Do you remember the last time the ARBA National Convention and Show was in District 9? For those of you scratching your head, the answer is York, PA in 1976. Gerald Ford was president, we had quite a few less breeds in the ARBA, and folks were listening to ABBA for “pop” music. I am pleased to inform the members of ARBA’s second largest district that after approximately three decades, we have begun to set in motion the process of organizing, bidding, and hopefully hosting an ARBA National Convention & Show.

          The Mid Atlantic Rabbit & Cavy Shows (MARCS) was formed at the 86th ARBA Convention & Show in San Diego, CA. It is a cumulative effect of many individuals that have had the idea of bringing a convention back to the east coast (in particular District 9) for many years. Our target for hosting the convention will be in the next 3-5 years at the Pennsylvania Farm Show Complex in Harrisburg, PA. For those of you who have had the opportunity to visit the Farm Show Complex, many people exit the building admitting that “this place was designed to host an ARBA Convention.” We couldn’t agree more!

          Hosting an ARBA Convention is a monumental task and involves thousands of hours of planning before hand, during, and after the actual event. It will be a DISTRICT ENDEAVOR implying that we will be soliciting help from members across District 9. Leading this meteoric undertaking will be Brian Bell. For those of you who don’t know Brian, he is a large reason why the PaSRBA Convention is now one of the largest rabbit & cavy shows in the country.

          Beginning in 2010, MARCS will begin hosting benefit shows to start the process of generating funds for our treasury. This is a precedent set by many former convention hosting organizations. Leading this task will be Travis Finkle and Stacy Hindt from Maryland. Local clubs, state clubs, fairs, and specialty clubs in District 9 are welcomed to affiliate with MARCS for a fee of $25. Our goal is to evenly spread the shows across District 9 from the northeast to southeast. Many of the judges in our district have already indicated that they will be willing to judge pro bono for many of these benefit shows.

           It is important to realize that hosting this event is one that requires MANY volunteers. I urge you to contact us at your earliest convenience to indicate in what capacity you would like to serve on the association. The next 1-2 years will be focused on hosting benefit shows and determining convention personnel. Our bid will be presented 2 years prior to our target date so we need a strong, sound organization years before we intend to actually host the convention.

          It is my sincere pleasure to make this general announcement on behalf of MARCS. Like Brian, I have all too often suffered the “convention itch.” We have a wonderful group of talented, hardworking, and dynamic individuals in District 9. I leave you with the following:

 Jay E.Hreiz, VMD

District 9 Director