Thousands attend annual Wasilla High gun show

Over 2,200 people attended the Wasilla High School Gun and Outdoor Show over the weekend of Jan. 18 and 19.

Vendors occupied over 250 tables selling everything from firearms and ammunition, to army surplus items, candy, pet food items and books. All of the proceeds from the event go to the Wasilla High School Hockey Team and funds raised through food vending go to the Mat-Su Ravens Girls High School Hockey Team.

Event Coordinator Kendra Johnson said she was happy to see such a great turnout. She said it was the result of their advertising push this year. Over 500 people come through the doors in the first hour on Saturday.

“This one has just been cram-packed full of people and it’s very nice to see,” Johnson said.

Vendors occupied the common area of the high school, with lines of shuffling people winding throughout. The smell of food from Grandma Wei’s Homemade Dumplings wafted throughout the space. The line of people poured onto the indoor track, where vendors lined the sides and filled the hallways on each end. At times there were so many people that forward progress was at a standstill. Vendors on the floor occupied several full rows of tables with a constant stream of people moving in and out.

Several vendors that have attended the event since the show’s inception said they come back year after year because they like the environment. To many, it’s a social event. Some expressed the importance of exercising their Second Amendment rights by participating in gun shows. Others mentioned the uniqueness of being able to host these types of events in a high school setting.

Arnold Claassen is the owner of African Select Hunting Safaris in South Africa. He said this was his first time attending this event and that his largest clientele-base in the United States is from Wasilla. His family-owned operation caters to a maximum of six hunters at a time, conducting hunts on 300,000 acres for 40 different species. Claassen said that this show is comparable to other outdoor shows he has participated in across the country.

“So far, for the amount of people that I’ve seen over a weekend, this has been the best so far,” Claassen said.

Hockey team members worked Friday to set up for the event, setting tables, cleaning and putting out a floor in the gym. They continued to work rotating shifts on the show floor Saturday and Sunday, selling raffle tickets, operating the elevator and serving donuts and coffee to the vendors. They then worked to tear down and clean up after the event.

“The kids have worked their butts off,” Johnson said.

Don DeMaster is the program administrator for the Mat-Su Ravens girls high school hockey team. He helped cook and serve hotdogs with the team and their families over the weeknd. DeMaster said a lot of the team was away playing other teams.

“We have a lot of families helping to make this happen for the girls,” DeMaster said. “They are working their tails off. It’s a good fundraiser for them and we’re really happy that Wasilla allows us to be a part of it.”

Johnson said that the hockey team appreciates seeing all of the support they receive from the community at this event. They will be spending the funds on ice time, transportation costs and lodging for out-of-town matches.

“Thank you to everybody that’s either a vendor, or showing up and walking through,” Johnson said. “It’s been great.”