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2008 Gopher Campfire Outing - Post Event Wrap Up

The 99th annual Gopher Campfire Family Outing is over and it again was another successful event. Things were a little wet Friday night and the mini rod pull ended up being postponed. The crowd toughed out the weather and had a great time dancing and listening to the great music of Fire Line.

Saturday was a little light on attendance, but those who came out did a fair amount of shotgun shooting along with giving the closest to the pin contest a whirl. The steak fry on Saturday night was excellent again this year and there were a number of players for the Texas Holdem tourney.

Sunday was a beautiful day filled with events that started with the ham dinner. The kids had a great time playing all the carnival games and visiting with the ambulance crew before they were off the watch the turtle races. The mini rods came back on Sunday and put on a really wonderful show that everyone enjoyed. The conservation raffle drawing took place pretty much on time even with everything else that was going on.

We would like to thank everyone that volunteered to help out and those that came out and enjoyed the events. We would also like to thank all that donated prizes for the raffle and money to help pay for the mini rods too.

Plans are already starting for next year’s 100th annual Outing. We are hoping to make it bigger and better than ever. If you have any ideas on something that could be added for next year, please don’t hesitate to contact an officer or board member with your idea, or better yet, bring it out to a meeting yourself. Our meetings are held the second Tuesday of each month starting at 8 pm.

Thanks again to all,

          Gopher Campfire

To see pictures of the event, click here.                                            

2007 Gopher Campfire Outing - Post Event Wrap Up

First of all, we would like to THANK all the workers who volunteered their time and energy to make the 98th annual outing a success. It takes a lot of effort from a lot of people cooking, serving food or beverages, cleaning, doing dishes, working the gate, selling tickets, orchestrating activities for the kids, chasing to town when something is forgotten, cutting up the tree that was downed in the storm Friday night or picking up the grounds, to pull off a two and a half day event.

A good time was had by all attending, but we’re sure the crowds would have been better had the weather cooperated. HOT and HUMID all weekend, with storms each night. Be sure to mark your calendars for the 2008 outing. This year we had a band called “Fireline” out of the Bemidji area. They enjoyed our members as much as we enjoyed them, and they are already booked again for next year.

Last, but certainly not least, we also want to send a HUGE thank you to Mark Bishman and Dean Eckstrom and their crew. They have donated their time, energy, and equipment for many years for the Saturday afternoon tractor and ATV pulls. They’ve decided to pull the pin and enjoy the events from the sidelines. We’ll save a place in the shade for you! As always, if you have any suggestions for events for the outing, we and the board members are open to new ideas!

Thank you, Goober Ondracek and Reece Seefeldt

2007 Outing Raffle Winners

#1	Pheasants Forever Print	Don Carlson
#2	Mossberg 12 gauge	Bill (Snuffy) Straub
#3	Conservation Partners Print	Galen Carlson
#4	Ruger 10/22	Kay Voigt
#5	Bronze Statue	Tim Swenson
#6	Country Crossing Print	Scott Jerabek
#7	$100 Cashwise Gift Certificate	Marshall Carlsted
#8	Savage .17 gauge	Brian Roulet
#9	Branson Trip	Jeremy Powell
#10	..50 caliber Black Powder Rifle	Tim Ulrich
CHEERS! We graduated another 56 students from our fall firearm safety class. THANKS to all that helped!

2007 Gopher Campfire Outing - August 10 - 12, 2007

Plans are already well underway for the 2007 Gopher Campfire Outing to be held August, 10, 11, & 12. If you have ideas for new events – please contact David (Goober) Ondracek at (320) 587-6216 or Reece Seefeldt at (320) 587-6059.

2009 is the 100th Anniversary of Gopher Campfire! If you didn't already know, Gopher Campfire is the oldest conservation club in the state of Minnesota. I am rallying for all club members to come forth to help and get involved in our club. I would like to see everyone contribute to events and projects to make us as strong and united as we can be. Our club is one of the many Gopher Campfires that President Teddy Roosevelt started over a hundred years ago. Our club is the only one left in the United States. I have asked the Gopher Board Directors to phone club members to volunteer to help with special projects and events. If you are asked, please come forward and donate some of your time. We would really appreciate your help; but please don’t wait for a phone call, our meetings are at 8pm every second Tuesday of the month. Currently we have from 20 to 30 members at these meetings. I would like to see these numbers grow so much that from now on we would have to use the larger back room of the clubhouse for the meeting.     - Keith Berwald, President

2006 Gopher Campfire Outing - August 11 - 13, 2006

A big THANK YOU goes out to all the workers who volunteered their time and effort to make the 97th annual outing a success. We’d also like to thank all the sponsors who helped pay for the mini-rods, so support your local businesses! If anyone has any ideas for things to do on the Saturday of the outing, like volleyball, bocce ball, softball, or kickball tournaments, please let us know. We, as well as the officers and board members, are open to any ideas to help build up to make a great 100th annual outing in three short years.

This years Outing was a lot of fun, and in spite of a little rain on Sunday, a very nice weekend. The attendance was good for the Mini-Rods and Clover on Friday night. Saturday’s Steak Fry and the Gopher Idol were also well attended and a lot of fun. The Ham dinner on Sunday looked to be soggy but over 200 people showed for a good meal and entertainment from Wally Pikal. A Big Thanks to David (Goober) Ondracek and Reece Seefeldt for a well planned event and also to all the workers for making this a very good family Outing.

Conservation Raffle Prize Winners:

1. Reminton Wingmaster Pum 12 ga 3” magnum – Arnie Jorgensen
2. F/F Framed Print of Year 2006 – Courtney Erickson
3. NWTF Knife of Year 2006 – Jeff Walters
4. Conservation Partners Framed Print – Tim Ulrich
5. Free Week at Branson for 2 – Carl Melin
6. Framed Canada Geese Visit River (Les Kouba) – Dave Larson
7. Charles Daily 3 ½” Pump 12 ga magnum – Julie Hutchins
8. NWTF Knife of Year – Tony Johnson
9. Ruger 10/22 – George Windinger
10. $50 Cashwise Gift Card – Darla Samuelson

 

Pedal Pull Winners:
40-49 Lbs. 1. Daniel VanDeSteeg 63’ 11” 2. Reece Portele 54’ 4” 3. Ben Major 35’ 2”	70-79 Lbs. 1. Tommy Landerville 48’ 1”
50-59 Lbs. 1. Jeremiah VanDeSteeg 67’ 10” 2. Nicholas Weir 67’ 3” 3. Anna Seefeldt 59’ 4”	80-89 Lbs. 1. Taylor Schmeling 67’ 11” 2. Kelston Erickson 66’ 5” 3. Kristen Sawyer 55’ 10”
60-69 Lbs. 1. Mykensi Uecker 48’ 8” 2. Brandon Goldschmidt 48’ 6”
ATV Pull Resulsts
400-499cc 1. Terry Peterson 2. Brett Peterson	700-799cc 1. Brett Peterson 2. Justin Otto
500-599cc 1. Terry Peterson 2. Byron Bjork	800cc - Open 1. Jon Burkes 2. Nicholes Hose
600-699cc 1. Terry Peterson 2. Butch Peterson
Celebrity Tandem Pull
Men's Division 1. Team Cheater 2. Team 49 & 51	Women's Division 1. Team Daycare Chicks 2. Team Gopher Girls

The NRA Weatherby .270 rifle raffle at our outing went great. Lee Grams from Hutchinson was the winner of this rifle. Schweiss hounded over 200 people to buy tickets and this raffle generated over $1450.00 for the club. Thanks to all the people that support this raffle.

Last Updated: 08-14-2008