Aim high

PALMER — Nothing attracts gun aficionados like James Shephard than a high-caliber event.

That’s what many attending the Palmer Lions Club Gun Show Saturday at the Alaska State Fairgrounds were saying about the group’s 42nd annual extravaganza. From the latest in composites and computer technology to historic firearms dating back 150 years or more — along with all the accessories — there is something for all interests at the show.

Shephard, of Valdez, said the Palmer Lions show is an opportunity to help educate those who appreciate firearms about their history. A researcher and collector of antique firearms, Shephard was displaying a pair of 1874 Meacham Sharps rifles.

“I just brought them here for display,” Shephard said, adding they could fetch $4,000 to $6,000 each. “They’re here for presentation purposes. It’s a little bit of history, and it’s good to see some of the old workmanship.”

That craftsmanship was also being admired at James Hilton’s display table. The Eagle River resident proudly displayed a pair of vintage rifles. One, a Springfield Trap Door, is about 150 years old and the same model used during the U.S. Civil War, Hilton said. The other, a Remington Rolling Block, was made near the end of the Civil War. It’s also the same model that Gen. George Armstrong Custer used.

However, Hilton acknowledged having a Rolling Block “didn’t help Custer at all.”

Hilton said he enjoys looking as well as selling.

“You can look, buy, sell, trade,” he said. “Many times I left (the show) with a lot more than I came with.”

Raven Hall at the Fairgrounds was packed Saturday with tables loaded mostly with guns, knives and accessories, while hundreds of people weaved their way through. In the back of the hall, those needing a little rest or refreshment found it at an equally busy concession stand.

Valley resident Tom Bush, who said he has attended the Palmer Lions Club show for years, agrees. Looking around on Saturday, Bush said he was impressed with the nearly 300 vendors and their wares.

“Pretty much everything stands out here,” he said. “I’ve gotten a lot of stuff here. This show always has a big turnout.”

Although he hadn’t purchased anything at the show by mid-afternoon, “the day’s still young,” Bush said.

Jessica McGuire, 10, traveled the snowy roads from Anchorage with her family to attend the show.

“This is pretty fun,” she said. “I like seeing the types of guns, and what I really like is some (vendors) let you touch them.”

She also found a favorite among the thousands on display in Raven Hall. “What I think is really cool is this one gun, I don’t know what it’s called, but it has a really long barrel. Like, it’s taller than me. It’s for shooting geese.”

Big Lake resident Dwayne Chapman comes back year after year.

“I’m not really a collector, I’m an accumulator,” Chapman said from behind a table displaying a variety of firearms accessories. “I’m getting rid of a few accessories, and business has been fairly brisk.”

Kevin Burke of Burke’s Military and Flags has been a vendor at the show for the past 10 years, and as a Valley resident, said he wasn’t concerned that heavy snows and slick roads would keep people away.

“If there’s a gun show and people have money, they’ll be out.”

It’s that enthusiasm and the show’s reputation for being one of the best in the state that keep people flocking to the fairgrounds year after year, said Bob Morigeau of the Palmer Lions Club. As the group’s primary fund-raiser, the gun show is expected to bring in about $20,000, which is used year-round to support the club’s many local philanthropic efforts.

“All the money stays in the Valley, and we’re very proud of that,” Morigeau said, adding the weather didn’t affect attendance. “We’ve had a very good response this year. Alaskans pretty much don’t care about the weather.”

What also makes the Palmer Lions show successful is that only firearms and other hunter and fishing items are allowed, Morigeau said. No side vendors that stray from the theme can set up.

“We strive for the best gun show in the state,” he said.

Contact Greg Johnson at greg.johnson@frontiersman.com or 352-2269.