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Saturday Evening, March 1
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We enjoy this annual event at Ephrata Business Center, Ephrata, Pa – and rarely miss it.
After most of the 500 people found seats and had opportunity to visit vendors, or compete in a variety of games, we were offered a variety of venison hors d’oeuvres, chips, pretzels and rabbit stew, plus drinks like water, iced tea, lemonade, meadow tea, and coffee.
Spaghetti, salad, bread and cupcakes. Everything was delicious. I especially enjoyed my shoefly cupcake – made with a dark molasses. Everyone received an orange plastic cup to celebrate their 20 years of holding this annual dinner. They serve this meal very quickly by dismissing one table at a time.
We enjoyed great conversations with the men across the table from us.
The first awards went to young people who shot their first deer during the past hunting season. Kevin van Buskirk, left, is instrumental in making this happen. A Pennsylvania Game Warden was also present to congratulate them.
The entire group of young hunters with their certificates. Most names were entered by their parents. The contestant’s did not know this was happening.
There were several people who brought racks from last year’s hunt in a competition to win the prize for the largest rack. The man on the right was the winner.
This young woman won the prize for the largest rack among the youth hunters.
This man across the table from us was incredibly pleased to win the door prize from Light Shine Ministries, Alaska.
The young girls sitting next to us were more than incredibly pleased to win a tent for four in the door prize for children. Their dad was sitting next to me and said they have been asking for a tent. 
Guest Speaker Mark Wagner from Cabot, PA, shared a lot of interesting hunting stories and challenges.
He challenged us to tell our stories to family and friends. We need each other. We need hunters and game wardens to keep our wild animal herds and groups healthy and balanced in our mountains and fields. If that isn’t done, wild animals will become extinct. He said that only 6% of the people in our country are hunters.
He told us about his Alaskan moose hunt, then closed with a challenge. The day after killing this moose, he was out walking in the bush and decided to go back to the kill site to see if any animal had found the scrap pile of bones, innards, etc. He hadn’t thought about it ahead of time and was very unprepared to be walking close to the sight. He was only carrying a 22 rifle (which might be able to kill a squirrel).
All of a sudden, he had the feeling that something was watching him and all the hair on his back and neck went up. He quickly turned and walked back to camp – just knowing there was a grizzly in the area of his kill. He went back the next day – more fully prepared – and found grizzly bear tracks covering some of his footprints from the day before.
That led to his spiritual challenge of being prepared to someday meet God.
He closed by challenging each hunter – and everyone – to try new things – to stretch ourselves whether hunting, fishing, or in everyday life. He showed this long rifle – which he made.
He also carved this scene in a moose antler. He began this project without knowing that he had a talent for carving.
It was certainly an interesting and challenging evening.