Calendar at a Glance

2026 GAAS Program and Event Schedule at Glance

All GAAS monthly meetings are free and open to the public. Please note that our special picnics and dinners will require a small fee to partake of the dinner. You do not need to be a GAAS member or need an RSVP to attend or to participate in activities or to partake in refreshments at monthly meetings. Monthly meetings are held at the Ritchie Memorial Shelter House in Tallmadge, Ohio. GAAS auctions and the Ultra-Aqua 55-Class Fish Show are held at the Tallmadge Community Center.

• Friday, January 9, 2026, 8 pm— Joshua Kocik — Aquatic Invasive Species (via Zoom)

• Friday, February 13, 2026, 8 pm— Dr Peter Dijkstra — Colors and Conflicts: The Social Lives of Cichlids (via Zoom)

• Sunday, March 1, 2026—Spring Auction (at Tallmadge Community Center)
  10 am registration; 11 am auction begins

• Friday, March 13, 2026, 8 pm— Cody Cromer — Collecting and Keeping North American Native Fishes (in-person)

• Friday, April 10, 2026, 8 pm— GAAS Member Survey Results: Membership Feedback (in-person)

• Friday, May 8, 2026, 8 pm— Professor Jason Den Haese — Improving Survival of Fry from Loricariidae and Corydoradinae (in-person)

• Saturday & Sunday, June 13 & 14, 2026— Ultra-Aqua Weekend (All at Tallmadge Community Center)
  Saturday, June 13: Show Registration from 10 am to 5 pm
  Saturday, June 13: Swap Meet (starts at noon)
  Saturday, June 13: Dinner starts at 7 pm. $5 admission per person.
  Saturday, June 13: After-Dinner Speaker—Sabu Yamamoto: What the L? — An Introduction to Plecos
  Sunday, June 14: Auction (fish and plants only) 10 am registration; 11 am auction begins
  Sunday, June 14: Ultra-Aqua Awards Presentation (at about 5 pm)

• Friday, July 10, 2026, 8 pm— Randy Seufert — Game Night: The Price Is Right—The Fish Edition (in-person)

• Friday, August 14, 2026, 7:00 pm—August Picnic.
  *Note the special start time: Please arrive at 7:00 pm. The picnic will start at approximately 7:00 pm.
  Please bring a bag of fish, a plant, or live food for the donation swap. Members, $5 for dinner. Non-members, $15 for dinner, which includes 2 years’ membership to GAAS.
  Location of this event will be at the Ritchie Memorial Shelter House.

• Friday, September 11, 2026, 8 pm— Karl Trochu — Breeding Fancy Livebearers in an Outdoor and Natural Fishroom (via Zoom)

• Friday, October 9, 2026, 8 pm — GAAS Bowl Show’s Electronic Photographic Entries plus a short program from Dave Williamson (in person)

• Sunday, November 1, 2026— Fall Auction (at Tallmadge Community Center)
  10 am registration; 11 am auction begins
  *Note that daylight saving time ends on Sunday, November 1

• Friday, November 13, 2026, 8 pm— held at the Ritchie Memorial Shelter House
  Board Officer Elections; Program: Mike Johnson — Topic: Native Fish Initiatives Within Summit County Metroparks (in-person)

• Friday, December 11, 2026, 8 pm—Christmas Party at Ritchie Memorial Shelter House, 7:00 pm. Please bring a bag of fish, a plant, or live food for the traditional gift exchange. At the door: $5 for members and $15 for non-members.

2026 Meeting Recaps

July Meeting Summary

On Friday, July 10, we enjoyed a game of “price is right” with host Randy Seufert.

June Ultra-Aqua

We thank Sabu for a great talk on plecos on June 13, 2026.

May Meeting Summary

On May 8, we had a shared meeting with our friends at the Medina County Aquarium Society. Together we enjoyed an informative and educational talk from Prof Jason Den Haese, who offered an inside look at his various armored catfish aquarium setups.

April Meeting Summary

During the April meeting, Kristen Kodish led the presentation but the “speakers” were the members of GAAS. Kristen presented the club’s purpose, history, events, and membership survey results and then skillfully transitioned to an open forum to hear what members had to say. 

March Meeting Summary

The March program was provided by Cody Cromer, and he showcased many native species that he has caught from his many travels. Many of his pictures showed native fishes in the beauty of their breeding dress. Thank you, Cody for a fantastic talk!

February Meeting Summary

We thank Dr Peter Dijkstra, faculty member in the Department of Biology at Central Michigan University, in Mount Pleasant, Michigan, for providing an excellent for the February program, titled Colors and Conflicts: The Social Lives of Cichlids. Dr Dijkstra’s lab studies fish brains and the fascinating inner workings of Lake Victoria cichlids. His research uses state-of-the-art tools to understand how social dynamics shape a cichlid’s physiology and brain.