January 2011 Issue Editors: Carol Mathis & Lisa Freeman New Year, New Crew at PKWS! By: Don Manus Welcome to a new year at the PKWS! I am excited to once again be President of the club, and to have taken the helm from Mary Ellen McClain. Last month, we had our annual Christmas party at the home of Tracy and Tanya McCorkle s home, with its wonderful 2 acres of land and numerous ponds. Outside, every tree, bush, pond and building was decorated with Christmas lights and figures of all descriptions, and the home had every nook and corner with some festive decoration to delight us. Great food and desserts were furnished by our members and made it a perfect night [of course I ate too much.]. When we got down to business, a slate of officers was presented and voted on. I was elected President, Terry McClain volunteered to be Vice President, Allen Lee continues as our Treasurer and Mary Ann Penix remains secretary. There was discussion as to where we would hold the January meeting, and we settled on Hibachi Buffet and Sushi Bar in Windsor Square Shopping Plaza in Matthews. The most important conversation we had was about our dwindling membership and lack of interest in participation in the club. I have a challenge to throw out to every one of our members. I d like for each of you to bring a guest with you to the January meeting who has an interest in koi and would be interested in joining the club. They may likely join if they find out how much fun it really is! There was also some discussion about resurrecting our Koi show, and Tracy and Tonya tentatively agreed to putting the show on at their house. This would be a great venue and not nearly as expensive as the last sites we worked with, and doing this we could reduce the cost of vendor spaces and make everyone happy. Finally, in the true Christmas spirit of giving, the club members agreed to donate $300 to Ron Stroud and his family of Tarheel Koi Farm after a devastating fire destroyed their home. We hope the family can make good use of this small donation so they can get back on their feet again. In the Spring, the club also plans a field trip to their hatchery so that we can help the family further from a business perspective and take advantage of his fine stock of fish. I look forward to working with Terry, Allen, Mary Ann and the rest of you to have a successful club year. Don Manus, President 2011 Memberships Are Due Any of you that have not yet submitted your dues, kindly submit your renewal membership form and $24 to Allen Lee. All checks should be made payable to PKWS.
PKWS JANUARY 2011 ISSUE PAGE 2 MINUTES OF DECEMBER 2010 MEETING The last meeting of the year for PKWS was held December 11, 2010 at the lovely home of Tracy and Tanya McCorkle. Twenty-six members were present. The meeting was called to order by President Mary Ellen McClain at 7:05 PM. Former members of PKWS, Ron and Mary Stroud, had lost their home to a fire recently. PKWS will donate $300 to the couple to replace their son s Christmas gifts. OLD BUSINESS: Future leaders of the club were nominated. President ------- Don Manus Vice President - Terry McClain Treasurer ------- Allen Lee (also the membership chairman) Secretary ------- Mary Ann Penix Motion by Don Penix to accept above slate of officers. Seconded by Wayne Pritchard. Motion Passed. NEW BUSINESS: Lisa Freeman will aid Carol Mathis with our newsletter. Suggestions for field trips for 2011. 1. Charleston, SC Pond Tour 2. East Coast Koi farm. Door Prizes: Lisa Freeman won a fish platter. Marcia Theroux won fish food. Terry McClain won a pond book. Meeting adjourned at 7:35 PM. JANUARY SOCIAL MEETING Saturday, January 8th at 5:00 pm Hibachi Buffet and Sushi Bar in Windsor Square Shopping Plaza Address: 9925 E. Independence Blvd, Matthews, NC 28105 Telephone: (704) 841-0888 PKWS 2010 Officers: President: Don Manus Secretary: Mary Ann Penix VP: Terry McClain Treasurer: Allen Lee APPOINTED OFFICES: Show Chairs: Rebecca & Russell Trull Membership: Allen Lee Property Manager: Tracy McCorkle Newsletter: Carol Mathis & Lisa Freeman Webmaster: Mike Long Treasurer s Report: $9,921 Do You Believe in Blue Koi? This photo of a unique blue koi is claimed to be found in the ponds at Maruoka Castle in Japan. There is question as to whether the photo is a fake and has been doctored and re-colored, however. But some do believe in its authenticity. What do you think? If you have an opinion on this fish, do send us an email at koikeepr@gmail.com.
PKWS JANUARY 2011 ISSUE PAGE 3 Recipe: Homemade Koi Paste Food (Borrowed from our friends at the Charleston Showa Koi Club) One of the koi health advisors in the Charleston Showa Koi Club, Johnna Hansen, has created a paste food recipe that provides all of the nutrients koi require. If you re ever inclined to whip up a batch of homemade food for your fish, here s a recipe with plenty of healthy contents to help increase the vitality of your fish. Ingredients 10 small shrimp (heads on) cooked, save the water ½ cup cooked and chopped salmon ½ cup other fish cooked and chopped ½ slice cooked beef liver One handful of greens (spinach) ½ cup wheat germ (in the breakfast aisle of your local supermarket) ½ cup koi clay [See here for where to buy] ½ cup seaweed flour (can be ordered from North American Kelp in Maine) 3 packets of Knox brand gelatin [also in your local supermarket] 1 cup orange juice 1 squirt of baby vitamins 1/8 cup of cod liver oil Directions Place wheat germ in the blender and pulverize it into a powder. Add to a bowl with all of the other dry ingredients. Blend seafood, liver and greens in blender with 1 cup of orange juice, until a slurry is formed. Add baby Vitamins and oil. You should get 2 cups of protein slurry from this. Add ½ cup of the warm water that you saved from cooking the shrimp to the gelatin and dissolve, add to the blender and mix well. Pour blender contents into the bowl with the dry ingredients and mix well with your hands. Patty out and refrigerate. The food can be frozen to feed at a later date. Nutritional Information The addition of salmon provides calcium and phosphorus which aids in the assimilation of vitamin A (carotene) The green leafy vegetables provide vitamin C, Folic acid, vitamin B5 and Riboflavin. The liver provides vitamin B2, B5, B12, H and Folic acid. Special PKWS Group Buy Food Offer! Miracle Koi Food Here s an opportunity to jump in on a group buy deal for Miracle Koi Food at $9 (normally $10.95) per one pound bag, plus cost of shipping to your zip code (typically $6.95 for 1 or 2 bags). This all natural feed has none of the junky fillers like corn meal that are not easily digested by our fish. If you re interested, email Lisa Freeman at koikeepr@gmail.com. Order will be put in on February 1 st with the dealer and will ship sometime later in February/March.
PKWS JANUARY 2011 ISSUE PAGE 4 Holiday Fun at PKWS!
PKWS M E M B E R S H I P F O R M The Piedmont Koi and Watergarden Society (PKWS) is a not for profit organization. The membership year runs from January 1st through December 31st. Annual Membership Dues for a family for the first year are $55.00 AND INCLUDES UP TO TWO (2) NAME BADGES. Additional nametags may be purchased at a cost of $15.00 each. For renewing members the dues are $24.00 Please complete the following form and return it with your membership dues to: ALLEN LEE 900 Club Drive Monroe, NC 28112 Please print clearly (this information will only be used for club records). Please print your names) as you would like them to appear on your name tag(s). You can also find an electronic copy of this form on our website. Last Name: First Name(s): Address: City: State: Zip: Signature: Date: Email Address: Telephone # Membership Dues: (New member) $55.00 or (Renewal) $24.00 (Circle One) Additional Name tags ($15.00) TOTAL ENCLOSED: Visit us on the web at www.pkwsonline.com Newsletter Layout & Design: Lisa Freeman