Rousing return for Onaway Sportsman?s Show

by Peter Jakey – Managing Editor

Attendance totals exceeded expectations this past weekend with the return of the Onaway Sportsman?s Show. ?That?s what it is all about,? she said. ?I?m just happy it was a success.? The guests came from all corners of the state, from Grand Rapids to the upper peninsula. She said there were a lot of people from Rogers City and Alpena, Posen and Presque Isle as well.

The Optimist Club of Rogers City reportedly had excellent food sales during the event. They sold out of pop and hotdogs on Saturday and had to restock mid afternoon.

Brougham said every one of the 30 vendors who participated in the show are coming back and those in this year’s show are guaranteed the same booth price for next year as a “thank you” for getting us back to Onaway.

?Some of these vendors want two spots,? she said. ?We received really good, positive feedback about having it on that weekend.? ?There are more people in town,? said Brougham. ?The hunters don?t hunt all day and they want some place to go where they can hang out and talk to other hunters and look at new equipment.?

nse it is certainly pointing in that direction. It had been on the first weekend in December in previous years.

?Next year, we hope to have demonstrations and seminars,? said Brougham. ?With the short amount of time involved, it did create quite a bit of stress for those involved, but the results relieved all that stress. We now have 11 months to put on next year?s show so it should be easy.?

The core group of volunteers who banded together to make the return of the show a success were Candy Faith, Jackie Fry, Nikki Bischer, Dee Beck, Helen Tierney, Lee Ann Neelis, along with Gary and Bev Brougham.

Faith and Fry worked the phones, literally combed the phone book and searched the Internet to bring in vendors, while Beck and Bischer distributed flyers. They put up more than 100 in Rogers City. Gary Brougham designed the flyers and raffle tickets.

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