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2010-11_Report-District 4 

Submitted by Webmaster on   4/16/2012
Last Modified

DISTRICT 4 DIRECTOR’S ANNUAL REPORT

May 1, 2010 – July 31, 2011

District #4
Director _Mort Gamble

    1. How many new members from your district joined C.F.A. during the past year? (Check the new member listings in the last six issues of WHITE TOPS.)     5 new, 1 reinstated

    2. List all active Tents in your District during the past year. (An active Tent should have officers and conduct a minimum of one activity during the year.) Please include a listing of officers for each active Tent.  Emmett Kelly Tent No. 41—Ed Meals, President; Andy Bakner, Secretary-Treasurer. Note: This Tent’s officers determined that placing it on hiatus pending reorganization was advisable as of the spring of 2011.  Rudy and Erna Rudynoff Tent has relocated to Florida by vote of membership. A new Tent, the John Ringling North II/Steve and Ryan Tent, Baltimore, MD, was formed in the spring of 2011 with Mr. North, Steve Copeland, and Ryan Combs signing as inaugural members. President Maxine House attended the kickoff of the Tent on the Kelly Miller Circus lot on May 29, 2011.

    3. List any new Tents in your District during the past year. Please include a listing of officers.
    
    See above reference to new Tent for Baltimore area.

    4. List the State Chairpersons in your District.           Edward Meals, Maryland

    5. List any State Tops active in your District during the past year. (An active Top should conduct a minimum of one activity during the year.) Please include a listing of officers for each active Top.

    6. List outstanding activities or accomplishments by Tents, Tops, or members in your District during the past year.  Annual Emmett Kelly Tent banquet featuring Evi Kelly Lentz as special guest speaker. CFA photo contest results announced at this banquet (one of the largest contests ever with many photo submissions). The Tent also continued its philanthropic activities, making grants to several circus youth troupes and the OABA. Individual visitations by members to various shows including Kelly Miller, Lewis & Clark, Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey, Hanneford, Walker Bros., Cole Bros., Shrine show (Wheeling, WV). Hosting of Kelly Miller Circus personnel, Hancock, Maryland (with Forepaugh-Lubin Tent). Members participated in Circus Week Altoona 2011. Participation in OABA pin fundraising promotion. Mort Gamble, District Director, continued to serve as national director of PR for CFA and chair of White Tops Policy Committee. Member of other Tents around the nation. Support provided to Feld Entertainment during Charleston, WV, stand of Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey (monitoring protests and WV Legislature elephant legislation).
   
    7. List awards or positive publicity achieved by any Tents, Tops, or members in your District during the past year. Mort Gamble gave presentations on the circus including Bethany College and Wellsburg library, Wellsburg, WV. Maintained CFA website and worked with Cindy Pagel to launch Facebook for CFA; continued to monitor Forepaugh-Lubin Tent Facebook. Worked closely with other committees including Membership, White Tops Policy Committee, etc. Attended Grand Rapids convention in Michigan, MC’ed Altoona holiday banquet and Circus Week Altoona events, and spent two weeks in Sarasota, December-January, visiting with circus people and touring attractions. Mort Gamble wrote regular PR column for White Tops. Evi Kelly Lentz was the speaker for the annual Emmett Kelly banquet October 16 at Hagerstown. Mort presented proposal for Circus4Youth/AYCO video production reflecting Circus Youth activities (proposal courtesy of Jim Cole) at Grand Rapids convention. This production was completed.

    8. List suggestions, comments, or complaints that should be brought to the attention of the Board of Directors of C.F.A.   Declining membership/participation is very much an issue. The Emmett Kelly Tent, once one of the premiere CFA Tents, saw declining involvement to the extent that the Tent voluntarily went on hiatus as of spring 2011. Another, the Rudynoff Tent, relocated to Florida. West Virginia, traditionally a circus-friendly state, has seen limited numbers of shows appearing, and has minimal Circus Fan activity. The formation of the new Baltimore Tent, however, is a hopeful sign.

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