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Hanover,Ontario,Canada

Growers: I would like to inform you of the resignation of Mr. Hugh Wiberg and Mr. Tim Parks from the GPC Steering Committee. For those who don't know Mr. Joel Holland resigned last fall. These men have given valuable personal time to a concentrated effort to make the GPC what it is today. They deserve our heartfelt thanks. Two of the replacements will be Mr. Dick Wallace and Mr. Dave Stelts and we welcome them on board. The third member will be named in the near future. We are committed to keeping you informed about the GPC and hope to do it through Big Pumpkins. Please encourage our new team to work to the common goal of making the GPC a home for all growers. Dave McCallum and Pete Glasier other current Steering committee members

12/21/2004 4:18:05 PM

Ontario, Canada.

Please let me say Thank You to all at the GPC

12/21/2004 5:11:50 PM

Rocky-r@stny.rr.com

I would like to say congratulations, but I do have one question, and it is not meant to be disrespectful to the new committee members.

How are the new people chosen? Who is the main force behind the selections, and why aren't the Weigh off Sites in the GPC given a say in this process? These are my questions, from my personal status, and in no way reflect the PGPGA's feelings. I am just curious how it is chosen and why members like Tony Ciliberto, Larry Checkon, Marv Hicks, and so on are not part of or given thought to be on the steering committee.

If you care to answer privately, that would be great, if not, reply right here, thanks..

Concerned member of a GPC site.

Rocky Rockwell

12/21/2004 5:38:22 PM

On top of Brush Mountain, Pa.

In almost all of the organizations to which I have ever belonged, the membership always has had a voice in who would be filling open positions in the leadership. Usually there were nominations by a nominating committee and then a vote, democracy in action. With no disrespect to anyone, I wonder as well how the new members of the Steering Committee were selected. None of the Site Coordinators that I know of were involved and neither were any significant number of the members. The committee members who left were from Ohio and Massachusetts (Topsfield) and their replacements are from the same two sites/places as well, correct me if I am wrong. Why wasn't some consideration given to other GPC sites? There are about 23 of them. Just asking.. I have no interest in being one of the new committee members. Presently I am a Site Coordinator and that is more than enough for me.

Marv Meisner in Altoona, PA

12/21/2004 6:01:12 PM

Hanover,Ontario,Canada

Good Questions and I will pass that along. At present we are drafting a constitution that could take those things into consideration so your queries are timely. At present the nominees were picked by their predecesors but we will address the process in the future. It is important to have representation from across North America. We hope to have closer communication with all weigh-off sites. Dave McCallum

12/21/2004 6:30:14 PM

Indiana

Rock I was wondering the same thing. The only other question is how do we get the color rule changed? hehe Its almost Christmas and I haven't seen the color rule debate yet. I do like to hear that the GPC is drafting a constitution, before everything seemed to be shrouded in secrecy.
Steve

12/21/2004 6:54:20 PM

Rhode Island

My fellow growers
Let me say to all that are interested that i am a pumpkin grower first and foremost.
I am honored to take someones place that was directly responsible for the gpc being what it is today.
Had hughs health been better i would not be in this position today.
Having said that, rest assured my participation on this committe is to benefit each and every one of you.
Bringing in additional sites, improving our awards program, adjusting events to benefit each organization and in general, review and consider any and all suggestions from gpc sites and its membership are my goal
I look forward to serving
Private emails are welcome
Thanks
D.Wallace

12/21/2004 7:06:05 PM

Rocky-r@stny.rr.com

Thanks to all who replied, and mostly thankful for keeping the replies completely in line, light hearted and civilized. Happy Holidays to all in our wonderful bigpumpkins.com community.

12/21/2004 8:47:18 PM

Ctpumpkin@optonline.net

I spoke with Hugh a couple months ago. He seemed relieved & comfortable with his moving on. He seemed confident he was leaving his chair in good hands. Knowing Dick Wallace personally, I can honestly see why he feels this way.

Best wishes to those retiring.

I know they are leaving the GPC to good custodians.

12/21/2004 9:04:17 PM

should've been some kind of a vote for replacements

12/21/2004 9:49:07 PM

Puyallup, WA

I am pleasantly surprised that there are some growers here that actually care what the GPC does. What I usually hear at this site is not nearly so positive. In fact, it seems that most here wish the GPC would "dry up and blow away"!
Frankly, the members of this Board have been "put through hell" in the past two years! I, for one, am very grateful for the dedicated leadership of Hugh and the entire Board of Directors. It is a most difficult task attempting to please everyone in the AG growing community.

12/21/2004 10:56:13 PM

Pumpkintown, SC

On the outside looking in, it seems to me that less growers would have the "dry up and blow away" thoughts if they themselves had a hand in or were in some way involved in the selecting/voting process. This is just my generic thoughts on this topic and do not take any of these fine growers/selections into consideration. The philosophy is just a little "top-of-mind" down here...BF

12/21/2004 11:48:37 PM

Deer Park WA

GPC is a club like all of the others, if they want to appoint their leaders I say OK as Mr. Wallace and Mr. Stelts sure seem to know their shit, and are obviously masters in pumpkins. It would be great if we could have a General Pumpkin Commonwealth or whatever, made up of elected members from across the nation that held the grand poopah of events and was the Supreme Court in rules such as Pumpkin/Squash/Other decisions... I would join a Brotherhood like that We just need to network a little more and we will be there! BTW all you foreigners could join up too but may be required to pay a terrif for unfair advantage.

12/22/2004 12:05:17 AM

Puyallup, WA

I liken the GPC Board of Directors to the Supreme Court of the Untied States. One isn't elected to office based on a popularity contest. One earns the right to serve.

12/22/2004 12:08:13 AM

Pumpkintown, SC

Earning the right to serve DOES sound good. Maybe even better might be "guidelines for which ones earns the right" which in turn are voted on by all. Just thinking out loud, BF

12/22/2004 12:46:36 AM

ENGLAND

Gad's, You say.....BTW all you foreigners could join up too but may be required to pay a terrif for unfair advantage.

Please expand on your comment!!

12/22/2004 7:30:30 AM

Commack, NY

Here's a suggestion for the new members of the GPC.....how about a web site? or at the very least perhaps piggyback onto this one? An enormous organization, in this day and age SHOULD have some sort of an internet presence. it can only further our cause.

12/22/2004 8:52:25 AM

Waquoit Mass

dick and dave are two great choices for gpc positions but to me the gpc is a little like the kremlin you dont know whats going on till its done. in this day and age shouldnt the growers have a say in the running of gpc if the gpc wants support from the growers. here in boston we had a little thing called the boston tea party when there was no representation .

12/22/2004 8:54:51 AM

Northern Cambria, Pa.

From what I am reading it appears that some good people have been chosen for the GPC steering committee and I for one have confidence that all of the before mentioned issues will be addressed. This will be quite a task now that Hugh's leadership has passed on. I am hoping that operations will become a little more transparent and communications will be improved with possibly a web site to disseminate information.
Better two-way communication with site coordinators would certainly be a plus. Congrats to Dick and Dave and good luck.

12/22/2004 10:23:00 AM

Montoursville, PA

It is far easier, to start an organization, using the principles, of a Monarchy. If GPC is. to continue good works. with broader base support now some form, of democracy is in order. There appears enough activity and area members, to warrent representation. I cite one or more areas in Canada, One or more countries in Europe, three to five states or groupings of states in America.

Yes now is the time to begin providing a more representative leadership the honor, of GPC service consideration, for the purpose, of broader based decisions.

I see no major concern as this sport developed, to this point. We have had great and generous leaders who have held things together very well, in fact. My only concern would be the lack, of a representative consideration, from the growing areas, within the sport. Lack of representation breeds ill feelings and creates a power image disrespected just, on basic principle.

12/22/2004 11:41:32 AM

Waquoit Mass

well said doc. all pumpkin groups should take a second look at themselves . do they represent the growers that they serve do the growers have a say in what goeson in there respective groups .dictatorships dont work .

12/22/2004 12:37:10 PM

What exactly does the GPC do? What is its purpose? I'm not looking to start an argument here. Just looking for information.

12/22/2004 1:47:35 PM

Utah

GPC- They provide trustworthy methods and standards to weigh offs. They provide guidence and information to start up and new weigh-offs.

12/22/2004 2:13:33 PM

Team Munson

Fellow Growers,
As a newly appointed GPC steering committee member I am humbled to try and fill such big shoes that Tim Parks has left. The GPC has prospered and flourished under the astute leadership of Mr. Parks, Hugh Wiberg, and Joel Holland. Their leadership and selfless efforts will be missed, I thank them all for what they have given to the growers of the GPC community and wish them well in their future endeavors. I am looking forward to working with the other committee members as a team and thank our predecessors for the solid foundation they have laid before us to build on.
I would like to start and let all growers know that I pride myself on being proactive, a communicator, an inovator, and a listener. I will promise all of you that I will work tirelessly to address all concerns or issues in a timely manner. I also know that I can not please everyone but I will do my best to make sure the majority is represented. I will look forward to reading any and all suggestions and let you know there is a new day dawning in the GPC. Thank you for your time and support.
Dave Stelts

12/22/2004 2:45:58 PM

Deer Park WA

Pumpkin Mike, No offence intended I was trying to poke fun at some of the terriffs our government imposes on products imported from other Countries...

12/22/2004 2:57:53 PM

ENGLAND

Gad's. No Offence taken buddy, your above explanation makes sence but we too face problems with having to pay over the top for products that you guys can just buy off of the shelf at you garden stores etc. Works both ways really.

12/22/2004 4:00:33 PM

Connecticut, USA

We are in talks now with the GPC to give them a web presence.

This will aid in getting out announcements and general communications. As well, we would like to address AGitated's question by provide information about the GPC, what it does.

John

12/23/2004 1:03:27 PM

we already have "GPC NEWS" under general discussion, however it doesn't get much play.

12/23/2004 7:05:12 PM

Rhode Island

agitated

the gpc was formed back in 1987 by a group of four men for the sole purpose of providing a home base ( if you will ) where individual gpc sites could weighoff in competition against one another

these recorded weights could be channeled back to gpc headquarters at the end of weighoffs for comparison results and placement of awards within the gpc

there were originally four sites with the four gpc steering committee members also acting in the dual roll of site coordinators
they were tom norland, tim parks,hugh weiberg and howard dill
presently the gpc has 22 sites and an eye toward adding many more over the coming months

we are in the process of retooling with several issues on the table for the committe to discuss
issues such as length of service for steering committee members will also be discussed along with several very important changes to the way the gpc conducts business

contrary to some beliefs, it is a slap in the face to all who have served over the years when references are made comparing the gpc to the kremlin and/or a dictatorship
these people spent countless hours working for all pumpkin growers so that we could have whats available to us today

do we need better communication back to the clubs ?, you betcha
do we need input from the clubs yes, and im in favor of some form of improved two way communication

but we also need workers
people that walk it as well as they talk it

thanks to all for hearing me out
i look forward to your emails and will take all suggestions and pass them along

dick wallace

remember folks, we are only growing and showing pumpkins, we are not a large corporation or stock holdings company

12/24/2004 12:07:33 AM

Indiana

I am happy to see communication happening already I ask several of these questions last year and never got a response to anything.
Steve

12/24/2004 9:59:06 AM

Ctpumpkin@optonline.net

It might be worth considering that we have several overlapping generations here. One rarely if ever uses email or computers. Another that is in transition. And yet another that is more likely to check emails than answer a ringing telephone.

Between the cost of long distance charges & the liklihood of taking a telemarketer, many folks just don't use phones.

Likewise all it takes is some spam, a slow dial-up modem or an email worm to turn someone off to emails & the internet.

*HOW* folks communicate (& how frequently) is at least partly affected by individual personality & age. Thus one persons idea of good communication might seem pathetic to someone else.

We are all individuals. Multi-media communications (postal mail, email, internet, &/or telephone) is the only way to make everyone happy. But it takes quite a bit of time, energy, money & planning to utilize all these forums & still deliver a complete & consistant message.

If the GPC were to start communicating exclusively by internet posts, believe me that there would be some members who would have a problem with it. Fewer all the time. But some just the same.

12/24/2004 10:16:14 AM

Waquoit Mass

questioning leadership is a right of all members of a club.if members dont feel they have a say in there club they will not work for the club . thats only human naturei was president of the cape cod club and a director of nepga i was a worker and cosider the remarks torward me a slap in the face.not a very good way to bring everyone together .

12/24/2004 11:47:18 AM

On top of Brush Mountain, Pa.

The past is just that, the past. It would be nice if we could all just work together toward some common goal. There are so few of us that it serves no positive end to be doing any bickering. The past is how we got to where we are. People had to make decisions. Any time decisions are made there will be unhappiness on behalf of some. That is just how it is. The long term goals though make it worthwhile to forgive and forget. The only way to never make a mistake is to never make a decision. The old leadership did the best they could do and I feel they did a pretty good job. Now we are reorganizing and we will have new leadership and new direction. Let's give it a chance. Negativity accomplishes nothing. Positive input helps. Lets hear more about what people want and less about what they don't want. If you don't want people in leadership positions for a lifetime, be in favor of term limits. If you feel a few people have done more than they should have, then support a more democratic process. But don't go after the people who got us where we are. They worked hard and did the best they knew how. A prime example of someone who got "put down" is Ray Waterman and despite his many vocal critics he did a lot to get pumpkin growing where it is today. Let's honor the leadership of the past and get on with moving into the future. Negativity is a terribly destructive thing. It hurts everyone. Negativity directed at individuals is very damaging and becomes personal and is inexcusable in this format. It is even worse when the critic is ill informed. My two cents worth.

12/24/2004 12:05:59 PM

Indiana

I hope everyone isnt taking my comments as negative they were meant to be positive.
Steve

12/24/2004 1:47:25 PM

Fremont, California

Another question: how does one become a member of the GPC?

12/26/2004 8:49:29 PM

Commack, NY

Dashbarr.........excellent question. There is no "official" place to become a member of the GPC. When you bring your fruit to a GPC weighoff, and you pay your $15, then you're in........for that particluar year anyway. Im wondering if this will change with the new proposed leadership. We will all just have to wait and see. I believe that the closest answer to your question would be the New England giant pumpkin growers. They have a newsletter, although my membership seems to have terminated without as much as a "hey you need to pay your dues to remain a member reminder". I think once the upper management gets organized they're will be more on the topic.

12/27/2004 8:37:18 AM

Indiana

I thought the GPC was just a "site" type membership not individual.

12/27/2004 9:54:48 AM

Ohio

From what I understand, there is a site fee for each weighoff site and this enters all pumpkins weighed at that site into the GPC statistics. People weighing their pumpkins at the site do not have to be GPC members. To join the GPC in the past you sent an application and money to Hugh Wiberg. I guess that will all change now. In order to become a weighoff site you needed to apply to and be accepted by the GPC to become an official site. I am unaware of the criteria that must be met to become a weighoff site. That may change in the future as well. The GPC was never about money. They were never a high budget organization. The monies they raised by site fees mostly went toward the prizes they offered.

12/28/2004 6:48:46 PM