March/April 2011, Daily News

Pre-Meet notes

By Gary Guccione   Sat, Apr 09, 2011

• All Meet attendees need to know where the action is on Tuesday event (Apr. 19). That’s the night of the Hall Of Fame Dinner/Auction, starting at 6 p.m. at the museum.  Some terrific items have already been consigned to the sale and can be found listed on the NGA’s website. Deadline for listing consignments and prizes, in order to make the printed catalog, is Sunday (Apr. 17) at 3 p.m. All proceeds from the event will go to the Hall Of Fame. Dinner will be by donation ($15 recommended) as it was last year. Don’t miss this fun event…!
• Another great social event—this a brand new one!—is scheduled for lunch on Thursday (Apr. 21), an hour or two after that morning’s finals. NGA Pres. Lester Raines is sponsoring a chuckwagon barbeque, starting at 12:15 p.m. at Brown’s Park, just south of Abilene. There’s no charge to the activity, and all meet attendees are invited….On the menu will be Smoked Bourbon Baby Back Ribs, with sides of cucumber & onion salad, country-style potato salad, corn on the cob, garlic bred, garden salad, with assorted butter cream bunt cakes for dessert (bottled water and ice tea also served)….Here’s another great opportunity to visit with greyhound friends during the meet in a very relaxed, open, atmosphere. Don’t miss it….
• Pre-Meet schooling starts this Sunday (Apr. 10) at 8:30 a.m. with a 55-race program. Those scheduled to school (with their respective number of races slated) are: Gordon Heath (5), Ken Brotherton (3), Michael Strickland (3), Steve Ward (12), Jeff Cole (3), Myrtle Erwin (6), Marty Tanner (7), Harland Olson (6), Gregorio Leyva (6) and Helen Stout (4)….Draw for Monday’s schooling was also held today (Friday), with 72 entrants: Kenny Allen (2), Rod & Sue Boatright (8), Ken Biehle (22), Peter Limmer (8), Alan Piper (9), Robert Lambert (2), Glenn Jones (7), Julie Ward (5), John Boyd (3), David Strong (3) and John Dalton (3)….Results from schooling events will be posted each day on the NGA website....
• Emceeing the Tim Leuschner Banquet on Wednesday evening during the Meet (Apr. 20) will be Bill Lee, former GM at racetracks in Colorado. Tickets for the event are on sale at the NGA office for $20 (get them early, as they'll be $24 at the door).
• Deadline for consigning in the Brood Stock Auction is now less than one week away.  Consignments need to be made no later than noon on Wednesday, Apr. 15....

By Gary Guccione

Gary joined the NCA staff in 1971 as Coursing News editor and has served as NGA Secretary-Treasurer since 1982, also coordinator of the American Greyhound Council, Inc. for the past decade. The last of his and lovely wife Terri's children will be on his way to KU this fall, while 12 grandkids scattered nationwide keep them busy on the homefront in Abilene. Contact info: garyg@ngagreyhounds.com