Dear Member,

The English Setter Club of America (ESCA) invites you to the annual Lee Bird Classic on April 25-28.

 As a reminder, the English Setter Club is a non-profit and is self-funded, and we own and are entrusted with maintaining over 300 acres in Medford, NJ. Maintenance and improvement of the club and the grounds is a critical obligation of the membership. Every year, in addition to proceeds from field trial events and membership dues, we hold a large combination club event, the Lee Bird Classic, which was started in 2016. The Lee Bird Classic includes field trial activities and club stakes, including one for children 15 and under. This year, the Lee Bird Classic will include AKC-sanctioned stakes, as well.

The Lee Bird Classic was founded in 2016, and it has served to bring together members of the Club to participate in and enjoy a host of events and social functions. The Lee Bird Classic is the primary fund-raising event for the Club and supports our ongoing efforts to maintain and improve the ESCA. Proceeds from past events have served to provide significant funds for the improvement and upkeep of the club, its buildings, and its grounds.  Additionally, these proceeds have offset the cost of equipment and repairs. The success of events like the Lee Bird Classic is one of the main reasons we have been able to avoid yearly assessments of membership or other funding alternatives. As such, we are asking all our members to attend and participate and offer some sponsorship of the Lee Bird Classic.

This year, highlights of the event include a live band and a steak dinner on Saturday evening. The dinner will be preceded by an hour of beer, wine, and appetizers. Dinner will be followed by a dessert and ice cream bar. As mentioned, throughout the evening there will be live music provided by the band Pennington Station. During Saturday night’s activities we also will be conducting various raffles and auctions, and we will be offering betting on club dogs running the next day in the Lee Bird Classic Club Championship. Saturday will kick off with a wonderful breakfast buffet followed by a lunch.  

Of course, the Lee Bird classic would not be complete without a full slate of bird dog activities for all members to enjoy, and there will be something for everyone. Following is a general schedule of events:

Thursday

Start of the AKC Trial including Open Stakes and Retrieving Stakes (see trial Premium for details)

Friday

Continuation of the AKC Trial including the Open Gundog Horseback Stake (see trial Premium for details)

Saturday

Kick off the Lee Bird Classic activities with a Breakfast Buffet Spread in the Clubhouse, followed by a lunch served on grounds. Saturday evening will host the Lee Bird Dinner and Social Activities. Field Activities will include the members only Lee Bird Hunting Dog Classic, a continuation of the AKC trial including the walking and juvenile stakes.

A wrangler will be present on Saturday for horse rentals. Rentals will be available for those wishing to handle their dog from horseback, but rentals will also be available on a limited basis if you just want to watch any of the events.

Sunday

Final stakes of the AKC Trial will run, and we will conclude with the running of the members only Lee Bird Classic Club Championship and the Lee Bird Youth Classic. The Youth Classic is open to all children 15 and under, and participants will handle their dog on a 20-minute course accompanied by an adult handler either on foot or horseback.

Club Stakes are open only to members and include the Lee Bird Classic Club Championships. All club members and member dogs are invited to participate. This stake is not sanctioned by any governing organization, and it is an English Setter Club competition. It is a broke-dog stake run according to gundog/shooting dog standards, and it will be open to walking or horseback handlers. Two Champions will be named, one from the Pointer/Setter class and one from the Continental/Brittany class. The stake will be a half-hour brace and have a panel of three judges. The winning dog’s pictures will be displayed in the clubhouse on a plaque as Lee Bird Classic English Setter Club Champion 2024.

Additionally, for our upland hunting members we will have the Lee Bird Hunting Dog Classic. This stake also is open to all members and member dogs. This is a walking stake, and it will be judged according to hunting dog standards. It is a non-retrieve stake, and dogs are not required to be broke to wing and shot. If you enjoy time in the field with your dog, then this stake is for you!  Of note, we have some great ESCA members working on this stake including Tim Otto, the current President of NAVHDA. Four placements will be awarded, and the winning dog’s pictures will hang on a plaque in the clubhouse as the Lee Bird English Setter Club Hunting Dog Classic Winners 2024.As you can see from this invitation there are significant activities planned for us all to enjoy, and we are hopeful for a great turn out.

In order for the event to be a success, however, the Club asks for your consideration sponsoring several areas*, including becoming a:

Trial Corporate Sponsor- $1,000

Trial Patron Sponsor- $500

Beverage Sponsor- $400

Lunch Sponsor- $350

Stakes Sponsor- $200

Individual Sponsor- $100 

*Sponsor names will prominently appear on the event banner (see attached picture)

A list of activities seek sponsorship, and several are already committed to by members. These events include:

The Lee Bird Youth Classic: Donated by Norman and Matt Basilone and Family

Saturday morning breakfast buffet:Donated by Joseph & Maureen Cincotta

Saturday evening steak dinner: Donated by Pat Mooney and Dan Brickner

Saturday evening band: Donated by Megan and Ed McCay

Saturday evening dessert table: Donated by Joseph Lordi, Jr. in memory of Joe Lordi, Sr. 

Several people can join together to sponsor any of the above, so if you are unable to sponsor by yourself, please check with other club members to see if you can get a few people to join you in sponsoring an event! The LBC event committee is also working hard to obtain outside sponsors and donations of goods and services for the raffles and auction, so any assistance in this effort is most certainly welcomed.

In addition to sponsorship, we will be conducting a host of raffles and auctions. We would appreciate help from anyone interested in providing quality auction items or making up gift baskets for a raffle. Additionally, we will need volunteers throughout the weekend to make the event run smoothly.

Members interested in participating in all the social activities are asked to purchase an Event ticket at a cost of $50/person, $75/family. The Event ticket includes the admission to the Saturday Lee Bird Social, the Saturday luncheon and a continental breakfast. The Lee Bird Social will consist of a steak dinner, open beer and wine bar, dessert bar and live entertainment from acoustic rock band, Pennington Station. There will also be an auction raffling off wonderful gift baskets and prizes.

Please let us know how you can help make a great event even better!

We look forward to hearing from you about how you can help make the Lee Bird Classic a success. We are excited to see you all at this extraordinary club event, and we value your support of the English Setter Club

The Lee Bird Event Committee 

Joe Cincotta Lee Bird Event Chairman 908.812.5587

Megan McCay, Pat Mooney, Dan Brickner Sponsorship and Social Activities Co-Chairman

Joe Buchanan AKC trial Chairman

John Beck Club Event Chairman

David Ross Club President

Mark Dreyfus Communication 

Lee Bird Committee Members