Open to the Public.  Tickets just $35.

https://wistu.brownpapertickets.com/

Do you have a little “cabin fever”?  Not enough open water on your favorite trout stream?  Make plans to join your fellow coldwater enthusiasts at The 2018 Wisconsin TU Annual Meeting and State Council Banquet on Saturday, February 3.  Please save the date and be a part of the fun in Oshkosh.  We will once again return to the Best Western Waterfront Hotel and Convention Center.

This location has served us well in past years and we’re looking forward to coming back in February.  A limited block of rooms has been set aside for both Friday and Saturday nights.  Call the hotel at 855-230-1900 to make your room reservations today.  Tell them you’re in town for the Trout Unlimited Banquet.

The Banquet is our Council’s biggest fundraiser for the year.  The Banquet’s success will allow the Council to continue serving local chapters, fund programs like the Youth Camp and STREAM Girls, support our Veterans Service Partnership programs, and help administer our Friends of Wisconsin and Watershed Access grant programs.

Tickets are $35 each (see ad on page ****).  You may also purchase tickets online at http://wistu.bpt.me.  While we do plan for a few walk-ups every year, ordering tickets in advance or making arrangements to pay at the door and RSVP’ing to mikek.trout@yahoo.com are highly encouraged.  This event is open to the public so please consider bring family, friends, co-workers, and neighbors.  All are welcome.

Doors will open at 4:30 and there will be plenty of time to socialize, visit the cash bar, or simply peruse the bucket raffle and silent auction prizes.  Dinner seating will begin at 6:30.  After dinner we’ll hold a live auction for several different fishing trips with some of the top guides and destinations in the state.  We’ll also take time to recognize some of the best conservationists around with a short awards program.  The evening will finish with the announcement of our silent auction and bucket raffle winners.

The Council would like to thank all of the Chapters and individuals who donate prizes for the event.  Your generosity makes for a successful banquet and moreover, and unforgettable evening for our guests.  This year we’ve assembled over $15,000 worth of prizes and we’re eager to give them away!

Chapter leaders should plan on attending the State Council Meeting earlier in the day to discuss Council business.  The meeting will start promptly at 9:00 am and run until 2:00pm.  Please RSVP to Council Chair Linn Beck if you plan on attending the meeting so we can prepare for lunch.

The State Council will also be sponsoring a Women’s Fly Fishing Clinic for beginners who are curious about the sport during the day on Sat. Feb. 4.  This free clinic will run from 9:30 am until 3pm.  A lunch will be provided.  Space is limited so contact Heidi Oberstadt at heidi.oberstadt@gmail.com.  We’ve found that these types of events are a great way to introduce trout stream ecology and the importance of TU’s conservation work to a new audience.

Much planning has already taken place and the Council is indebted to the work of the Banquet Committee.  An event of this scale simply wouldn’t happen without the efforts of Committee members Bill Heart, Heidi Oberstadt, Jim Wierzba, Linn Beck, Paul Kruse, and Todd Franklin.

We’re focused on planning a fun, entertaining, and successful banquet.  We hope you’ll join us in Oshkosh on Feb. 3 to celebrating cold, clean, fishable water in Wisconsin.