Tired of your traditional convention, then you will want to attend this three day event because this one is going to be wall-to-wall fun, with a little (ok, a lot) of International Koi wisdom tossed in. NIKK connections have secured the presence of Toshio and Miwa Sakai of Japan, Agnes Kan of Philadelphia, Russell & Kari Peters of Northern California, Mat McCann late of England, now of New Jersey, Joel Burkhard of Washington, Dick Benbow of Benbonia, Jasper Kuijper of the UK and, for those that are artistic or would like to be, we have Patti Magee offering art classes. There will be close to twenty various vendors of water gardening, goldfish and koi related products on premise from Friday through Sunday. Imported and domestic koi for will be available for sale.

So, just by mentioning the above luminaries, you know that a substantial portion of the brain trust of this hobby will be there, but let's have a look at the agenda of the convention. The format is roughly the same as most of the PNKCA conventions you've previously attended: Friday will have seminars/workshops, a "get reacquainted" social on Friday evening, seminars/workshops on Saturday, a banquet on Saturday night and a NIKK members' pond tour on Sunday. Now "supersize" everything. The "social" Friday night comes complete with a sommelier-led wine tasting, in a hotel (Templin's Inn) that is ALL OURS all weekend. Every room, every conference room, every RV hookup. Nothing but koi kichis (and hotel staff) on the premises. Who knows how long the social might last. There will be auctions, raffles and some lucky winner (couple) will win a sight seeing flight taking in the grandeur of Coeur d'Alene Lake, Hayden Lake and Pend Oreille Lake from the cabin of "Casper" 185 Cessna Aircraft fitted with pontoons.

After we've filled our brains with international information in the workshops on Friday and Saturday, we'll board the 107 foot long, 33 foot wide Mish-an-Nock, a Lake Coeur d'Alene tour boat (for a "three hour cruise," honest.) It'll be set up for 160 diners, and we'll have our banquet and auction while cruising around the lake, with a live band playing. Sunday morning and early afternoon we'll visit some spectacular NIKK members' ponds. All events outside of the hotel will be chauffeured.

Being in one of the top vacation spots on earth this year, you might decide to come early and/or stay late, and enjoy some of the wonderful surroundings. Within Kootenai County there are 80+ parks and campgrounds, almost 50 hiking and nature trails, fishing, swimming, golfing, horseback riding, amusement parks, and, of course, spectacular scenery at every turn. It's less than 30 minutes to downtown Spokane, where you'll find some excellent eateries, twelve wineries and all kinds of entertainment. For the kids, there is the Triple Play Family Fun Park which is open 365 days of the year and Silverwood, the largest Northwest theme park. Or how about the longest gondola ride in the world at Silver Mountain in Kellogg, ID. I could go on, but there's not enough room on this page. More information is available at www.pnkca.com or you can call one of the event coordinators, Dan Olson, at 509-928-9209 or Greg Linnebach at 208-661-1868.

This could be the prototype for all conventions that follow, or perhaps just a once in a lifetime event! You can tell all your friends you had the foresight to book early. (Only 120 rooms, at $89 a night.) Limited RV parking is available for only $25 a night. Call Templins at 800-Red Lion (reference PNKCA for the special rate).

Submitted by Chuck Harmon, News Editor, NIKK

Graphic art by Diann Kelly