NWAAS meetings are fun!
And they are completely free and open to all. If you've never attended an aquarium club meeting, though, you may not know what to expect. There are four parts to a typical meeting:
- Socialization
- Program
- Business
- Mini Auction
Socialization
Doors open at 3:30 PM central time. We use this time to set up chairs, tables, projector, and screen. You are welcome to help! For those not setting up, this time is completely informal. Feel free to mingle! This is the free-for-all segment of our meeting, with people milling around talking. Sometimes small groups form. Sometimes the whole room breaks out into a single group discussion. You never know what the topic(s) will be. It's also the time we try to introduce ourselves to new visitors. At meeting's end, there is also time to socialize, while we tear down, and we might hang around a bit after. It's your chance to meet fellow hobbyists to talk about fish, aquariums, or whatever.
Program
Don't be late! We start the programs promptly at 4:00 PM. Every meeting, except for our December Christmas party, has a planned program with a guest speaker to entertain and educate you. Sometimes local club members present the program. Sometimes outside experts come in to fascinate us. Speakers have slides or video to illustrate their talks. Or there may be live demonstrations, do-it-yourself workshops, etc. Topics range widely, discussing fish, plants, other aquatic critters, and all aspects of aquarium keeping. A typical program lasts about an hour or less. We usually take a few minutes for a refreshment break after the program.
Business
Next is the business portion of our meeting. Here, we discuss club projects and the other necessities that come with running an aquarium society. Don't worry. We won't bore you with every detail of the club's business. (Most of that happens behind the scenes and in the special Club Business section on this forum.) Rather, this time is disseminating announcements and for discussing the items that need input from the membership, such as taking votes and suggestions for future events. We try to limit this section to under 15 minutes, and it's usually less than that.
Mini Auction
Finally, we close out the meeting with a mini auction. Members and visitors can bring items to donate for auctioning off. Usually, these are fish or plants that have been home bred, but we sometimes have new aquarium supplies donated by manufacturers, or used dry goods, too. Guest speakers often bring samples of items discussed in their talks or fish they have bred. This is a great opportunity to bid and win some items at (usually) ridiculously low prices. (Note that all proceeds from mini auctions go to the club. This is different from our major auctions (held in spring and fall), where the seller keeps 70% of the proceeds.) The formal part of the meeting adjourns after this segment. If you'd like to join the club, it's also a good time to pay dues.
So come join us at a monthly meeting! We'll try hard to show you a good time and send you home knowing more about fish and aquariums-- and having made some new friends who share your interest. Admission to meetings is always free, but we hope you will also join our club. Dues are VERY cheap! Click HERE for the dues schedule or to join online.
NOTE: Some links above may be temporarily broken, while we remodel the website!