All of the officers of National Block & Bridle hope your semester or quarter is going well, and that you will be able to join us at the 85^th National Convention in Denver this January.  Go to: www.blockandbridle.org and click on "General Information," then "Upcoming and Past National Conventions."  There you will see a link to the most current information for the Denver convention. Many thanks to Dr. Celina Johnson and her chapter (Colorado State University) for hosting the convention and for getting the information to everyone so far in advance.  The opening session is at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday, January 13^th, but there is an optional all-day ski trip on Thursday for those who choose to arrive on Wednesday evening.

You will also notice the new Code of Conduct Pledge on the National Block & Bridle website (above the convention information).  At the convention in San Antonio, 98% of the attendees were great, but there were 929 people attending, which means 2% is quite a few people.  Your national officers would like to emphasize that this is a professional convention, and the Code of Conduct Pledge will be required at all future conventions.  Hopefully this will make each convention an educational as well as enjoyable experience for all students and advisors.

Remember to bring your chapter's scrapbook to the national convention so it can be entered in the competition and so all chapters can share what they have been doing with each other.  The criteria for Scrapbook judging are on the website; click on "National Awards," then "Chapter Scrapbook Award Rules" for all the details.

If you are reading this newsletter, then you are most likely an active member or advisor in your chapter.  Thanks for all you do for Block & Bridle on your campus! I'd also like to thank the National Officers for their dedication and hard work: Dr. Cindy Wood, Dr. Nevil Speer, and Dr. Jodi Sterle.

We hope to see you in Denver!

The Colorado State University and University of Wyoming Chapters are working on providing an outstanding professional development event.  The headquarters hotel is the Hyatt Regency in lower downtown Denver.  The hotel is centrally located and within walking distance to the 16th Street Mall, home to lots of shopping areas and restaurants.

Registration will be open at noon on Wednesday, January 12, 2005 at the hotel.  Early Thursday morning will be a ski trip for those that want to ski at one of Colorado’s finest ski parks – Winterpark Ski Resort.  That evening we will kick off the convention with our motivational speaker, Mr. Jim Tunney, a former NFL referee.  Additionally, the University of Wyoming Chapter will be hosting an icebreaker to help meet members from other chapters.  Friday will be spent on tours or at the National Western Stock Show.  Friday night will provide the opportunity to enjoy Denver with a ‘Night on the Town’.  Saturday’s activities will include industry speakers, workshops, and a career fair, with the potential for job interviews, so bring your resume!!! We will conclude with the banquet and a dance that evening.

We are looking forward to a fun and productive convention and hope that you can join us.  Registration is $160 per person (due by November 1, 2004), but does not include hotel rooms.  Late registration (November 2 - December 15, 2004) will be $260. Absolutely no registrations will be accepted after December 15, 2004!

A block of rooms has been reserved at the Hyatt Regency Denver at the rate of $119 per person (plus ~ 13.5% sales tax).  The deadline to make reservations for rooms is December 13, 2004. When making reservations, be sure to mention that you are with the National Block and Bridle Convention to receive the discounted rate!  Contact the hotel at (303) 295-1234/(800) 233-1234 or www.denverregency.hyatt.com.

There are several items that must be completed and returned by November 1, 2004 (postmarked): Chapter Registration form, Code of Conduct Pledge, and Colorado State University Release.  If you have not received your packet or if you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact us: Celina Johnson, Advisor (celina.johnson@colostate.edu) or Justin Dodsworth, President (jdodsworth84@yahoo.com).  Feel free to visit our website at www.BandBDenver.com for additional information.

National Western Stock Show

As a reminder, we’ve included the following items from the yearly checklist; if your club hasn’t taken care of these details which are past due, please do so as soon as possible.  Additionally, there are some items included which are upcoming in the early part of the Spring semester that will need to be addressed.

Complete the Chapter New Member Report listing all of the new members to your club and submit it to the National Secretary with a check made out to the National Block and Bridle Club at $10.00 per member for lifetime dues as soon as you induct them into the local club. A membership certificate will be returned for each new member.

Additionally, please be certain that information regarding your chapter’s website address, advisors, and contact information are up-to-date. If they are not, please contact Nevil Speer, National Editor, so those can be updated.

Other things to do:

Your National Officers