The West Wilkes Wildlife Banquet, aside from being very alliterative, was a blast. Having never been to Wilkes County before, I wasn't quite sure what to expect, but anywhere there would FFA members, food, and stuffed animal heads, I knew would be worth the trip. It was Tuesday, November 30 and Justin, Daniel, and I made the trip a boy's trip. Upon arrival, we wandered around the school for a few minutes before finally finding the cafeteria. Inside the cafeteria, the West Wilkes officer team were putting the final touches on wonderful decorations. The decorations included several different stuffed mounts over toward the back of the cafeteria. One particular mount, Oscar, was very memorable. Oscar was an honest to goodness razorback. Alive, Oscar must have weighed at least 400 lbs. He was shades of black and brown and his face was permanently a snarl framed by some nasty looking tusks. The story behind Oscar was that he had once been a pet that had escaped and chased then chased the present owner down the street, at which point Oscar was shot.
After we finished looking at the displays and hearing the stories behind each of the mounts, it was time for the banquet to begin. The Wilkes officers presented their opening ceremonies. For many of them, this was their first time presenting a program, but it was so much fun seeing members learning and growing right in front my eyes. They struggled a few times but did a great job. The highlight of the night was probably when Wilkes County's very own National Turkey Calling Champion came and talked about his experiences turkey calling and appearing on the David Letterman show. He even put on a demonstration for the audience. Justin, Daniel, and I eventually left our new friends well fed, entertained, and happy for having been invited to take part in West Wilkes' success.
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