THE FIRST AMERICAN TARANTULA SOCIETY POTLUCK IN THE HISTORY OF THE WORLD

From the July/August 1979 issue of "TARANTULA TIMES":

 

 

 

       If anyone attending our first Northwest ATS Potluck found me walking around in a daze, it was because I was overwhelmed at its success.   More than thirty people attended - members, guests, and a family who popped in to see a tarantula for the first time in their lives.  

       Also attending the event were approximately twenty live tarantulas and more than fifty preserved specimens, including the Phrixotrichus scrofa from Chili (common there, but hard for us to get a hold of), Pamphobeteus sp. (an enormous spider from Columbia, Peru and Ecuador, boasting a beautiful iridescent purple on the legs), Ceratagyrus sp. from Botswana, South Africa (which has a "Forveal" horn in the center of its carapace), Lampropelma ("Earth Tiger") from Malaysia (having an 8" leg-span - considered a god in its home country) and many, many other interesting critters.  Even the dreaded Pepsis wasp was on display.

       Dr. Gary Buhr discovered that his spider's "peeling" abdomen is normal.  I discovered that one of my spiders is a Haitian Black and not an Arizona Cinnamon.  Paul Lund introduced our new bumperstickers.  Rich and Bobbi Montgomery closed their pet shop to attend the event.  We gained six new members.  And we had a lot of fun.

       Rick West did not disappoint us.  His presentation was excellent, the slides were fascinating, and many questions were answered.  In conclusion to his talk, Rick told us a few folk-takes from around the world, but since he plans to put them in his book, I won't repeat them here.

       And the food was plentiful and delicious, including the tarantula.  Dr. Bea Vogel brought us a Russian dish, a stuffed bread in the shape of a giant tarantula!  Since then, I have learned that tarantulas are edible, but the real thing will have to wait for another time.

       I hope all who attended the potluck had as much fun as I, and am looking forward to having other get-togethers in the future.    - Dale Lund 

 

Those who attended:

 

Dennis Arnold

Paul Bennett

Brad Britton 

Gary Buhr 

Jody Douglass 

Paul Henschkel

Sandra Henschkel

Aaron Lindgren

Christopher Lindgren 

Deanna Lindgren 

Debora Lindgren 

Joshua Lindgren 

Michael Lindgren 

Dale Lund 

Leif Lund  

Mark Lund

Micki Lund 

Paul Lund 

Ian MacKay 

Bobbi Montgomery

Rick Montgomery

Raul Moore 

Karen Stecker

Larry Stecker 

Bea Vogel 

Lynn West

Rick West 

and the family who had never seen a tarantula before