Assembly 2020 CANCELLED

It is my sad duty to report that the 2020 Annual Assembly has been cancelled. After a great deal of consideration and consultation, the Board of Directors ultimately decided to cancel Assembly 2020 out of concern for the heath of our members and guests, the likely continuing disruption of international travel, the current ban on large gatherings in the State of New York, and the likelihood of very low turnout even if such a gathering could be held. This decision also prevents possibly serious financial losses for our organization. Everyone was very dismayed with the obvious decision that had to be made, but it is important to make the earliest possible announcement of what was almost certainly a foregone conclusion.

The good news is that we are already looking forward to Assembly 2021. We are already booked with Paul Smith’s College and hope that much of the programming planned for this year will be provided next year.

Stay safe, and use this time to meet with fellow WCHA members electronically, hone your canoe building and restoration skills, learn more about canoe history, and plan future paddling adventures. And by all means and whenever possible, practice social distancing from a wooden canoe – for us there may be no better way to de-stress and remember the truly wonderful things in life.

 

Let me add a heartfelt note of thanks to everyone involved in planning Assembly 2020 - Rob Stevens has, as usual, done an outstanding job of building a great program, many people have volunteered to provide excellent programming at Assembly, and many more volunteers have already been planning their time and conducting important activities in support of Assembly. Many thanks to you all!

 

Michael -- Thank you and the Board for making this decision now, rather than later, allowing members to make their summer plans accordingly.

Deborah and I live in the belly of the beast -- NYC -- where it was announced yesterday the rate of infection has slowed very slightly, but even so, there is much trouble ahead, and in most of the country, including upstate New York, things are still getting worse, and will continue to do so for some time.

Cancelling the Assembly is a painful decision, I know, but a wise and necessary one.

 

I'd like to amplify the accolades to Rob Stevens (and others) work on the assembly. Rob has done a skillful job of using all of the available resources to not only push information out about the assembly but to also enlist comments and feedback related. Using the Wooden Canoe to set tent posts, communicate plans and schedules and then using the forum to create an active and timely dialogue with interested membership is a masterclass in communication and running a program with these available tools.

 

If it's any consolation, the forecast is for rain every day this week except Wednesday at Paul Smith's. But I would still rather not have delayed my 25th time attending.