The Southeast Tennessee Aviculture Society’s 1st Annual Show, Fair, and Lecture Series in Chattanooga, Tennessee will be held on May 9–10 at the Tennessee National Guard Armory located at 1801 South Holtzclaw Ave.
Special guest organizations present will be the Chattanooga Zoo at Warner Park and the McKamey Animal Care and Adoption Center. Chattanooga Mayor Ron Littlefield has proclaimed May 9, “Chattanooga Parrot Day” in Chattanooga in honor of the event.
For many years, the Southeast Tennessee Aviculture Society has hosted a show in Cleveland. This year, in order to increase club participation and awareness, the club has completely reorganized its fair and is offering an all access bird show and lecture series for pet bird owners.
This year’s show will offer bird owners of all ages the opportunity to show their birds and potentially win ribbons and trophies. All birds must be entered by 9:45 a.m., Saturday, May 9. Cages must be safe and clean with only one bird per cage/show box. Each cage must have food, water, and no toys.
The judging will be presented by professional judge Cecil Gunby, of the North American Parrot Society and the National Finch and Soft Bill Society. The fair will exhibit breeders from all over the tri-state area as well as products, cages, feed, and various supplies at discounted rates.
Darde Long, Executive Director of the Chattanooga Zoo, will be a guest lecturer and discuss parrots in the wild and will have some of the zoo’s very own resident parrots on hand for children and visitors to enjoy. Chattanooga Zoo Veterinarian Dr. Tony Ashley, DVM, will be discussing health issues and ways to keep a parrot happy and healthy.
The public is invited and encouraged to attend.
Information and Agenda
Saturday, May 9, 9 a.m.–5 p.m.
Sunday, May 10, 10 a.m.–4 p.m.
Admission is $3 per person - children under eight free (All children must be accompanied by an adult)
Show and Educational Lecture Series Programmed Events
Saturday, May 9
9 a.m. Fair Begins
9 a.m. Show Registration begins (All entries must be registered and entered by 9:45) Entry fee is $2 per bird
10 a.m.- 2 p.m. Bird Show (Fair is still going on)- Cecil Gunby
During Show:
Cecil Gunby, Judge, North American Parrot Society and National Finch and Soft Bill Society(s) Accredited Judge will discuss How to Properly Prepare and Show your Bird
2 p.m. Darde Long, Executive Director, Chattanooga Zoo
This lecture will discuss why it is important to find the right pet/parrot for you. Darde will talk about the amount of people who buy large parrots not realizing the attention and dedication needed for proper upkeep. She will focus on how parrots that are unwanted are frequently given to the zoo for keep or adoption and how this affects the animals, especially those parrots who have bonded with family members. Other topics are how the parrots at the zoo interact with visitors and vice versa.
3 p.m. Dr. Tony Ashley, DVM- Animal Clinic East and Chattanooga Zoo
Veterinarian, will host “How to keep a happy and healthy parrot.” Dr. Ashley is trained in Avian medicine and is responsible for a wide range of exotic animals, including parrots, at the Chattanooga Zoo. Topics will include: How to keep your parrot healthy, how to establish and maintain good dietary measures, how to safely trim your birds nails, beak, and feathers, how to look for signs/symptoms of illness, signs/symptoms of Egg Binding, preventative tests and annual tests for pet birds
Sunday, May 10
10 a.m.- Fair Resumes
11 a.m.- What sorts of toys are safe and what toys are not? How to tell if your bird is playing with something that could cause harm to your feathered friend, Taught by aviculturalist, STAS member, and breeder, Patrick Killion
1 p.m.- How to travel safely with your pet from home to the vet or across the country to the Local Pet Store. This program will discuss legal issues incurred by parrot owners traveling with their pets and hazards/problems that can arise from bringing you bird out in public taught by: Matt Lea- Legislative Liaison for the (STAS) Southeast TN Aviculture Society and contributing author to Birdchannel.com and smallanimalchannel.com.