2024 Pheasant Fest
 

Your PGCA is well represented at this year's Pheasant Fest in Sioux Falls, SD. Our members contributed about 30 unique and wonderful Parker shotguns for the display, and we had good interest in our raffle gun, selling over $1,000 of tickets in this first half day. As a rookie attendee, I was so impressed with the support and good work of our membership (and I tried to help, too).

I'll make another report later and will have names of all of our member attendees. Bruce Day continues to provide leadership and guidance for this effort as he has for years, and Dean and Matt Hanson are extraordinary in their enthusiasm and hard work to make our presence a success (Matt is a ticket hawker extraordinaire!).

Stay tuned. I'll post more photos and have a roll call of members in a later post. What a great organization!

If I leave now, I can be there in eighteen and half hours. Thanks to all the PGCA members and volunteers who are working so hard at this event. It is always great and positive exposure for the organization.

Nice work fellas. Your support is much appreciated 👍

John, we had a a gentleman drop by and show great interest in the guns on display. When he asked me about single barrel trap guns, I realized we had none. We’ll need to remedy that next year.

Nice Job- wish I were there!

Thanks to all there representing the PGCA! Great work!

I am usually there but this year I developed a virus so stayed home. the booth looks really great. good luck selling raffle tickets.

One of these years Susan and I will be there.

Here's a pic of the Hansen brothers getting ready to sell tickets...

Here they are after that first morning of hawking tickets...

We're heading into day two of the Fest. Lots of interest in our fine shotguns, and lots of good camaraderie among our member attendees. Here are the members who have been able to attend so far. I asked those that were able to bring guns to pose with their favorite. (Ask them about their choice. You'll get some wonderful answers.). What a great group of friends.

Photos:

!. Dean Hanson
2. Mike Kobos
3. Joe Weidle
4. Dick Dow
5. Pete Kappas
6. Tom Wooden
7. Thomas Benson
8. Jeff Sweeter
9. The "Crew" (Matt Hansen -- a.k.a. The Ticketmaster -- is the second from the left, your scribe is the second from the right)
10. Dick, Tom and Pete needed to hydrate at day's end (but I'm not sure that was water, it was pretty "wiffy." Ask them what they were drinking.)
11. Dinner last night was a real treat. (That's Dean Weber on the left.)
12. My mentor in all things Pheasant Fest -- Bruce Day (ask him how many he's attended -- some great stories)

Great job guys. You do this association proud.

Looks like Dean Hanson is holding a 8ga? Thanks all for your fine efforts.

Any lack in SBT guns is made up for with the number of your representatives who own and hunt Gordon setters. Outdoor writing through decades would have one thinking Parker owners are all Yankees who wear ties in the field and only hunt behind white setters!

Your display was a great opportunity to see a range of frame sizes together in one place. It's one thing to read about differences in the guns and imagine from there, quite another to see them individually. Well done, and easy to see why your booths attract so many visitors.

Thanks, Kirk. You sound like a member-in-the-making, and a Gordon Setter admirer. Parkers and Gordons are a great combination, and I can tell you from observation, that a Parker complements any good hunting dog.

Please consider joining our group, we'd love to have you.

With those unique guns all packed and headed back to their home safes, we closed a successful Pheasant Fest. Success can be measured in ticket sales (thanks to Matt!!), the sharing of Parker knowledge, and the fellowship of members who were there to represent the Association (thanks guys!).

Next year I understand the Fest will be in Kansas City. I hope I'll be there and can meet even more of our group to help spread the work of The Old Reliable. See you there!

Some last photos:

1. I missed getting a good photo of Dean Weber on the first day. Dean lives in Sioux City, and was a good host/representative for his fine city. Being close to home, he also had "grandpa duty" -- an extra busy guy during the event. (Ask him about his last time staying in Kansas City :))

2. The girls were able to travel with some of us and they helped out and provided great support. Here are Bruce Day's wife, Katie, and my Elaine, having "bagged" a wandering Mearns quail. (Note: they sold tickets to the bird.:rotf:)

Looked like a nice event! Does anybody know what Parker gun(particulars) that Mr. Wooden and Mr. Day are holding in the pictures?

I am sure Garry will let you know for sure, but I like to make a fool of myself guessing. So I am guessing Bruce is holding a CHE 20 gauge and Tom looks to be holding a VHE 28 gauge. Both look very nice too!

I couldn't believe how good looking I was until I scrolled down to the guns.....Well, then I got a lot uglier... What a great weekend!! Sold or managed to squeeze out $3800.00 from the good folks in the midwest so far!! I missed you Ed Morgan. We could have done $4600!

Missed you WAY more than you will ever know. It just wasn't the the same Ed. Nobody chuckles at my jokes?

What a wonderful turn out we had in Sioux Falls. Talked to a lot of great folks and they in turn were able to learn about and share the appreciation we have for these fine guns. All of the attending members did a fantastic job to do their part to support the PGCA. Also, on a personal note, I will be helping a new owner with a Parker he is shipping me. Total disassembly, clean, repair, refinish and then... back afield!! Lastly, a very special thanks to Bruce Day. Our Pheasant Fest Father always provides the extra we need to be incredibly successful. Hope to make it to K.C.

You'll need to check with Tom and Bruce about their gun of choice. I just know that Tom had a couple of .410s that I could not take my eyes off, and Bruce had so many nice guns, I was mesmerized by them all. BTW, there were two CHE Bernard 16s keeping company on the table.

Ed, Matt and Dean kept telling me of your ticket selling prowess and how they missed you. I hope we'll see you in KC.

These handsome young guys were the most energetic representatives for your PGCA...and no, they had no hockey sticks to hook in attendees...and, yes, Bruce Day is the OG of the PGCA presence at Pheasant Fest.

Thanks Matt. I missed being there. still selling tickets in my dreams.

Where does one find Parker Vises shirts?

OOOO! looks like Dean Hanson has to give up his source!! :rotf::rotf::shock:

If Dean would keep his shirt on, this wouldn't be an issue!:rotf::bigbye:

Tom looks to be holding a VHE 28 gauge skeet but can't be sure. Have no idea on Mr. Days Parker. Somebody also mentioned a couple of 410 Parkers but I didn't notice any in the pictures. Maybe somebody will come forward and let us know!

John, picture number 5 from my initial post features Tom's two .410s. I think they are the top most gun and the third one down. I honestly don't remember which gun Bruce chose. He had so many nice ones, but we spoke most about our love of Bernard Steel 16s (he and I both have one).

Tom's .410s appear to be the second and third guns in picture number five. I believe Tom is holding one of them in another picture, his minty little skeet gun that we missed at Baltimore a while back.

Bill, I think you’re correct about the gun Tom is holding. I recall the figure in the stock. It was a single trigger/beavertail gun — a real treat to shoulder.

Garry, I've had too much time with pump guns and other doubles to switch entirely to any one brand or type, I'm a lost cause in that respect! I did own a Parker Reproduction at one point, and when I went looking for a bench vise I wound up with a Parker. Couldn't be happier with it, and I only need the one although if I did have a need for another, it's at least cheaper than buying a shotgun.

Kirk, we call ourselves the Parker Gun Collectors Association, but there are guys with extensive knowledge (and collections) of other Parker items. You would be very welcome in the group, and would find other Parker vice aficionados among the group. Many of the members are also involved in other groups, so don't let the fact that you don't have a Parker gun (yet!) stop you from joining us.

In any event, thanks for posting!

I was holding a light CHE 12 that I bought many years ago from Hershel Chadick.