February 23rd, 2008
[ OUTDOORS ]
It’s time to dust off the tuxedo and prepare for the social season. Well, not a tuxedo exactly but I might buy a new pair of blue jeans.
The social season, at least for me, consists of a series of banquets. They are hosted by a bunch of different organizations that promote hunting. The banquets benefit such critters as pheasants, turkeys, quail, even elk.
The first such blast takes place Monday evening at the Topeka Holiday Inn West Holidome, 605 S.W. Fairlawn, when the local chapter of Ducks Unlimited hosts its 34th annual banquet and fund raiser.
It’s hard to believe it’s been that many years. I can’t claim to have been at the first one but I haven’t missed many since then. It’s even harder to believe how the DU banquet has changed.
The first years the chapter held them were rowdy events. We were so much younger then. There used to be huge pyramids of empty Bud cans on the tables. Guys would hold impromptu duck calling contests from across the room.
There would be scantily clad babes hustling raffle tickets amid the din. The auctioneer would be drowned out by the noise.
Well, we are now older duck hunters. And the banquets reflect that. For instance, lots of guys bring their wives or girlfriends, even their daughters.
For the record, I am not bringing my six-year-old daughter Moriyah or First Mate, my wife. According to Brad Loveless, this year’s banquet chairman, there are temptations that might prove costly if I would do so.
“We’ve got some nice auction items and silent raffle items that include jewelry,” Loveless said. “And there’s a yellow Lab puppy that will go for an auction item.”
That tore it. Moriyah is a sucker for any kind of puppy and F.M. can’t be trusted when it comes to jewelry. So, I’ll go it alone again this year.
The DU banquet has always been a fun affair. It would be even more fun if I had money to burn. This year promises to be no exception. There’s a bunch of stuff I could be tempted by (and I don’t mean the Lab puppy).
“We’ve got a wide variety of hunts again this year,” Loveless said. “We’re featuring three different waterfowl hunts, for instance. We’ve got a reservoir hunt, a river hunt, and a grain field hunt.”
There’s always a lot of artwork, too, and I’ve spent pleasant hours admiring it. When the auction comes around, though, the bidding is usually over my head.
In recent years there has been kind of a unique form of bidding that actually saves people money. “Once again we’re going to bid on rental of construction equipment,” Loveless said. “We’ll have everything from backhoes to graders. A person who needs construction work done can get equipment for a fraction of what they would normally pay.”
There’s other stuff like the smoker/grill that comes with 20 pounds of ribeye steaks, several guns including the DU Gun of the Year, and the usual ton of dollar raffle items (where I am at home with).
The doors open at 5:30 p.m., followed by a buffet, followed by the auction. Tickets are $50 for a single and each additional guest is $25.