The AERC Convention was not only educational but it was a lot of fun! Sorry if you were not able to attend. The speakers were great -- it was hard to take it all in without taking a lot of notes. We were entertained during the dance with country and patriotic music by Rockie Lynne and his band, who made the trip up from Nashville, Tennessee, as a favor to his good friend, AERC member and veterinarian Anne Christopherson. We were also serenaded by a crazy song, sung by Grace Ramsey and back-up singer Valerie Kanavy -- you would have had to been there to understand.

It seemed that all the seminars and hot topic meetings were well attended and we received a lot of useful information. We owe a debt of gratitude to all of our knowledgeable speakers. Thank you very much for giving us your time and knowing your subjects well.

The trade show, though it was smaller than trade shows out west, was chocked full of most items that we just canŐt live without. Our vendors did a good job bringing their products to us.

We had a wonderful awards banquet that was run very efficiently by Laura Hayes and John Parke. Angie McGhee even entertained us for a few minutes.

I am very grateful to our AERC office staff, Kathleen, Judy, Troy, Suzi and Rho, and their family members, who worked tirelessly with cheerful attitudes thoughout the convention behind the scenes.

Officer elections

The open AERC meeting was held on Saturday. In this meeting elections are held for our officers and then members have an opportunity to ask questions of the board of directors members in an open forum. The officers in our organization are decided by votes from our board members.

I feel honored to be your new president of the AERC. I will have some pretty big shoes to fill following Mike Maul but I am sure he will be willing to help anytime he is asked as he is still an important member of the board.

I am excited to have Laura Hayes serving as vice president as she has endless energy in everything she commits to. She has done a wonderful job chairing the Welfare of the Horse Committee and will continue in the position.

Jan Stevens has once again taken on the task of secretary of the organization. I have no idea how she keeps up with the minutes yet can become involved in the discussion at the same time. We are all glad she decided to continue with the job.

The treasurer is Roger Taylor, who has worked closely with his wife, Sue, who has also served on the Finance Committee, and our past treasurer, Patti Pizzo. It is good to have an experienced person like Roger in this position in these uncertain economic times. I really appreciate that he stepped up to this position and I look forward to working with him. I am also thankful that Patti has agreed to stay on in assisting Roger on the Finance Committee.

Committees

At each convention the committees have a chance to meet face to face with their committee members as well as any other interested persons. This is the place to start if you would like to get more involved. It can be fun and as well as rewarding. If you would like to get involved in a committee, give the chair of the committee a call or send an e-mail; we are always looking for dedicated members.

It was great seeing everyone who attended the convention. Hope to see you out on the trail soon.

I am looking forward to serving you and AERC this coming year. Please do not hesitate if I can assist you in any way.