RACING YOUTH GROUPS

Two worthy groups are seeking participation in their local activities and fundraisers:

2014 Students vs Teacher Race

3 Bird Team $150

Multiple Teams Allowed

Teacher Loft                                

7th Grade Teacher

Bulldog Loft

Clarkdale School

J Bird Loft

5th Grade Student

Only Three Lofts = More Inventories, More Updates

Ship Birds to:  Clarkdale Middle School

                          7000 Hwy 145 S

                          Meridian, MS 39301    

                          601-938-6775

Birds accepted Feb – May

Do not send birds March 10-14

100 Mile Race    25 pts in 1 pt intervals for top 25           Prizes awarded for

150 Mile Race    50 pts in 2 pt intervals for top 25           top ten birds.

200 Mile Race    75 pts in 3 pt intervals for top 25           Prize awarded for

250 Mile Race    100 pts in 4 pt intervals for top 25         winner of each race.

Races start in early October and conclude Thanksgiving week.

Contact Ronnie Shumaker 
rshumaker@lauderdale.k12.ms.us

http://www.studentsvsteacherrace.com/
http://americanracingpigeonunion.blogspot.com/2010/04/school-fundraiser-races.html

_______________________________________________________________

NORTHWEST JUNIOR FLYERS

Can the kids count on you?  This auction is our main fund raiser; the auction supports our Loaner Loft Program. We currently have 24 lofts in use and we have 4 in major need of repair. We use the money from this auction for free race shipping and free medication for when the kids need it. We use some of this money to make repairs to our building at the Cummington fair and some of our races ship from here as well. This also funds our annual pigeon show in august that is welcome to all kids. Our auction will be held on Sunday, April 6, 2014; both young and old birds can be shipped. Your generosity will be what carries this next generation of pigeon flyers along.

The loaner loft program was started 8 years ago to help junior flyers that could not afford or have the skill to build a coop on their own. If you ever hear someone say that this sport is dying or going away they’re certainly wrong. Please come to the auction and see the love and devotion our kids still have for this sport.

The address for this event is, Burgy Bullets Snowmobile club 12 Rd, Haydenville Ma. For more information contact Tim Tessier- Home: (413) 296-4359 Work: (413) 586- 6611 or email: (Florenceprecision@verizon.net)

A portion of the auction sale will be donated to the Rick Mardis Legal defense Fund.

Thank you to everyone that donated last year, and hopefully there will be more people this year that help support this youth program!

http://northwestjuniorflyers.webs.com/

 
 

Washington Fly In

Watching the Sport Die? 

Change the Channel!

by Steve Lawler, AU Past President

Steve Lawler

The Grange Hall meeting room in extreme NW Washington was filled with parents, tweeners, and teenagers busily setting-up wire cages and filling them up, while others carried in box after box of drawing prizes and bags and boxes overflowing with brunch snacks and proper lunch fixin’s. Even though the sun shone brightly outside on this fine Spring morning, it was no match for the brilliant enthusiasm exhibited in that hall.

Quicker than you can say “Jack Robinson,” several youngsters, stationed at two tables, were being quizzed by two young judges and were providing detailed and impressive facts in response to some difficult questions. Parents sat up close and hung on every word that these bright young people expounded. Their poise and subject knowledge were impressive.

Immediately afterward, five of the older members made quality presentations accompanied by informative charts, sharp photos and precise powerpoints.

Who are these guys?

What is so exciting indoors to keep Northwesterners INSIDE on a SUNNY day?
  

They are the Thunderbirds and SkyPilots of greater Whatcom County and King and Snohomish counties in western Washington.…they like homing pigeons and they are our future. AND, they haven’t heard the Pigeon Little cry that “the sky is falling” from the older generation of pigeon flyers. These youngsters are NOT holding on for dear life to a dying sport…..dying shmying! That outlook is reserved for those unwilling to make positive changes and go forth to share the joy and excitement this hobby brings. They are PROOF POSITIVE that young people are indeed interested in animals, in general, and pigeons, in particular. They live in every town, city, county, and state of the country.

Thanks to the tireless efforts of Jerry and Evelyn Guilmette of Bellingham and Herb Cartmell of Woodinville, WA and their respective county agents, the 4-H / AU Junior Flyer program is growing so fast that bigger facilities and more and more babies are needed to fill the demand of these young flyers eager to compete with the locals at their own game.

Compare that exciting scenario to the status of decline in most pigeon clubs around the area, and in many areas of the country, and the logical conclusion is????

As soon as the presentations finished, we were off to a scrumdilicious lunch with all the trimmings (procured by Marty Sullivan) and some bad-boy cupcakes (from Mrs. Strand) for dessert. All part of the club fundraiser and included in the small price of admission and ably collected by Evelyn Guilmette and Marlene Cartmell at the front table. 

Up next was a very informative powerpoint presentation by Herb Cartmell on Loft Construction with some accompanying great pictures Herb’s taken over the years while serving on the national AU Board.

The absolute highlight of the event, however, was “blue ticket” drawing:  All day long the 20 or so young fanciers in attendance (please note that this was an all day Saturday event and many had to schedule around soccer matches, dance recitals, and baseball games, etc.) had been scoping-out the over 50 squeakers housed in the show cages. Everyone had their favorites and back-ups listed and were poised to spring into action as soon as their number was drawn. The drama was intense as first one baby, and then another found a spot in the dozen or so crates spread out behind the anxious juniors. The groans were audible as favorites were selected by “luckier” ticket-holders. Blacks and whites and grizzles and reds and splashes went first, leaving most of the checks and plain old blue bars for the final rounds. A check of the race sheets later this year will show the real value of those later rounds.

By the time the dust cleared, every junior in the room had 3-4 youngsters to take home for settling. Chances were that many of those babies would spend at least the first night in the bedroom!

A big thanks goes out to Dave and Samantha (Sam), Breann, and Cheyenne Long of Spirit Lake, ID and the L and L Breeding Station for supplying the biggest draft of 33 babies brought clear across the state for distribution to the members of the Thunderbirds and SkyPilots. The Long’s are interested in forming a junior club (with AU dues paying parents and AU dues paying mentors) in their north Idaho - Stateline, WA area. A big effort was made to travel all the way to Lynden, WA to see these two growing groups in action.

Sam made the trip over (father Dave and sisters, Breann and Cheyenne, were in New Orleans that weekend) escorting the babies and caring for them until they found their new homes. She also made a couple of donations to the junior club treasuries by buying the breeding pair donated by Thunderbird leader, Jerry Guilmette, and one of the pedigreed YB’s donated by Concourse President, Ski Grabanski. Sam hopes to raise winners out of this new stock.

Thanks also need to go to Ski and Eileen Grabanski, who made the trip from the Greater Seattle area, bringing a basketful of babies for the juniors. Ron Pate of the Pahrump Breeding Station also sent along a big Express Mail box of babies for distribution. Ron has been supporting this SkyPilot junior club program with babies from the very beginning. And, thanks to Thunderbird leader, Jerry Guilmette, for donating some youngsters.

The wonderful day ended with a “yellow ticket” drawing of donated items from pigeon supplies from Siegel’s, Jedd’s and Tradewinds Feed to jars of honey to a pair of pigeon bookends from the legend, Elwin Anderson’s collection.

Bottomline, of course, is that growth and renewed enthusiasm is contagious. Doing something positive is always better than whining and complaining about the status quo and condemning those who are willing to step out, re-invest in the sport and make a difference. If you find yourself on the wrong side of this equation, please get out of the way and allow good things to happen in your club and in the sport.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                - Steve Lawler

                                                                                                                  

Another photo album by Smilebox

MUSEUM RACING PIGEON LOFT PROJECT

http://sharing.theflip.com/session/2bd92b121cd7bde4982fc62bd3683f2f/video/106187531

FESTIVALS FEATURING HOMING PIGEONS

Join us at the upcoming festivals to learn more about racing homing pigeons.


May 14, 2011 1-4pm
Family Fest
Hardin County Fairgrounds
301 11th Avenue, Eldora, IA 50627
     The event is open to families everywhere who use or are interested in Hardin County family resources.  There will be no charge for admission and all families will receive a free resource guide.
     Many family-friendly activities and performances have already been scheduled including information on racing pigeons, Llama petting, a bicycle rodeo, musical performances and environmental education.


May 15, 2011 10-4
Homing Pigeon Expo and Family Fun Day
Vernon County Fairgrounds
Centennial Blvd, Nevada, MO 64772
Pigeon Show in Poultry Building
All other activities in Home Economics Building
     Enjoy the pigeon show, auction, food and fun!  Bring the family to have fun and learn about homing pigeons.  Hear the history of the homing pigeon during wartime.  Kids, have fun on the jumping gym and horseshoe tossing.  Learn about the upcoming 2012 Breast Cancer Relief Race.
     There's no admission fee.
     View the awesome sight of 200 birds in a spectacular release.  Drawings and prizes throughout the day.  Midwest Racing Pigeon Club and Sac-Osage Club will share information about the care of the birds.  AU's Veterans Affairs Chairman, Bill Desmarais will share important historical information about homing pigeons serving alongside their Pigeoneers during wartime.  National representative Deone Roberts will be on hand to share membership information.


Join us!

4-H FLY-IN

Washington – The Skypilot and Thunderbird groups had their first annual Fly-In and Health Workshop.  The event included demonstrations by the kids and a “fit and show” competition, which they do at the fair.  Demonstrations included vaccination instruction.  They had a fun chili dog lunch and a drawing for kids to win a pigeon.  Visiting groups and individuals were included.  Sky Pilots’ leader, Herb Cartmell, said “My goal is to send every kid home with a bird or two (that has a loft).

Photo collage created with Smilebox

BUBBA WILSON'S TALE

as shown on KNWA Northwest Arkansas News (video)

"It's thoroughbreds of the is what it is," Wilson says. "Basically, race your birds from a release point to your loft and whoever can fly it the fastest wins."

Bubba has been racing pigeons for over a decade.  These birds can find their way home from hundreds of miles away.  They use magnetic fields, photographic memories and an incredible sense of smell.

But, Bubba doesn't just race his birds, he raises them from the time they hatch. He says these birds have helped him deal with post traumatic stress disorder from fighting for this country.

"It keeps me occupied so flashbacks don't come," Wilson says.  "I can truthfully say that I wouldn't be here if it weren't for my birds."

Bubba loves his birds and his birds definitely love him back.

THE TRANQUILITY OF PIGEON KEEPING

With the debut of the new Animal Planet show featuring the calming effect of pigeons, we at the American Racing Pigeon Union are reaffirmed in our belief that we have been sharing for many years – that the people who keep pigeons experience a calming respite when they go to their lofts to care for their pigeons.

The effect has proven beneficial to physically challenged and learning challenged youth.  That translates well to the calming effect on individuals who suffer from the post trauma effect of military combat.

One of the most exciting rewards in racing Homing Pigeons is that of “crossing the finish line first,” but the underlying gratification of pigeon keeping is the calming, settling connection with nature. 

To find out if the hobby suits you, the American Racing Pigeon Union has a helpful information packet that is free.  

Colorado's Foothills Club Featured

Excerpt from article appearing in the Denver Post
Colo. clubs race thousands of homing pigeons
By Jason Blevins
Photographer: Kathryn Scott Osler, The Denver Post

The white-winged pigeon had flown 150 miles when it finally landed atop its home in Wayne Rozendaal's backyard.

"Come on now. Get on inside," says Rozendaal, checking his watch. "Many, many a race has been lost on the roof."

As if hearing his owner's plea, the bird squeezes through a tiny one-way gate, where a scanner reads a computerized chip in the pedigreed pigeon's leg band.

A quick calculation shows the bird — one of about 1,100 released by the Foothills Racing Pigeon Club a little more than three hours earlier in Burlington — had flown home at about 41 mph.

"Pretty fast," Rozendaal says with a shrug. "If he keeps it up, he could be a champion."

There are six racing-pigeon clubs in Colorado, most dating to the 1960s. While the venerable sport — its roots trace back to ancient Greece — has not seen robust growth in the past four decades, it remains vibrant.

The state's roughly 150 fliers, known as fanciers, race thousands of homing pigeons in 20 weekend races every year.

"I do it with my kids, and we get to see the benefits of our work every time we see our birds come home," said Tim Calerich, a Brighton racer with a 250-bird loft whose passion for pigeons was seeded by his late father.

The sport got a bit of a boost last week, when Boulder County zoning leaders categorized pigeons as pets, ending an argument raised by neighbors of a Gunbarrel pigeon racer.

Those neighbors, irked by fancier Jim Williams' 35-bird backyard loft, argued he was raising poultry, violating zoning codes against residential livestock.

Denver's zoning codes consider pigeons "household animals" and allow for lofts of up to 25 birds.

In the U.S., where there are about 15,000 registered racing-pigeon lofts, racing has remained a hobby, whereas in Europe or Taiwan, contest purses rival American horse racing. Breeders here can sell a race-proven champion for several thousand dollars, but most birds trade for a few hundred or less.

Breeding pigeons rest on their perches inside their loft at Wayne Rozendaal's home. Denver allows up to 25 homing pigeons, classifying them as household animals.

"It used to be the sport of kings," said Al Christeleit, a nationally recognized pigeon racer from Gypsum. "It's amazing when you raise a bird from an egg and watch it race 500 miles in a single day. It's a real sense of accomplishment."

Every flier gets the same age-old question from kids and newcomers: How do pigeons know the way home?

The birds are trucked in crates across open plains in the middle of the night and released shortly after dawn in areas they've never visited. Circling up from the release, they'll take a couple of short laps and then, invariably, fly straight home for hundreds of miles at speeds that can top 70 mph. How?

"God has kept that little secret locked up," Rozendaal said.

While the source of a pigeon's uncanny sense of direction remains something of a mystery, fanciers have strong ideas about what makes a pigeon fly faster. Breeding, training and diet have reached an art form for most racers . . .

The biggest threat to racing pigeons is other birds. Hawks and even owls can terrorize racers, and some pigeons return to their lofts scarred from encounters with the winged predators. Rozendaal has seen his birds hobble home with crooked wings and broken legs, which seem to heal with rest.

"Their metabolism is something I can't comprehend," he said, cradling one of his racers. "They are amazing animals, that's for sure."


For the entire article, see http://www.denverpost.com/search/ci_16016722

BEN CRAIN TAKES FIRST

Special to Red Bluff Daily News
August 27, 2010

Young bird races have started for members of the Red Bluff Pigeon Club.

The first young bird race for the Red Bluff Pigeon Club began on Saturday, Aug. 14, where Ben Crain of Los Molinos took first place in the junior division.

His blue bar hen AU 2010 POP 371, flew 134.7 miles at a speed of 47.5 miles per hour against 368 club pigeons from the California and Oregon border.

On Saturday, Aug. 21, Ben took first place again with the same blue bar hen POP 371 flying from south of Klamath Falls, Ore. Flying against 295 pigeons she flew 135 miles at a speed of 42 miles per hour against a south wind of 10-15 mph.

Ben . . .  has been flying with the Club for seven years. The last two years he has taken several first place positions with his birds. He placed 215th in the nation out of 2,500 participants on the American Racing Pigeon Union database.

We will be flying 10 total races this year so look forward to hearing about a junior winner each week.

FAMILY FUN & RACING PIGEON EXTRAVAGANZA

The Rock River Valley Racing Pigeon Club treated public to a fun event this weekend that included a fishing tournament for the kids, prizes, lunch, an awesome bird release, an animal menagerie for the kids, fire department, police and military displays, demonstration loft, military and white bird tribute release, and a chance to send a message to friends and family by pigeon.

Messages were also sent by pigeon for Governor Quinn & President Obama.  The bird carrying the message for the Governor will be transported from his home loft to the Governor's office Monday morning.

If you missed your chance to see and take part in the event, you can still contact contact the club at 815-225-7399.

FAMILY FUN RACING PIGEON EXTRAVAGANZA!

NEWS ADVISORY
CONTACT: Pat Kelsey
815-626-9300
pkelsey@skiptracers.com


WHAT: A fun day for the family to learn about racing Homing Pigeons, includes:

· Kids Fishing Tournament
· Prizes
· Free Lunch
· An amazing bird release – 1000 pigeons!
· Animal Menagerie for the Kids
· Fire Trucks
· Armories
· Mounted Patrol
· Educational & Entertaining Videos
· Actual Pigeon Loft for viewing.
· Fire Engine Rides
· Military Tribute with White Bird Release
· Messages by Pigeon to Governor Quinn & President Obama
· Messages to Friends & Family

So much fun! So much learning! And it benefits the Sauk Valley Youth Racing Pigeon Program. There, kids learn life skills as they provide the finest of care, nutrition and training for their registered and pedigreed feathered athletes that travel as far as 600 miles in a day at speeds over 50 miles per hour.

WHEN: Saturday, July 17, 2010
Opens 9:00 a.m., continues all day.

WHERE: Oppold Marina
532 Stouffer Road, Sterling, Illinois

VISUAL& INTERVIEW OPPORTUNITIES:

· Amazing Bird Release
· Witness messages to the Governor and the President
· Examples of clocking and loft equipment, along with informative brochures, will be available.
· Local pigeon experts from the Rock River Valley Racing Pigeon Club will demonstrate handling of the birds and discuss pigeon racing and the care of these registered pigeons.

PIGEONS VISIT FLIGHT ACADEMY

The University of Oklahoma Sooner Flight Academy camps challenge students ages 6-18 to learn scientific and mathematic principles using aviation education. Through hands-on activities, students experience the effects of science, math, engineering and technology as they participate in exciting aviation activities during flight camp.

AU member Bill Jordan visited this year's first camp session to teach students about racing Homing Pigeons. It is a hit with students and staff each year.

SCHOOL FUNDRAISER RACES

School racing pigeon projects create ways to bring in funding to continue the projects. Mississippi schools have created a fun race between students and teachers.

Join the fun!  Help the schools!

2010 Students Vs Teacher
Race Against America’s Best!
24 Teams from Spring Hill in 2009

Four Birds $200 entry/ 1 Extra Bird @ No Charge (Optional)
2nd Team ½ price $100

Four Races with prizes for each race winner.

1st High Point Bird 1000 points
2nd High Point Bird 900 points
3rd High Point Bird 800 points
4th High Point Bird 700 points
5th High Point Bird 600 points

All prizes based on 50 teams entered.

Profits from race will fund School Pigeon Projects:
Flying Tigers Loft, Harris Elementary 3rd Grade (75 bird capacity)
Panda Loft, Poplar Springs Elementary 4th Grade (50 bird capacity)
Bulldog Loft, Clarkdale Middle School 7th Grade (100 bird capacity)

One bird will be placed at each school loft and teacher’s loft.

Birds accepted March 1 – May 1

Ronnie Shumaker email: rshumaker@mpsd.k12.ms.us or newgroundfarms@yahoo.com

Congratulations to 2009 Winners
1st Erio Alvarez,FL
2nd Pete Yachemski,FL
3rd John Hundrup,WA
4th Bill Thorton,AL
5th Bob Lynch,GA
250 Mile Winner: Dave Dunn, WA
200 Mile Winner: Erio Alvarez, FL & Bob Lynch, GA
150 Mile Winner: John Gallagher, FL
100 Mile Winner: Mike Butler, MS & John Hundrup, WA
High Point Winner: Bob Lynch, GA

SCHOOL RACING LOFT

CLARKDALE FFA

Thanks to all who helped with the school projects.
All lofts are ready for birds when you are ready to ship.
You can see construction on the newest loft at www.clarkdaleffa.com

Click on Photo Gallery and you will see Pigeon Loft in the gallery.

We have birds in the loft now from:
Charlie Moore, MS
Larry Smith, MS
Sue Ann Holmes, MS
Tommy Cox, AL

Pete has set May 2 has the pick up day for Spring Hill, FL.

Please encourage other flyers to enter birds in our race.

Thank you,
Ronnie Shumaker
rshumaker@mpsd.k12.ms.us

Sky Pilots of Florida

Mid Florida Sky Pilots is a newly created 4-H related racing homing pigeon club under the guidance of veteran AU racing member Guy Johnson.

The club just held their March meeting.  They now have 13 members with 4 new added.  Guy provided 12 pigeons to elated kids, and he will continue to provide birds as needed.

During the club's meeting, members discussed and practiced catching, holding and releasing their pigeons.  Guy provided plans for construction of a walk-in loft.  The members will start building in a couple weeks. 

Off to the pigeon races

Whitman & Hanson Express reports:

Written by Dave Palana
Thursday, 28 January 2010 18:30

From a young age, Steve Croghan has been a man of the birds. He was fascinated by a pigeon racer on his paper route, and has been keeping birds of his own since age 10.  “He used to call them and they would come sit on his arm and he used to feed them out of his hand,” Croghan said as he recalled his old customer. “That amazed me when I was young.”

For 20 years, the Hanson resident has been racing pigeons competitively. He has watched the sport change with the times and the technology, and now is hoping to provide the same kind of inspiration as the customer on his paper route all those years ago.

“All the older fellas are aging out of the sport and I’m trying to get the younger generation involved,” he said. “I’ve been trying to establish something for a while. There aren’t too many people out there who do this, so [younger people] aren’t really exposed to it.”

Croghan is hoping to create a youth program for pigeon racers with the help of local 4H clubs and the Plymouth Veterans Racing Pigeon Club, his chapter of the Boston Concourse and the American Pigeon Racing Union. He is planning an exhibition at this summer’s Marshfield Fair and a local information seminar to raise awareness of his sport and drum up some new interest.

The biggest thing Croghan says he will have to struggle against is the public perception of the birds based on feral pigeons. He equated racing pigeons to thoroughbred horses in that they have to have a pedigree in order to be allowed in the American Union. Racing pigeons are bred for specific races, such a sprinters and distance fliers, and a well-bred bird can go for as much as $182,000.

“When people think of pigeons, they think of flying rats,” Croghan said. “When you get a pigeon with a good breeding record and a good race record, they become quite sought after.”

Croghan keeps about 100 pigeons in his coop in Hanson in two racing teams. The racing season, consisting of two sections: old birds and young birds. The season runs from April to November. Local races consist of 500 to 700 birds, though it can get up to 25,000 in Europe, and races range in distance from 100 miles to 600 miles out to Sandusky, Ohio in a single day.

“If you are sitting at home after a pigeon has beaten its wings for 14 hours to come home from a 600-mile jaunt, it’s pretty extravagant to see,” he said. “They have a will and they love their home, and I just enjoy watching them fly.”

Croghan wants to model his youth program after the Northwest Junior Flyers, a group out of Western Massachusetts that boasts over 60 members. That group builds 4x4 starter lofts for their members to house eight to 10 pigeons, but Croghan said he would consider housing birds in his coop if parents don’t want them at the club members’ houses.

Croghan’s club in Plymouth currently has a membership of around 22 with one junior member, his 13-year-old daughter Megan. Megan Croghan began her pigeon racing career six years ago and as second in the national youth race last year by only two seconds.

“It’s pretty fun to race against all these people,” she said. “It’s fun to go in the coop and feed the birds. Sometimes, they’ll just sit on my hand.”

In addition to her second place finish in the youth race, Megan owns two wins over her father despite only being allowed to send out five birds as a youth racer compared to her father’s 15.

“It’s the first thing she checks,” Steve Croghan said. “She run down to the coop and check the times to see if she beat me. It’s a nice father-daughter thing and I enjoy racing with her.”

Junior Members at the Mid Minnesota RPC Show

By: Whitney Sabrowsky, AU Youth Ambassador 

January 16th, 2010 announced the date of the 32nd annual Mid Minnesota Racing Pigeon Club show and auction. A break in the freezing temperatures called northern fanciers from their lofts to a central Minnesota show in Osakis.

Some may roll their eyes at the prospect of “talking birds” from 10:00 AM to 3:00 PM, but for flyers from around the state and beyond, it is the perfect way to spend a Saturday in winter. The north features dedicated fanciers- - some guys traverse from the Dakotas to the show. Flyers from seven different racing clubs were present at the Mid Minnesota show.

Grandpas brought their pigeons and junior member grandkids to the show- - what a perfect way to mentor and bond with kids! Speaking of junior members, the Mid Minnesota show offers both a junior member old bird and young bird class. Ten kids showed their homers.

With encouragement from grandpa, sisters, Jocelyn and Nicole Hennekamp, have started their own little loft. The girls live a half mile from their grandparents’ home. This being the case, they find time to bond with grandpa, Ron Roth. Ron recalls that he enjoys teaching kids and always made sure that Jocelyn and Nicole tagged along when he cared for his pigeons. Eventually, grandpa had to give the girls some birds to call their own. Starting with young birds, 2008 was their first racing season. They had a blast clocking their pigeons with a manual clock. Ron Roth chuckles when Jocelyn and Nicole state that the best part about racing is beating Grandpa with his own pigeons!

New for the 2010 show was a junior member bake sale. Young flyers in the club plan on using the proceeds from the sweet sale to send birds to the National Youth Race and to pay entry fees for races in the Minnesota Invitational Series.

For junior member, Jacob Solbreken, the show was especially exciting as it was his first time attending such a function. Jacob is taking flight in his first year with homing pigeons.

Birds know that they are special when nearly all of them are called by name. The pigeons in Sarah Anderson’s loft live a life of being pampered by their fancier. Seventeen-year-old Sarah loves her birds and the reward of her labors is in the race results. This high-flying junior beat the “old guys” in the 2009 old bird season. Sarah received the coveted title of Champion Loft and clocked in 1st for Average Speed. Attending the Mid Minnesota show with her folks is an annual event for Sarah. She has been racing and showing birds for seven years. Not only does Ms. Anderson race well, her pigeons often win at the show. Last year, Sarah went home with three first-place plaques.

Even though the show came to its close, the day was not yet complete for Mid Minnesota juniors. Collapsing show cages, washing tables, and sweeping floors were tasks that occupied the young flyers.

Whether at shows or while shipping birds, it is a touching scene to view kids and older fanciers together with pigeons. Unique friendships bond young and old; it is amazing what pigeons are able to accomplish. Isn’t it?