AIRBOAT ASSOCIATION OF FLORIDA

^{Our annual election of officers and executive board was held at the October general meeting. Elected at this meeting were,}

^{President: Keith Price}

^{Vice President: Dave Balman}

^{Secretary: Charlie Erwin}

^{Treasurer: Richard Potter}

^{New board members:}

^{Paul Bailey, Butch Bufkin, Mike Larkins, Donnie Onstad, Eric Raistric and Robbie Taylor.}

^{They were elected to a term of 2 years. Directors with 1 year remaining are.} Jack Cook, Richard Larkins, Frank Dennis, Todd Harwick, Mark Kendall, Buck Felton, and Joel Marco

^{Congratulations to all.}

Rodeo and Frontier Days, featuring a Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association sanctioned rodeo.

 Seven championship events will be featured. Bare-back and saddle bronco riding, tie-down roping, team roping, steer wrestling, cowgirls’ barrel racing and bull riding - - plus rodeo clowns, top specialty acts and a world-class rodeo announcer.

Our club will again this year be involved with the Homestead Rodeo. We will have a booth selling t shirts, hats, and other things. We will also have boats entered in the rodeo parade. What our main objective here is to raise the level of Club involvement in the community, as well as to try and raise funds.

The dates of the activities are January 25, 26, 27. The times that we need people is Friday 7 to 10pm, Saturday, parade day 11 am, staging at 9.00 am for the parade. If you are in the parade you must be in homestead at 8:30 am. Our booth must be manned Saturday 2:00-10:00 and Sunday 2:00 -5:00....members need to wear their Airboat Association T-shirts...during the parade, and while booth staffing. As well, we can send people into the stands to sell hats etc.

In the parade we need everyone to bring kids; they can ride in the boats, bring plenty of candy to throw to the kids on the side of the street. The whole event is about family fun.

For those interested in participating, call Mark Kendall 954 610 0078-cell or Todd Harwick 305-216-8849 anytime. We will need all the help we can get.

_{Members and guests, it is that time of the year again. That’s right it’s time for our annual bar-be-que. It will be March 29, 2008 at the Airboat Association of Florida club grounds, 7 miles west of Krome Avenue on US41. Last years bar-be-que was an unbelievable success. This year’s should prove to be even bigger and better. We will have more to do and more to see.}

_{We will have raffles going on all day long. Anyone wanting to donate anything to the raffle, whether it be an item, a service, or a gift certificate, it would be appreciated. The more we have to raffle, the better the odds of winning. This will also be the last chance to buy tickets for the propeller raffle. Make sure you buy them early before all of the tickets are sold. People, this is all good stuff.}

_{You will probably have someone walking up to you during the day asking for money for the 50/50 raffle. Dig deep, 50% of the money collected goes to the club, 50% of the money goes to the lucky winner. It might be you.}

_{There are spots available for anyone wishing to put up a display booth.}

_{We will have a DJ playing all kinds of music for your listening and dancing pleasure. So why not come on up to the dance floor and cut a rug. The DJ will be playing music all day long.}

_{There will also be plenty of things for the kids to do. Remember this is fun for the whole family, so bring them all out.}

_{The food will be served from 12:00 to 4:00. Meals will be $15.00 each for adults. Kid’s meals are $7.00. Hot dogs will be available for $2.00. Sodas and water will be available for sale.}

_{Call James Hitchens if you have any ideas or suggestions, and want to help. We need all the help we can get.}

The annual Wild Hog BBQ at the Everglades Conservation and Sportsman’s club will be held March 15, 2008. It is a fun day for the whole family, so go on out and support them. You won’t be sorry.

The Broward County Airboat Association will hold their annual airboat and buggy show with numerous classes for both airboats and buggies. Continuous live entertainment and activities for all age groups. Drawings for the raffles will be held hourly. This will be the largest concentration of airboat venders in one place ever. If you have an airboat question the answer will be here. It will be held March 15^th and 16th at The Bass Pro Shops in Ft.Lauderdale. For more information go to www.browardairboatclub.com

Happy New Year to All My Fellow AAOF Members,

What a great year we had in 2007.  We got involved with many different events and functions that expanded our horizons and made the World aware of the Airboat Association of Florida.  We received a lot of local recognition

and made a lot of new friends and associates here and across the Nation.

January 26, 27 & 28, we started our “Airboat “raffle at the Homestead Rodeo.  We had several airboats in our first showing in the Homestead Rodeo Parade.  We were not only welcomed and got a lot of local attention, but have been invited back again. We designed our own Rodeo T-shirt that went over really well and will be on sale again this year.

In February, the Folks from the Keys put on another Great Fish Fry.  Awesome day of great food and lots of fun. If you want a good fish fry, you got to get the Keys Group involved.  Let’s not forget the airboat "Rodeo" at the end of the Poker Run. We also took the "Raffle" boat up to the Palm Beach Airboat show on February 23 & 24. It was a great show. We met new airboaters from other clubs and got more recognition.

March 24 & 25 was the Broward Airboat show.  As in the past their show at Bass Pro in Broward was awesome.  Again we were there with our "Raffle" boat. Great fun was had by all involved and again more recognition for the AAOF.

April 7 was our annual BBQ for "Kids in Distress".  Once again, it was a wonderful success.  The Easter-egg hunt, fishing contest, wildlife show and BBQ for the kids.  What a great way to give something special to such a deserving group. And of course there was our Annual BBQ, April 28.  A great time had by all. Good food, good music and some great airboating.  Another successful BBQ under our belt.

Now, as you know before each of our club events, we have work days at the club. In the past it always seemed like the same folks doing all the work.  This year we had better turn outs at the work days.  More members are getting involved and showing some pride in their club.  Great job by all involved and let’s keep this effort and pride growing.

In September we went to Wildwood, "Raffle" boat in tow for the first FAA Airboat Show.  Again the AAOF is seen and heard by other Airboat Clubs in Florida.  We are getting to be known by other Airboaters as the very FIRST AIRBOAT CLUB.

November brought the Rib Fest, another function to show the rest of our community who we are and what we are about.  We had not only the "Raffle” boat but other types of boats on display so folks could see what airboating is about.  More good recognition in our own back yard.

This year we hosted two different Boy Scouts Troops for a weekend of outdoors camping at the Club grounds.  One, the local troop from Homestead who did the Flag ceremony for the Annual BBQ and another troop from the Tampa area. They loved our Club grounds and the word is spreading fast.  We can expect other request from other troops from around the State.

The best event of the year was December 29.  Airboat clubs from around the state and airboaters from around the United States, came together to Honor "Bullfrog" Bud Marquis, one of our AAOF members, for his part in the rescue efforts of the 1972, Flight 401 crash in the Everglades. "Bud" led 103 airboats to the crash site.  Once there, airboaters from all over the country, paid their respects and, said a prayer with the attending families of the 103 victims of the Flight 401.  We acknowledged the blessing given to the survivors that night and shared in the joy their families have experienced still having them with us. And all of us, survivors, their families, and every Airboater there honored "Bud" as the "Angel of the Everglades".  As this ceremony in the Everglades ended the Light Aircraft Fliers Association did a flyover and dropped rose pedals over the inner circle of "Bud", the survivors and their families. It was a very moving sight to see.

Over 100 airboats were launched, went to the crash site and returned without a single incident. Most then returned to the AAOF club grounds for a feast provided from around the State that fed over 300. What a great effort on the part of all of the Airboating Community within Florida and visitors from around the Country.  It’s been said, no greater tribute could have been given to "Bud", the survivors and all involved.  My hat’s off to our AAOF members and all the other airboaters who were involved.

 Happy New Year to All My Fellow AAOF Members,

I am looking forward to yet another year of Fun, Adventure and Safe Airboating as your President of the Airboat Association of Florida.

Keith "Pappy" Price

The "Sawgrass Cowboy"

Anyone wanting to purchase a new Warp Drive prop for his or her airboat contact Robbie Taylor.

Airboat Association of Florida

PO Box 650611

Miami, FL 33265-0611