West Coast/Pacific NW Growers

Hi all,

It has just come to my attention thru an e-mail I received today, that a group had begun to officially form in July 2004, called the "South West Giant Pumpkin Growers". From what I understand, this group was to cover the Southwest United States region, California, Pacific Northwest area, something along those lines...at least that is what I understand from the information I was given.


I have been told this new group was to launch a fantastic, non-GPC certified weigh-off, in the California/Los Angeles/Orange County??, and was hopeful to attract many of the NW Pacific growers, and many thousands of visitors in conjuction with an existing event. The prize monies were to be very high compared to current standards, this was to be a big event as I was told. I was also told that things were going well until I *launched* my club. It's been said to me that the entire plan then fell apart and that some Pacific NW folks had said I "jumped the" SWGPG "claim", and subsequently the whole thing fell apart.


I *officially* began the SPGA in Feb., 2004 when I acquired the domain name "www.southernpumpkins.com". The group has 17 members, all who signed up between the Fall/Winter of 2003/2004 and Spring 2004. Posts on this site, and BP.com, from that time period will confirm this I'm sure.

My groups geographical region extends west to Texas, only because the State of Texas is included in the SPGA logo...there are no actual members from Texas. The SPGA region does not state, nor has it ever, to go further West than that, nor has it been implied.


Until today, I have never heard of the SWGPG group, or their planned "coming out". I've been told I "jumped a claim", yet not one person has ever contacted me about this supposed situation until today.


The groups names are completely different (other than the word "south" is *part* of my groups name), the initials are not the same, and the regions are totally at opposite sides of the country. Yet I'm being told the West Coast group dissolved, and their weigh-off plans with it, because I "jumped a claim".


The SPGA was originally founded back in the 1990's by Joe Mills. I asked for, and received, last Winter, permission to use the name and Joe's blessing to try to re-organize the group. I have a planned fundraiser coming up, and with a blessing from the Dill's.


I'd like to publicly state that I had never heard of this group until today, and not one person has ever contacted me until today about these *issues*. 
I absolutely reject the claim that I intruded on someone else's *claim* to an organizational name, or intruded on another groups geographical region. Nor have I ever tried to interfere in any other pumpkin groups plans and/or dealings.
The two aforementioned groups have different orgqanizational names, different condensed initials, and completely different regions of interest. The SPGA was initially created back in the 1990's, and this version of it is simply a re-creation of the original, not the birth of.
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