Something for everyone at Game Fair

The 30^th annual Game Fair is only a week away and this year is looking to be another great one, if not the best one yet. Nearly two million people have visited the Game Fair over the years with about 50,000 a year for the last decade or so. Make plans to be there as the show runs from August 12-14 and 19-21.

I've been attending the Game Fair every year for the past 15 years and have been helping run the show out there the past five years. It's a great event and the hosts of Game Fair, Chuck and Loral I Delaney, are a class act who are simply amazing. The amount of time and energy they put into hosting the event is phenomenal.

Almost all of the usual fan favorites will be there this year once again and there will be plenty of new things to see as well. This includes exhibitors, dog events, shooting events, archery courses, concessions and plenty of people watching.

One of the great things about Game Fair is that it's a full family participation event. Bring the dog on a leash and walk around one of the few venues where dogs are more than just allowed, they are invited.

Bring the kids too and have your kids bring a few friends. There are so many kid events to keep them busy and having fun. The event is centered around hunting, but I have a lot of friends who go there every year and they don't hunt. When I ask them why they go, their answer is that it's fun to bring the dog and their kids always beg them to go every year.

Tough to beat that!

Located just outside of Anoka on Highway 10 and Armstrong Boulevard, the Game Fair grounds are simply gorgeous. There are 80 acres of oak trees, lush grass, wetlands and a good-sized lake.

Oh sure, they are all close by during the fair and often are seen by the lucky ones who can pull their attention away from all the fair events. With shotgun shooting exhibitions by Tom Knapp, dogs jumping off docks and cruising through obstacle courses, informational seminars and great new products to look at, the wildlife around you can be easily missed.

Fine art and taxidermy are also found at Game Fair. I spoke with Chris Knutson of Art Barbarians in Rogers, MN and he said his booth in the Art Barn will be a busy place as usual. "We'll have Jim Hautman here the first Saturday of the fair. Scot Storm will be hanging out every day along with Bret Longley on both Saturdays and Sundays."

For those who don't know, Jim Hautman is a four-time and current winner of the Federal duck stamp. He'll be doing demonstrations and chatting with visitors to the booth. Scot Storm is a great guy who I've had the privilege of interviewing. He is a phenomenal wildlife artist and winner of this year's pheasant stamp. Storm and Longley will be doing painting demonstrations as well.

Something that doesn't get talked about enough is the charitable nature of the Delaneys. They donate a lot to various organizations in the community and non-profits in the community are invited to utilize the Game Fair as a way of fundraising.

National and state conservation organizations are also beneficiaries of the Delaneys and Game Fair. Pheasants Forever has run their "Build a Wildlife Area" fundraiser out of Game Fair since its inception nine years ago and the Delaney's have given generously to that cause over the years.

Politics are tough to escape and Game Fair is no exception. A lot of Congressional representatives and both senators have a booth at the Game Fair along with the Secretary of State's office. The Republicans and Democrats are both there showing their support of hunting and firearms along with several unions and labor organizations.

Even though it's an off year for elections, there will be plenty of it to see and the organization "Sportsmen for Change" might even have a forum or two for people to chat with policy makers. I covered the gubernatorial debate last year at the Game Fair and have no doubt that as close as the election was, hearing from those folks firsthand regarding conservation issues probably swayed a few voters one way or the other and decided the election.

If you have never been out there, I encourage you to attend. Stop by the Information Booth and say hello to me (Ron Hustvedt). Say hello to Ron Schara (the "other Ron"). Say hello to Raven the black lab. Say hello to Chuck and Loral I Delaney.

For all the details about Game Fair 2011 go to www.gamefair.com

I've left out a lot of additional features of the Game Fair partially because any good blog shouldn't be this long! The rest of it is for you all to fill in.