Palmer Lions gun show set for March 5-6

BOB MARTINSON/Frontiersman reporter

The 38th-annual Palmer Lions gun show will take place March 5-6 at the Alaska State Fairgrounds in Palmer.

Both Raven Hall and the Hoskins building will house the show, which will boast approximately 325 tables.

The event will run from 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Saturday and from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Sunday.

"That way," said Monty Hotchkiss, chairman of the gun show, "if people come out for the Iditarod Restart, they can drive down to Palmer the same weekend to catch the gun show."

The Lions usually bring in about $14,000-$17,000 from the show - this represents about 97 to 98 percent of the Lions's annual income for community contribution projects.

Money raised from the event contributes to Palmer-area high school athletics, scholarships, a program that invests in campgrounds for children who are visually impaired, sewing machines for the women's prison, a program called "Grad Blast" that is designed to entice graduating teens to go to a safe venue for their graduation celebration instead of attending parties and the Palmer Senior Center, which received a new van from the Lions Club last year.

A raffle will take place during the gun show, which usually raises $1,200-$1,500 for the Palmer Food Bank.

The Lions also donate to the Salvation Army and the Palmer Food Bank, for Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners and baskets for families.

"Another thing is that we have quite a food concession, and it is done by the Winners Circle 4-H Club. That helps them make a pretty good chunk of money to help them with their program," Hotchkiss said.

Admission to the Palmer Lions's gun show is $4 for adults, and children 12 and under get in free.