By Steve Weisman
With the goal of Celebrate the Past; Educate Our Future,” the Fur Takers of America will be holding their 57th National Convention Rendezvous) at the Clay County Fairgrounds on July 25-27. According to Mike Mazur, instructor and director of the Fur Takers of America College, and also known in northwest Iowa for his many years in the fur trade market in Spirit Lake, “My wife, Kari and I decided to put this Rendezvous together and make it a weekend long event that would to showcase the fur industry to a wide range of the general public. We are expecting to have over 2,000 people in attendance over the weekend.”
The Rendezvous actually kicks off on Thursday evening with a free concert by FarmRock, a highly popular group out of northcentral Iowa. Cost for the three-day event is $10 for adults with veterans and kids under 12 free of charge. In addition, camping with full hookup will cost $40 per night and $25 per night for primitive camping. For those coming from out of town, special rates have been secured from local hotels.
Mazur says, “We’ve tried to make this a great and memorable weekend at the best price possible.” The family-friendly event will then kick off on Friday at 8 a.m., with demonstrations occurring each hour through 4 p.m. Saturday’s format will be the same.
“This will also be a great time to wander around and browse through over 75 different vendors. This will all take place in the climate-controlled Events Center.”
You can see the daily times and demonstrations below:
Friday demos (subject to change):
8:00 Robert Waddell & Jared Heldt …………………… Professional Canines
9:00 Ron & Becky Peters ………………………………….. ADC Cage Trapping
10:00 Jenna Malinowski & Sarah Gomez ………………Beaver, Coon, Muskrats, Mink
11:00 AJ & Keith Arvin …………………………………… Midwest Coyotes
12:00 Leon Windschitl, Ben Deters & Justin Stiens. Skinning and Fur Handling
1:00 Dean Bartz & Mike Fisher …………………………. Beaver and Otters
2:00 Alan Probst & Bill Duke ……………………………. Walk-through Canine Set and Equipment
3:00 Stu Miller & Justin Deaver ………………………… Professional Raccoon
4:00 Next Gen Trapper & Iowa Trapper ……………. How To Organize a Trapline
Saturday demos (subject to change):
8:00 Cory VanDriel & Dan Stout……………………….. Beavers
9:00 Doug McKenzie & Adam Tilly…………………… ADC and Skunks
10:00 Paul Antczak & Justin Baucom ………………. Eastern vs. Western Coyotes
11:00 Nickie Schwartz & Roy Bulwan ………………..
12:00 Leon Windschitl, Ben Deters & Justin Stiens..Skinning and Fur Handling
1:00 Gary Jepson & E.J. Kelley ………………………….. Coyotes
2:00 Justin Wasylciw & Corey Grover ……………….. Canadian Snaring and Wolves
3:00 Ron & Denton Leggett ……………………………… Canines
4:00 Gerald Schmitt & Mike Anderson ……………….. Professional Water Line
Special events
- Friday night: The Fur Fashion Show, followed by the Awards Banquet Dinner and National Council Meeting
- Saturday night: Free meal for all in attendance and live auction
- Sunday morning: Hall of Fame roundtable beginning at 8:30 a.m., with Trapping Hall of Famers: Major Boddiker, Gary Jepson, Ron Leggett and Robert Waddell
Special guests
Yes, there will be very special guests on hand with three members of the Mountain Men program (on History Channel since its debut in 2012) coming to the Clay County Fairgrounds! Paul Antczak, Bret Bohn and Ivy O’Guinn will be on hand both Friday and Saturday, with special question and answer, time for autographs and special stories on Friday at 3 p.m., and Saturday at 11 a.m.
A little background
Antczak started trapping in 1977 in Wisconsin. Fur trapping was always his passion. In the winter, he would state hop to trap fur and has been actively teaching about the importance of trapping as a conservation tool for over 25 years. In 2012, Antezak moved to Montana to live off the grid and better target fur and wolves. A cast member of the “Mountain Man Show,” he is happy he can tell the trappers’ side of the story on TV.
Meanwhile, Bret and Ivy recently married and are a true Alaska outdoor power couple with both born and raised in Alaska. They are still learning how to operate in each other’s worlds, but they’re always up for a challenge and adventure in the wild, and Alaska always has plenty of both to offer.
Mazur anticipates the Mountain Men time slots will be extremely popular events. “The Mountain Men program has been on the History Channel for well over a decade. This will be a great opportunity to be able to meet with these modern day ‘Mountain Men’.”
For more information, contact Mike Mazur (nwiafurex@gmail.com) or call him at (712) 331-1055.
Bret Bohn and Ivy O’Guinn (photo submitted)
