Wasilla High School’s 36th annual Gun and Outdoors Show sees massive attendance

WASILLA — A high volume of Valley residents cycled through Wasilla High School’s 36th annual Gun and Outdoors Show over the weekend.

When it comes to attendance, it’s the more the merrier at this show because it’s all for a cause. More people through the doors means more money raised for the school’s hockey team.

“The community support is awesome. All the local people coming out from Wasilla and surrounding areas just coming out to support the hockey program means a lot. It’s outstanding,” WHS hockey program head coach Jacob Dargis said.

Overall attendance and vendor participation is up, according to show coordinator Misty Holler. She said they had more people attend the Saturday show than both days combined last year.

“It’s been a great year,” Holler said.

Local vendors rented 20 more tables this year, according to Holler. She said they’re actually getting close to capacity for overall vendor participation.

“It’s growing,” Holler said.

WHS hockey players all pitch in for events like these, according to Dargis. Players helped vendors load and unload materials for their booths at the beginning and end of the show.

He said it’s great exposure for the players to acquire social and work skills by interacting with adults from the community.

“They learn how to work; work with people that they don’t know, and step out of their comfort zones. So, it’s a learning experience for a lot of them too,” Dargis said.

This longstanding tradition is the hockey team’s only fundraiser of the year, according to Dargis.

“This event, it takes a lot of work from all the kids and all the parents; and we’re here for the whole weekend. So, it’s a bit of work but we make it happen, and it keeps our program running that we like it go,” Dargis said.

The fact the annual fundraiser is a gun and outdoors show makes it an easy sell to the people of the Valley, many of whom frequent the outdoors.

“It kind of goes hand in hand with the people that live out here. It’s right up a lot of Wasilla resident’s alleys as far as the outdoors component. It’s ingrained in the Alaskan culture, just the outdoor mentality,” Dargis said with a laugh. “I think that’s part of what makes it so successful is pushing towards what so many people are passionate about out here.”

Holler said the show started when her husband Doug Holler was a sophomore at the school. Doug was part of this year’s security team. They have two kids in the hockey program so it was like coming full circle.

“He got to participate in the first one and we get to participate with our kids. It’s pretty fun,” Holler said.

“The vendors say the best part of our show is that our players are here to be part of it; and earning money for themselves, contributing,” Holler said.

Contact Mat-Su Valley Frontiersman reporter Jacob Mann at jacob.mann@frontiersman.com