More than 700 people attended the event with many vendors and patrons giving positive reviews to the packed festivity.

“Very, very good,” said Gary Dudek, who hosted the Sportsmen’s Rendezvous vendor from Cattaraugus County. “We have a little raffle going. We sold a lot of tickets. People were coming over and we put on a little seminar. Everybody seemed to like it. It seems like a good event.”

Dudek presented a seminar on hunter’s safety and trapping. However, when he had to present his seminar, he struggled to get to the stage, mingling through the 11 a.m. crowd.

The niche event appeased many in the area. Hunting and fishing are vital to the waterfront and rural area, which the Southern Tier is the host to both. Dudek sees events like these growing.

Marion Delcamp takes a look at Dave Robbins’s hats, who sitting at far right.

“Definitely, the shows I’ve been going to and setting up at have been getting fuller and fuller,” Dudek said. “There’s a lot of interest in it.”

Paul and Byrnedette Schonhart were also set up in the conference room. They run King Decoys out of Forestville and had a line of handmade ducks and birds that were carved from wood and had feathers burned into them with in-depth details.

“I am hoping that the birds just jump out of that block of wood,” Paul joked.

He was one of many vendors who felt the fete was a hit.

“We are happy with the turnout,” Paul added.

At right, Sam Tramuto gives a grand smile to Chelsey Tramuto as she takes a look at fishing accessories.

The event was put on by the OBSERVER as the title presenter of the event being Basil of Fredonia Chevy, Buick and Cadillac. Other top sponsors were Chautauqua County Visitors Bureau, Copy Boy Instant Printing, LiVecchi’s Gun Sales, Westfield Memorial Hospital, Lake Shore Savings and the city of Dunkirk.

OBSERVER Publisher John D’Agostino believes the Lake Erie Outdoor and Fishing Show helped advertise Dunkirk’s asset in Lake Erie and an under-tapped audience in the area.

“This was an event that was geared for the community, was geared to promote Lake Erie and the fishing and outdoor aspects of our area,” he said. “I think for the first event since I can’t remember when, that it’s been well-received, and it is very successful. It’s a tribute to this community coming out and I think it’s a tribute to the staff that helped put it together.”

D’Agostino added his gratitude toward Martha Frey, the Clarion hotel, the sponsors and his staff that helped coordinate the event: Meredith Patton, Anna Galofaro, Alice Waters, Amy Pomeroy, Janice Gee, Karen Cannon, Shawn Paulus and many more.

“This is a team effort,” D’Agostino said.

The Lake Erie Outdoor and Fishing Show came into action in January 2018 and in those short four and a half months, the festivity came to fruition. It’s not listed as an annual event, but D’Agostino sees 2019 having Round 2 of the event.

“We are definitely planning it for next year,” he said. “The dates are still being planned out. … Hopefully, we will have more details in the coming months, but it is definitely something that people want to see again.”

Twitter: @ByKuczkowski