By Joel Langton
The 830 Times
For the 35th year in a row, the Del Rio Chamber of Commerce’s
Special Projects Committee organized and executed another Wild Game Dinner with several thousand in attendance.
The event, held annually on the first Saturday in December, provides the chamber of commerce with funds for their scholarships and supports other projects the organization undertakes.
While many of the event’s staples, the food, the gun raffle and so many other elements have stayed the same, this year’s event had a slight twist with a larger market in the Red Oak ballroom of
the civic center.
The event had 30 vendors in the Red Oak ballroom selling everything from pictures to fire pits to feeders, and a whole lot in between, all of course targeted towards hunters.
“As always, it was a special night, especially for those who won guns but the entire team works hard to make the entire event special for all attendees,” said Blanca Larson, Del Rio Chamber of Commerce executive director. “Expanding the market a bit was a
very successful experiment that I think next year, we might see if we can even make it a little bit bigger.”
The market was open from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m.
Another consistent part of the event it wouldn’t be possible without is the volunteers. The special projects committee has about a dozen volunteers who coordinate everything, but the event takes a labor force of more than a hundred to pull it off.”
“The last few years, the high school students have really stepped up and supported us,” said Jimmy Murdoch, one of the event’s
long-time organizers. “We literally could not do this event today if it weren’t for the high school students. Everyone from Jr ROTC, so many CTE students, Boy Scouts, Del Rio High School cheerleaders, local pageant queens and their courts, National Guard members, to just name a few, step up and help make this night a success.
Murdoch said he’s amazed the committee has turned out 35 Wild Game Dinners.
“I’m just pretty amazed we’ve kept it going this long,” he joked.
The writer can be reached at JoelaLangton@gmail.com .
