NRA benefits from local banquet
Wolfgang Kurtz | For The LOG
Area shooting enthusiasts gathered Saturday at the Alaska Railroad Dale R. Lindsey Memorial Terminal Seward to support the Friends of NRA for the seventh year. Between the silent auction, the Wall of Guns, Guns and Roses and the dart game there was plenty of activity right off the bat. Folks walked toward their tables bearing Ammo Cans for that raffle and bought tickets for the bucket raffles as Chris Peters, the NRA regional field representative, prowled the event floor with a cordless microphone.
Hostesses in party dresses manned various tables around the terminal, and during the live auction, displayed the various items up for bid with flair and panache. The live auction was officiated by John Nelson from Idaho who is a regular at these events.
Auctioned items ranged from a 2012 Alaska Railroad print to Yeti coolers to kayaking and helicopter adventures donated by Adventure Sixty North to a Second Amendment plaque. Lot of guns were won and given away.
Attendance and overall fundraising were down from the 2011 banquet where 189 tickets were sold and over $47,000 was raised. This year there were 85 tickets purchased but practically all of the 112 seats were filled and net proceeds were over $29,000. According to Rick Espelin this was still a “high caliber” success according to the group’s internal yardstick for ranking fundraising events.
Wolfgang Kurtz | For The LOG
Fundraiser proceeds are passed on to the state committee which then forwards 50 percent on to the national Friends of NRA organization. Each local committee has a representative that sits on the state committee which, among other duties, votes on grants to local groups for operations, education and equipment. The Friends of NRA is an educational and support establishment separate from the political advocacy of its sister organization, the National Rifle Association.
Rick and Sarah Espelin have relocated to the Talkeetna area and this was their last year on the local committee. Larry Kocur is moving to the Lower 48 along with his wife Ann, which leaves the committe to new chairman Chris Danzel along with fellow volunteers Sheila Collins and Rena Dalman. Working with Chris Peters, they will be active organizing locally with an eye toward next year’s events.