SOON DUES NOTICES WILL BE SENT FOR 2020.  NOW IS THE PERFECT TIME TO MAKE SURE ALL YOUR INFORMATION IS UP TO DATE.  ALL MAILINGS INCLUDING BLUEPRINTS ARE DRIVEN BY THE INFORMATION YOU ENTER IN OUR SYSTEM.

The United States Kerry Blue Terrier Club has migrated to a new website and membership management system.  This new system allows us to serve the membership better and provide many new features such as event entry and member photo albums of your Kerry Blues which can be shared with your friends.  Just as important it allows you to maintain your information assuring the very latest contact information is up to date.  That way you will not miss a single issue of Blue Prints as the mailing list comes from this system.

The first step is for you to login to the website and review your profile, set you privacy settings, and change your password.  Attached to this email are the step by step instructions on how to log-in and review your profile.  Simple click  LOGIN AND PROFILE INSTRUCTIONS-USKBTC.COM.pdf

To make sure we reach you with this important information we will be posting this email on the website, send it through the new system, and post on Facebook.  This is a critical first step and we want to make assure you get the information.

Please make sure that this email address:  webteam@uskbtc.com  is cleared through any spam/junk filters…it’s a good idea to add it to your address book should you have any questions.

We are all learning and we expect a bump or two in the road.  Please be patient as we learn together.

Regrettably, for personal reasons, both Ed Greer, our breeder Montgomery Concurrent Specialty Judge, and Anita Norman our West Coast Futurity Judge, have withdraw from their assignments. 

The Board of Governors has approved Margret Sieber to judge the Concurrent Specialty on Thursday following the Hatboro Kennel Club breed judging.

Melanie Fledges will replace Anita Norman as one of the Futurity judges. 

The USKBTC Board of Governors has posted the Rules governing the Haymarket Futurity and Maturity.  You can download the rules by going to US Club then Haymarket Futurity and Maturity in the sidebar.

Please note this one clarification in the rules.  If you nominated a litter previously but didn't show a particular dog from the litter in the Futurity that dog remains eligible for the Maturity as well as any dog you did show from the litter in Futurity.

No one was safe in the Checkerboard Cafe on Saturday night at KerryFest 2019 when our first annual Kerryoke Evening was held.  It was kicked off with a traditional tune by one of our judges Ron Ramsay followed by the irrepressibleConnie Robbins and her love for the Beatles!  

The evening continued until after 9PM...a new record for our Saturday evening hospitality.  Thanks to Nick Fletcher who queued up the tunes.

We do have an album....just too bad its not a "talkie."

Kerryoke 2019

The 2019 Challenge of Champions was a huge success.  The event was judged by Lloyd Booth, Nick Fletcher, and Bill Potter.  They chose as Best in Challenge GCh Cross the Rubicon Korvin Ray bred and owned by Dr. Natalia Kunze.  Best of Opposite Sex was Ch Kerrisels's Don't Believe Me Don't Watch bred and owned by Reita and Craig Nicholson.  The Peoples Choice was awared to GChS Sheep Creek Azule of Krisma owned by Jiece Rees, Jeanne & Louis Schaefer, and Lois Grier.

This event feature a buffet dinner and bar and provided a great opportunity for fellowship.  Here is an album of pictures you will enjoy chronicling the evening.

Challenge of Champions 2019 Album

Nick Fletcher, Chair of the USKBTC Judges Selection Committee has announced the following judges for the 2019 Haymarket Futurity/Maturity:

Cheryl Purcell, Julee Manahan, and Anita Norman

The Futurity will be held Saturday, October 5, 2019 at the Montgomery County Community College.  You will be able to nominate Litters as well as make entries on the USKBTC website under events.

The Judging Procedure and 2019 Judging Sheet are now available for download.  Simply click on the one you wish to review.  There is a change in the scoring this year with hindquarters/tail set being valued at 15 points and movement valued at 15 points.  Coat and color are now combined.

The 2019 KerryFest Brochure is now available for download.  It contains all the information you need to enter the Challenge of Champions, make Hospitality reservations, order T-Shirts, host hotels, etc.  Simply click HERE to download the brochure.

PLEASE NOTE....FOR T-SHIRTS ORDERS (use the Store), CHALLENGE OF CHAMPION ENTRY, AND HOSPITALITY (Use the Events Section of the Website) WE URGE YOU TO USE THE WEBSITE.  LINKS ARE IN THE BROCHURE TO HELP GUIDE YOU.

Each year we are fortunate to have one of our talented members to create a special print for the Haymarket Futurity.  This year Youlia created our print.  It is now available in our store under Futurity Prints and Artwork.

On October 5^th at the annual meeting/dinner over the Montgomery weekend, I had the pleasure to announce that the newly designed United States Kerry Blue Terrier website went live on October 1^st.  This is one of the many accomplishments during Melanie’s time as President of our club.

I would like to thank the Communications team – Melanie Feldges, Carl Ashby, Janie MacBryde, Reita Nicholson and Julee Manahan for their countless hours of hard work and dedication that they put into getting this site organized, updated and live!

I would like to recognize Carol Kearney for her many years as our club’s webmaster.  Carol was the prime mover in the creation of the original website.  Carol and Bill put in countless hours adding content and making the website user friendly.  We thank Carol and Bill for their efforts.

The USKBTC website is more than a website.  It is a membership management system that the Communications Committee will be sharing with everyone in the near future.  The membership management system will allow all members the ability to update their own contact information and will allow for more administrators of the data on the site. 

We have added a link to the Historical Archives (being created by Bob and Barb Beuter) as well as an Events calendar.   The new website is 90% of the way to completion.  The site will be much easier to maintain and update.  This will result in more frequent updates and new content being added on a regular basis.  While we have worked to eliminate broken links, out of date content, and no longer relevant information there is more work to do.  YOU are our proof readers and we have set up an email address for you to report issues.  Simply send an email to uskbtcweb@gmail.com.

We are looking for content.  If you come across an article or have written an article that you would like considered please send that to the same email address. 

Take a look and navigate around the new website.  I hope you like what you see.  We welcome your comments and suggestions so send them to uskbtcweb@gmail.com .

President

John J. Garahan