Lions’ gun and knife show returns
The South Hot Springs Lions Club Semi-Annual Gun & Knife Show returns to the Hot Springs Convention Center on Saturday and Sunday following last year’s “record crowd,” with an attendance of around 3,000.
Every January and July since 1985, the Lions Club has hosted the show, raising money for numerous organizations and helping people in need of eye care. Last year’s attendance was the biggest crowd that Steve Yach, who has served as the event’s chairman for the last eight shows, says he has seen.
“When people bring guns in here, we have them unload the gun and we put a zip tie through the chamber so the gun can’t be fired,” Yach said. “So, safety-wise, we don’t have to worry about anything happening with them.”
With around 105 vendors, 95% of the tables will be gun or knife related, while 5% is reserved for unrelated items, such as jewelry, he said.
There will be antique and modern firearms of all kinds, knives, swords and accessories for sale, as well as a raffle drawing around every two hours. A custom-made knife, valued at about $400, will serve as the grand prize for the raffle.
All proceeds from the event will go to charities as well as providing people in need with eye exams, glasses and helping those with eye injuries. Donations of eyeglasses will be accepted at the event for recycling, according to a news release from South Hot Springs Lions Club.
All raffle prizes, with a combined value at around $3,000, were donated by various businesses throughout the community, Yach said.
“I would say we give out way more prizes than we collect money for the raffles,” he said. “But, we don’t pay anything for the raffle prizes.”
Last year, the club raised between $30,000 and $40,000 from
the show, Yach said.
This year, the money raised will go to 19 separate organizations, including World Services for the Blind, Arkansas Lions Eye Bank and Lab, MidSouth Lions Sight and Hearing, Lions Club International Foundation, Arkansas Sheriffs’ Youth Ranches, The Caring Place, Habitat for Humanity, Jackson House, Potter’s Clay, Samaritan Ministries, The Salvation Army, Ouachita Children’s Center, Project HOPE Food Bank, Jones Eye Institute,
Garland County Historical Society, Cooperative Christian Ministries and Clinic, Gift to Gift, Fellowship of Christian Athletes and Divers Only Foundation.
A news release also listed Boys and Girls State, Boys & Girls Club, Hospice Foundation, Cobra EAST and three nursing scholarships at National Park College as beneficiaries.
“Something that’s kind of interesting at our show is all the children 12 and under, we give them a ticket for a free chicken meal at Chicken Express,” Yach said. “So we give out probably 100 of those.”
Although most of the show’s vendors and attendees are from Arkansas, 12 other states have decided to participate this year, including bordering states as well as Indiana, Colorado, Florida and Wisconsin, he said.
Returning vendors this year will include Claude Lambert, who made the knife serving as the grand prize for the raffle, and Osprey Global Scopes, a manufacturer in hunting and weapon accessories.
Yach said the show will not require masks or any other COVID-19 safety precautions. Masks will be optional for attendees.
Raffle tickets will be sold for $2 per ticket or $20 for 11 tickets. The show will be open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, and 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday. Admission is $10 for both days. Children ages 11 and younger are admitted for free.