwave, and minirefrigerator. Relax in our heated outdoor pool or workout in our state of the art fit-

ness center. Free full breakfast gets each day off to a fresh start. Meeting space, business center, laundry facilities and special accessible rooms are available."

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