The Snowfest pigeon auction outside of Chicago attracted some of Belgium’s finest pigeon racers and breeders. Four Belgian lofts including Herbots Bros, Ulrich Lemmens, Bart & Nancy Van Oeckel and Ivo Renders were all invited to the event as well as one continental loft, the Sandstrom Brothers. Raf & Jo Herbots, Bart & Nancy Van Oeckel, Ulrich Lemmens and Chad Sandstrom all made personal appearances to the auction to talk about their birds and their racing techniques. It was an honor meeting such great pigeon racers. After realizing that Belgians can hold their liquor quite well, I soon realized my strategy of trying to get them liquored up so they would tell me their secrets was not a good game plan. Luckily, they were wonderful people and very accommodating to answer any questions I asked, with or without the booze! Dr. Raf Herbots is a master in pigeon health, and gave a wonderful speech about keeping pigeons healthy. Dr. Raf Herbots has designed and produced a number of products to aid with pigeon health, as he is a top veterinary doctor in Belgium. Thank you to the Rock River Valley RPC for organizing this event, as well as all the superstars who showed up and the to the many friends we met from across the country!
