Game Fair's 31st edition opens Friday in Anoka -- an annual outdoor celebration of sporting dogs, duck and goose calling and shooting, held in anticipation of the fall hunting seasons.
The fair runs Friday through Sunday and the following three-day weekend, Aug. 17-19.
Hosted at Armstrong Ranch Kennel in Anoka, Game Fair is owned and promoted by Chuck and Loral I Delaney, dog trainers and onetime national husband-and-wife trapshooting champions.
This year, Game Fair will debut a $10,000 Duck and Goose Calling Championship, one of the richest such events in the world. Contest callers' entry fees will be donated to Ducks Unlimited for wetland habitat conservation.
Exhibitors at the fair include manufacturers of ATVs, shotguns, dog training equipment and other outdoor gear. Seminars featuring experts in elk and deer hunting, waterfowl calling and decoying, property management, bow hunting, pheasant hunting, permit to carry and pistol selection, shooting, game cooking and other topics will be featured during the show's six-day run.
Wingshooters wanting to test their skills can take aim at sporting clays and the duck flurry. Fair visitors are invited to bring their leashed dogs and cased shotguns.
Hours Friday and Saturday each weekend are 9-6, with Sunday hours 9-5. Adult admission is $10; seniors are $8; and kids ages 6 to 14 get in for $5. Children under 6 are free.
DENNIS ANDERSON
