Friday, September 26, 2008
Hunters for Hungry banquet to draw big crowd
Mark Taylor
Mark Taylor's Outdoors column and notebook appears regularly in The Roanoke Times.
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Aspiring supporters of Hunters for the Hungry got interesting responses this week when they made last-minute requests for tickets to the group's Saturday banquet.
"I'm out of tickets," said volunteer Jeff Fletcher, whose number is on the banquet flyer.
He wasn't the only one.
Tickets were in short supply across the banquet committee, much to the surprise and delight of Gary Arrington, the nonprofit group's special projects coordinator.
Arrington said his calculations were showing that the event would be close to its 350-person capacity. The number includes at least 30 children, and Arrington was scrambling to find more tables for the youngsters.
"I can't believe it," said Arrington, who started the banquet three years ago. "Even in tough times, people still care about people.
"It's about the cause."
As it has been each year, the banquet will be at Dave Sarmadi Mitsubishi in Salem. Robert Harper, the dealership's general manager, is a fervent supporter of Hunters for the Hungry.
This year's event will feature an appearance by Byron Tabor, a Christian motivational speaker and archery trick shot artist who will put on a shooting exhibition.
Arrington said the committee had gone full tilt getting donated items for auctions and raffles. The variety of items is a reflection of the committee's efforts to make potential supporters realize that the group's focus is not on hunting, but on helping the needy.
"You wouldn't believe the stuff we got," Arrington said. "From guns to bows to microwave ovens."
The banquet is among the group's most important sources of revenue. Money for processing and distributing venison is more important than ever this year, Arrington said.
"We're already 65,000 pounds ahead of where we were last year at this time," he said. "And hunting seasons haven't even started."
To find out if any tickets remain, call (800) 352-4868.
Ticket sales slow so far for Optimist's tournament
Organizers of the first-ever fall fishing tournament sponsored by the Optimists Club of Cave Spring are nervously looking toward the Oct. 3-5 event at Smith Mountain Lake.
Despite the buzz created by the club's decision to offer a special $10,000 reward to anyone who registers a muskie of at least 25 pounds, sign-ups for the event has been relatively slow.
"We've sold about three book's worth of tickets," said Carolyn Crewson at the Minnow Pond II in Roanoke. "It's not bad but it's slower than in the spring."
The spring tournament has been attracting about 450 anglers, and helps the club make about $10,000 to support various youth programs in the Roanoke Valley.
The club plans to donate proceeds from the fall tournament to a national campaign to help fund childhood cancer research.
Longtime club member Ike Harris said the tournament needs to draw about 250 anglers to break even.
The contest starts at 7:30 a.m. Oct. 3, and runs to noon on Oct. 5. Species eligible are largemouth, smallmouth and striped bass, catfish, crappie and muskies. Tickets are $40.
For more information about the event, including ticket outlet locations, call Foxport Marina at 721-2451.
