[Bristol-Birds] BBC 2012 picnic has excellent crowd and record 98 degrees

From: "Wallace Coffey" <jwcoffey@xxxxxxxxxx>
To: "Bristol-birds" <bristol-birds@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Date: Sun, 8 Jul 2012 01:10:24 -0400




















 Led by the grill crew of Chef Faye Wagers, sister-in-law Patricia Wagers and 
John Kelly,
 members of the Bristol Bird Club put on a sizzling picnic at Steele Creek 
Park, Saturday.
 It was a presentation fit for a NBC Today Show food segment along with the 
dazzling array of 
 recipes  and sumptuous dishes by the cooks of BBC.

 A large turnout of birders came from across the region under a July sun that 
cooked 
33 birders and guest.  With two large wall thermometers put up to track the 
temperature,
BBC recorded a high of 98 degrees at the picnic shelter.  The heat index or 
'feels like' 
temperature was a100 degrees.  The record high was 97 in 1988.

Sprits were high all day and many birders stayed for the duration of the 
six-hour event
which BBC members believe set an all-time record high temperature for any 
region bird
club picnic.  The event cleared the picnic shelter at 8:58 p.m. and it was neat 
as a pin.

The turnout was well short of the 44 birders who showed up for the club's 
record high picnic
event in 2009.

BBC had five fans running throughout the shelter and surrounding area and five 
ice water
stations which were heavily used.  The club had coolers stationed in the 
shelter area and
at all convenient locations with ice and bottle water which was very cold.  
Members consumed
52 bottles of ice water provided by BBC in additions to many bottles of water 
and other drinks 
they brought on their own.  One experiment included a new thistle feeder bag 
filled with ice 
cubes and passed around for entertainment as it melted ice water out the side.

A banner flag flew off the front of the picnic shelter with a snowman on it and 
the words "Let it
Snow, Let Snow."

Lois Cox, Bristol
Bird Club's 63rd 
elected president 
took the leadership 
of BBC as the
club's 25th woman president. Her first
official duty was to
lead the gathering in
saying grace. Wallace Coffey completed his 
2011-12 term as 

president -- his fifth term.

Some of the surprising guest included Chris O'Bryan who drove in six hours from 
his graduate
research station in the Carolina coastal plains.  

Kevin Hamed and wife, Misty Hamed, were 
back with us.  He was the first ever full-time 
staff naturalist and manager of the Steele 
Creek Nature Center and opened the doors 
and provided amazing leadership for seven 
years before joining the faculty at Virginia 
Highlands Community College.  The Hamed's
had their beautiful daughter Maddie which 
was a crowd-loving favorite all evening. 
Kevin and Misty are former members of BBC
who use to participate in the club's Christmas
parties and other events -- including the Bristol
Christmas Bird Counts.

Others visitors were David Kirschke and daughter and Larry McDaniel of the 
Steele Creek
Park Nature Center staff.  Kathleen Britts and Jen Conners of Fairfax Station, 
Va in Northern
Virginia were also able to attend.  They have become active members of BBC in 
recent 
years and usually make the club's special events.  They have a family farm in 
Shady Valley.

The picnic was special in many ways and mainly because there were many ample 
hours to
sit and get caught up as well as share so much of our lives beyond birding.

This year marked the 46th year that Carolyn Coffey has 
been attending BBC picnics, dating back to the late 1960's 
when it was a Sunday afternoon event at the cabin home of Margaret Pflug and 
Marion Clark when the women came in 
heels and the men mostly wore suits.
Once again Janice Martin did the shopping for food, meats,
drinks and much of the vital items needed for the picnic.
She has been taking care of these important responsibilities
for many years.  We appreciate the great effort she and 
husband Fred make.

Those attending the picnic were: Wilma Boy, Kathleen Britts, Mary Clark, Ruth 
Clark, Carolyn Coffey,
Wallace Coffey, Jen Conners, Lois Cox, Mary Jane Erwin, Kevin Hamed, Misty 
Hamed, Maddie Hamed,
John Hay, Jackie Hinshaw, Sheri Hiter, Laverne Hunter, Tom Hunter, John Kelly, 
Rick Knight, Roy Knispel, Dave Kirschke, Kirschke's daughter, Fred Martin, 
Janice Martin, Larry McDaniel, Chris O'Bryan,
Charles Powell, Judy Roach, Michele Sparks, Faye Wagers, Patricia Wagers, Dave 
Worley and
Diana Worley.
[Bristol-Birds] BBC 2012 picnic has excellent crowd and record 98 degrees

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