Greetings POWA Members,
In light of recent news and developments regarding the COVID-19 outbreak, I wanted to send an update regarding our upcoming POWA conference scheduled for May 14-17, 2020 in Grantville, PA.
Please know the health and safety of our members is a top priority. The POWA board of directors convened by conference call Sunday night and was in constant contact the past three days over email in an effort to make the best, most-informed decision possible regarding the status of our annual conference and meeting. Given the uncertainty of where things will go (both globally and within the Commonwealth) over the next few months, weeks and even days, we felt it most appropriate to postpone to a later date.
Our decision did not come lightly, and from a logistical standpoint, it would’ve been much easier to hold the conference as planned. However, due to extreme health concerns and the threat of a forced cancellation potentially causing us to lose money on our contract, we felt it was in the best interest of our organization to simply move the program date with no penalty incurred.
Executive Director Paula Piatt and I spoke with our host hotel this week to explore all possible options, and they were very accommodating and supportive of this request. Our new conference date is scheduled for August 27-30.
We realize this may inconvenience some members who were planning to attend in May, but on the other hand, we also now may have some people join us who otherwise wouldn’t have been able to do so. Given the sizable population of “high-risk” individuals within our membership, our leadership team feels this is the most responsible thing we can do.
Obviously, the reschedule might impact some of the activities I have previously arranged, but rest assured, I will continue to work tirelessly to line up quality outdoor experiences and newsmakers for our attendees. It actually might be exciting to take advantage of some new activities a different time of year has to offer.
An update on conference details will be provided in the summer edition of PowWow, so please stay tuned for more information. If you’ve already registered and no longer can attend, please reach out to Paula for a refund. If you still plan to attend, we can hold your registration for the new date.
Please note that our standard rollover of officers will still take place this May, but the Excellence in Craft Awards and annual membership meeting will be held for the fall conference date. Our Henry Rifle Raffle drawing also will be live-streamed on our Facebook page as previously scheduled for May 16.
You will soon be receiving the ballots for the changes in the Constitution and ByLaws and the election of POWA officers and board of directors. There are also several tickets for the Henry rifle in the packet so you can participate in that raffle. Please send the money and the ticket stubs back with your ballots.
We appreciate your patience and understanding as we navigate unchartered territory with this pandemic. I hope you’ll still consider joining us at our newly scheduled conference and take advantage of the many excellent opportunities we’re working so hard to provide for our valued POWA members.
Respectfully,
Tyler Frantz
POWA President and 2020 Conference Chair
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