More bang for the buck

WASILLA — The halls and gymnasium at Wasilla High School were more crowded than usual — and it was a Saturday.

When the school’s hockey boosters opened the doors for their 27th annual gun show, more than 300 people came through the doors in the first 20 minutes, said event organizer Kevin Keene. And after nearly three decades, the boosters have become experts at running what many visitors said is one of the best shows in the state.

“This is all run by volunteers, so all the proceeds go strictly to the Wasilla High hockey program,” Keene said. “People don’t realize that we’re all volunteers and all the parents and kids mark our calendars, and it’s mandatory for all of us to work.”

That work pays off so well that all the money raised from table rentals and admission is enough to cover all the expenses for the program for a season, he said.

“The ice bill is just at $20,000 a year just for the kids to skate,” he said. “That’s practice and games and also includes travel. We make enough at the show to cover all the expenses for the hockey program for one year. It is a huge deal and one of the biggest shows in the state. Some of our vendors have been in this show for 27 years running.”

Steve Smith is one of those vendors who has made the Wasilla hockey show a regular stop for 20 years. Smith owns Alaska Guns and Ammo in Fairbanks and was busy Saturday morning working six tables packed with about 150 handguns. The most prominent was a 50-caliber Smith & Wesson with a barrel more than 12-inches long.

For Smith, the show is a win-win situation because he can help raise money for the hockey program and make a profit at the same time.

“For the amount of space I get, I can make more money with handguns because I can get more on the tables compared to rifles. My partner, the Internal Revenue Service, kind-of insists that I make money,” he said. “I like the idea the kids want a project and they’re willing to work — and they make quite a bit of money. They’d have to wash a lot of cars to make the amount of money they get from the show.”

Anchorage resident Reece Baldwin said he’s attended the Wasilla show for about seven or eight years, and considers it one of the best in Southcentral.

He was busy filling out paperwork to transfer a gun he purchased online. He bought the gun ahead of time and Smith brought it with him to do the dealer transfer.

“The background check allows for that, and it keeps everything on the up-and-up and legal,” Baldwin said.

Chickaloon resident Trent Sexton was browsing and advertising. He brought a Rueger Mini Thirty autoloading rifle he modified himself with a stainless steel folding stock, barrel shroud and stainless steel Winchester barrel.

“It’s a parts gun,” he said, adding he was looking to sell and buy. “All of the above. I’ve probably been coming to this show for 20 years.”

He also is passionate about the event benefiting a good cause.

“That’s what it should be,” he said. “I’m more than happy to see the school utilized to support local school events, and this is that.”

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

IF YOU GO

What: Wasilla Hockey Boosters Gun Show.

Where: Wasilla High School.

When: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., today.

Cost: $5 admission.