Sunday, March 08, 2009
Group aims at reviving Roanoke NWTF chapter
Mark Taylor
Mark Taylor's Outdoors column and notebook appears regularly in The Roanoke Times.
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The mood was upbeat and jovial on a recent evening when a half-dozen turkey enthusiasts got together in Roanoke.
The group aims to revive the Roanoke Valley chapter of the National Wild Turkey Federation, and it was encouraging to see their positive mood in the wake of a couple down years for the organization in Roanoke.
Within the NWTF, chapters are defined by fundraising banquets. Although they met for the first time on Jan. 8, the volunteers already have a banquet in the works.
The event is set for April 2 in Roanoke.
And, already, things are looking better than the most recent banquet, an event in the summer of 2007 that drew fewer than 30 attendees.
"There's no way to go but up," said a chuckling Carson Irvine, one of the committee's founding members.
Organizers say they already have commitments for several corporate tables. They just got their individual tickets and have gotten busy selling those, too.
Irvine was recruited by Billy Hall, a longtime NWTF volunteer leader who became the regional director in this area in late 2007.
A native of Buena Vista who has lived in Roanoke about 20 years, Irvine knew Hall from NWTF activities in the Rockbridge County area.
"I said we want to get something going in Roanoke," said Hall, who was at that recent Roanoke meeting. "He said, 'I'll get you a group.'"
Committee members include Irvine's brother, Chris, as well as Roanoke attorney Tom Roe.
Roe has never hunted turkeys before -- he plans to start this spring -- but is already the group's top ticket seller.
The Roanoke Valley chapter of the NWTF was once among the organization's flagship groups, with annual banquets drawing as many as 350 people and raising tens of thousands of dollars for the NWTF.
But the chapter began to struggle as some key volunteers who had grown weary of the efforts to organize the annual banquets were unable to find new volunteers eager to step in and take over.
The formation of several new chapters near Roanoke, such as in Botetourt County and at Smith Mountain Lake, also lured some longtime Roanoke chapter supporters away.
With Roanoke support lacking, the committee for the 2007 banquet was headed by NWTF members from out of the Roanoke area, and those volunteers had trouble connecting with the valley's turkey enthusiasts.
Even with the energy of a new core group of local volunteers, reviving the Roanoke Valley chapter will be challenging, especially given the tough economic atmosphere.
But the banquet's location could provide a nice boost.
The event will be held at Corned Beef and Co., a restaurant/night spot in downtown Roanoke that is hardly the typical wildlife conservation banquet venue.
"It kind of cracks me up," Carson Irvine said of the location. "But we were thinking, 'Let's do something different.'"
To secure exclusive use of the place, the group had to set the event for a Thursday night.
The venue could make for a more social setting. For example, the live auction will be carried on the Corned Beef and Co.'s closed-circuit TV system. That way, bidders can follow the action from other rooms and return to bid on items of interest.
Tickets for the event are $55 for individuals and $80 for couples, with $35 of the cost covering an NWTF membership. The ticket covers the meal and includes four drink tickets.
Crystal Hockenberry, a manager at Sportsman's Warehouse, is serving as the point of contact for ticket sales. Her number at the store is 366-9700.
The committee, which is still looking for more volunteers, will next meet at Sportsman's Warehouse at 6:30 p.m. Thursday.
Area schools shine in archery competition
Archery teams from Hidden Valley High School and Northside Middle School won their divisions in last weekend's National Archery in the Schools state championship tournament in Fishersville.
Hidden Valley squeaked by defending champion Warwick High School by a score of 2,972 to 2,931. Franklin County High School was third, with 2,759 points.
All three teams scored high enough to qualify for the national championships, to be held in Louisville, Ky., in May.
Titan shooters swept the top three individual places in the tournament. Wayne Veldsman was the overall winner, followed by Tay Whiteside and Brad Hugus.
Jessica Williams of Salem placed second among high school girls.
In the middle school division, Northside dominated to win its second straight title.
Paced by the top three individual boys, Daniel Feivor, Corey Besase and Will Echols, Northside's 2,714 points were more than 500 points better than runner-up Chickahominy.
Northside also had two of the top three middle school girls, with Becca Lester winning and Amanda Cosgrove third.
Last year's state tournament was a virtual event, with archers shooting for score at their schools. This was the first head-to-head tournament.
Hidden Valley coach Lisa Sink-Morris said her team and Northside Middle School's team have already started fundraising efforts to help cover the costs of traveling to the national tournament.
