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Rhode Island

A SIMPLE SET OF GUIDLINES TO OUR SNGPG SUCCESS.

1. WE ELECTED OFFICERS WHO WERE MOTIVATED TOWARD SUCCESS. LEADERS NOT FOLLOWERS. PEOPLE WHO WOULD HAVE THE MOTIVATION TO SEE THINGS THROUGH AND HAVE THE BETTERMENT OF THE GROUP AHEAD OF ANY PERSONAL GAIN.
2. WE HELD MEETINGS AND INFORMATIONAL SEMINARS TO BUILD GROWER STRENGTH AND TEAM WORK.EVERYONE LIKES TO WIN HOWEVER, WHEN ONE IN THE GROUP WINS ? WE ALL WIN.
3. PROMOTED OUR OWN SEED STOCKS. IF YOU GET BEHIND ONE SEED IN YOUR GROUP THAT SHOWS POTENTIAL IT CAN OPEN THE DOOR FOR MANY GOOD THINGS TO FOLLOW.
4.WE HAD A MAJOR SPONSOR FOR OUR WEIGH-OFF, BUT SECONDARY SPONSORS WERE SOUGHT OUT, OFTEN TIMES SUPPLY FORK LIFTS,SCALES ETC.
5.IF YOUR GOING TO PUBLISH A NEWSLETTER MAKE SURE ITS LOADED WITH USEFULL INFORMATION . NOT JUST PICTURES AND STATISTICS.
6. WE SHARED OUR SUCCESS WITH ALL MEMBERS. AS OUR CLUB BUILT RESOURCES WE WERE ABLE TO OFFER MORE TO OUT OF AREA MEMBERS. EXAMPLE- MEMBERS ONLY FIRST ON OUR PROMOS.
7. PROMOTE YOUR CLUB WITH BUMPER STICKERS AND WINDOW DECAL.
8. LASTLY ? IT WAS EXTREMELY IMPORTANT TO KEEP OUR CLUBS IMMAGE STRONG. AVOID CONFRONTATION AT ALL EXPENSE. NOTHING HURTS AN ORGANIZATION MORE THAN ARGUMENTS AT THE WEIGH-OFFS OR DISENTION IN THE RANKS.
IF YOU HAVE A BAD APPLE OR TWO IN THE BUNCH? ASK THEM TO STEP ASIDE BEFORE ITS INFECTS THE ENTIRE ORGANIZATION.
MANY ORGANIZATIONS HAVE BEEN DESTROYED BY HATRED AND CONTROVERSY.
9. WE FOUND OUR CORE GROUP OF GROWERS AND WORKED TOGETHER. ALL FOR ONE AND ONE FOR ALL IS NOT JUST A SAYING ITS THE WAY WE CONDUCT OUR BUSINESS.
AFTER ALL IT REALLY IS "ONLY AN PUMPKIN" YOUR FRIENDS WUILL BE AROUND LONG AFTER THE PUMPKIN IS IN THE COMPOST HEAP.
"THE TRIP IS FAR MORE IMPORTANT THAN THE ARRIVAL"
10. TRAVEL IN PACKS "LOL" WE REALLY ENJOY TRAVELING LIKE A BAND OF MERRY MEN(AND LADIES OF COURSE) TO SEVERAL GIANT PUMPKIN WEIGH-OFFS EVERY YEAR.

THANKS
PAP

2/22/2008 7:54:14 AM

[email protected]

Words for clubs to live by.

2/22/2008 8:12:56 AM

Www.extremepumpkinstore.com

amen

2/22/2008 8:30:06 AM

Farmville, Virginia ([email protected])

Thanks for the advise Pap. Here in Virginia we are in the beginning stages of organizing our club. These are valuable tips!

2/22/2008 8:40:42 AM

Little-TON - Colorado

Thanks Paps....this will become part of our mantra....

2/22/2008 8:49:09 AM

Somers, CT

Good advice and sadly only gained by experience most of the time. My truck does wear it's window decal proudly and gets some comments at times. If anyone ever can get to the RI patch tour or one of their events, it is well worth it. All members are more than willing to share their information, experiences (and beer in the Pumpkin Shack).

2/22/2008 9:36:48 AM

Ohio

11. ANY GROWER WHO GROWS GIANT PUMPKINS IN ANY STATE OR FORIEGN COUNTRY ARE WELCOME TO SLEEP AT RON AND PAPS PUMPKIN SHACK, AS LONG AS YOU GROW GIANT PUMPKINS THEY REALLY DONT CARE HOW LONG YOU STAY,,,

Pap from reading that Backyard Gaints book you have a regualr ol motel going up there in RI,,,,lmao!

2/22/2008 10:29:47 AM

Somers, CT

I hear somebody dropped a few 1068 seeds behind the conter at one of the club meetings and forgot to pick them up.

2/22/2008 1:40:19 PM

Bristol,RI,USA.

Pap is the hart beat of our club (and you can see y) but our group is the life beat of the sport for me! I don’t want to ever let them all down it keeps me working hard to make them proud! Pap I would follow you to battle! Sepa Fi

2/22/2008 1:57:10 PM

Rhode Island

brooks
the last time the ovgpg gang slept in the pumpkin shack the place looked like a turkish bath house. stelts had so much body hair he did not even need a bed cover. then ? when i peeked out my door earky am all i could see was the sun shining off werners bald head-lol
bets of times for sure

from one jarhead to another mike thanks for the honorable mention
now i know why i still line my shoes up in the closet fourty five years after the fact. we never forget

pap

2/22/2008 5:27:37 PM

Boulder County Colorado USA planet Earth

Diffently can tell someone was in the military. lol

2/22/2008 6:03:22 PM

Ontario

We at the GVGO seem to do everything differently. It seems to just be falling into place naturally with people stepping up and chipping in what they can. Of course we had the advantage of the Port Elgin group to help out right from the start. Things are working out well so far with a growing membership (about 250 this year) that seems to grow yearly. I think the luckiest thing we have got going for us is our President (hopefully for life) Phil Hunt. If I had any word of advice for any other club it would be to deligate work. Make sure too few people aren't doing all the donkey work.Try to invole as many members as possible and give credit where credit is due.

2/23/2008 10:34:35 AM