Pheasant Fest 2025
 

Your Association is alive and well at Pheasant Fest in Kansas City, Missouri. Our leader, Bruce Day, who has been representing the PGCA at the Fest for many years, provided guidance -- and lots of beautiful Parkers -- for our booth. We hawked raffle tickets and enticed a couple of new members on our first day. Among new recruits was a young man whose last name is Parker(!) So good to see some young blood in the fold. Your reporter will keep you updated on our quest to spread the word about Parkers (and sell those tickets in the tradition of Ed Morgan and the Hanson Brothers). Stay tuned!

Here a a few photos from the first day:

1. I'll have more details of our members, and our guns in subsequent posts, but here's a snapshot of our booth.

2. Thanks, Andy Sacco, for our introduction to Mr. Mele. What a gentleman, and now, among our new friends.

3. It was declared Hawaiian Shirt Friday by our Parker Pages Editor, Mountan Mike (Koneski). Note that there are English and Gordon Setters among those flowers on the shirts. One great thing about this event is that there are lots of dogs -- and puppies -- to be seen and played with.

4. Mike again with my wife, Elaine, who also was a part of the HSF crew.

No pictures of Chuckles :eek:

Busy morning

Where are you Chuck?

Hiding!

Around that group, probably a wise decision. Tell Mikey I loved that setter shirt and tell Jeff to smile.:)

We got to meet Phil Yearout!

Garry Thanks for the update wish I was there looks like the PGCA is well represented

The Parker guys let me hang around for a while and Garry even took me around and introduced me to some LC Smith guys. It’s nice to have friends in high places!

That is just awesome, glad you got to meet Bob. He's a true gentleman. I plan on going next year and I'll man the Parker booth if anyone can put up with me : )

It's in Minneapolis Minnesota next year, late February.
Too darn cold!

Oh perfect!!! I’m there.

Love to get there some day. A thousand mile drive, is a long way to go for a show--- now if there was bird hunting involved, I'd be there. Instead ran the dogs at a local WMA, moved a couple covies of quail and 4 Woodcock today. Maybe some day be a little closer.

Frank Finch was there ?

Yes, Frank is here.

Day Two
 

A long and fruitful day, selling tickets, recruiting new members and generally have a great time doing our best to represent the PGCA. We are delighted to have 4 new members! Lots of tales of "my grandfather's Parker" and other stories of how these wonderful guns become a part of their caretakers' lives.

Here are a few more pictures from today:

1. Mike Koneski and Russ Lindsay with one of our new members (I'll post more information about our new members at the end of Fest).

2. The guns bring us together. Your reporter and one of his favorite from my "composite barrel straight" -- a 1904 PH 20 gauge.

3. Bruce Day and Chuck Bishop fondling Bruce's 16 gauge Bernard CHE and perhaps discovering that there are existing records for this very rare gun.

4. I was so happy to finally meet Phil Yearout (who Elaine refers to as my "Pen Pal" from the Forum). Phil's posing with my PH, which will henceforth be called, Phil's Gun. How many guys with MFAs in Art do you get in one room who love hunting, vintage guns, and sporting literature?

5. Bruce Day has encouraged and mentored me on things Parker, especially the enigmatic C grade.

6. Chuck and Mountain Mike with the good Mr. Yearout.

7. Another one of my mentors, Jeff Kuss, is my go-to source, especially for Parker paper and the history of the organization. And Elaine and I could not ask for a better dinner guest.

8. I'd heard many things about Russ Lindsay from Bruce Day about their many hunting trips. Probably best not to repeat those things in a public forum...but lots of laughs when the stories flow.

A few more photos...
 

The guns representing us were to drool over, and we had lots of lookers and great questions.

Photos:

1. Your PGCA 2025 Team (from left to right): Brian Hornacek, Katie Day, Mountain Mike Koneski, Bruce Day, Jeff Kuss, Garry Gordon, Elaine De Jovin, Russ Lindsay, and Tom Wooten. (Chuck Bishop was nursing his surgically repaired hip back in his room. All day on a cement floor is tough on one's joints.)

2. Dinner -- excellent Kansas City BBQ -- and fellowship was a highlight of the day. Personally, I love hearing the stories of the Association's past, and the many members that have contributed to our success. Even better -- learning more about my colleagues beyond the guns we cherish.

Well I finally saw Chuckels . As well as Mr. Kuss smiling (must be a 410 floating about lols) .