National Pheasant Fest
PF’s National Pheasant Fest coming to Saint Paul’s RiverCentre next January
Fourth-Ever Fest to Coincide with Pheasants Forever’s Silver Anniversary
President and CEO, Howard Vincent, announced that Saint Paul is the destination for PF’s fourth-ever National Pheasant Fest. Slated for January 18, 19 & 20, 2008, the event will be held at Saint Paul’s River Centre. Vincent also announced that National Pheasant Fest 2008 will be a milestone event marking PF’s 25th anniversary. PF was formed in Saint Paul in 1982 and is currently nationally headquartered in White Bear Lake.
National Pheasant Fest 2008 will mark the event’s second go-round in “The Land of 10,000 Lakes.” Previous Fests were held in Bloomington, Minn. (2003), Omaha, Neb. (2005), and Des Moines, Iowa (2007). The 24,510 people who attended the 2007 Fest in Des Moines helped make that the largest PF event ever held, but National Pheasant Fest 2008 promises to be the largest and most complete event in the organization’s history. National Pheasant Fest 2008 will feature hundreds of exhibits, seminars, special events and other attractions. The family event will offer something fun for everyone, from puppies and paintings to guns and gun dogs, and everything in between.
An outside shot of the River Centre”We are very excited to be coming home to Saint Paul for this special National Pheasant Fest and 25th anniversary,” Vincent said. “In total, the show size is going from 650 booths in Des Moines up to nearly 800 booths for 2008. And, our attendance goal will be to draw 25,000 people over the course of the Fest’s three days. Attendees will find more dog-related attractions than ever before. We’re also increasing the activities in our Youth Village and adding more attractions for women.”
Pheasants Forever will also use National Pheasant Fest 2008 to celebrate 25 years of work dedicated to the conservation of pheasants and other wildlife through habitat improvements, public awareness, education and land management policies and programs. “People didn’t give the organization a lot of hope in the beginning, so this event will be very special,” said Jeff Finden, PF’s co-founder and first CEO. The organization many thought could never succeed has now grown to over 700 Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever (PF’s quail division) chapters across North America, accounting for 115,000 members. Nationwide, PF has spent nearly $200 million on wildlife habitat projects and conservation education. Those funds have translated into 300,000 habitat projects benefiting 4.4 million acres across the continent. “It’s safe to say that through our efforts, the landscape has really changed and we’ve seen significant habitat improvements for pheasants and other wildlife,” Finden said.
Fittingly, the celebration will take place in the organization’s birth place, as PF was formed in St. Paul, Minn., in 1982. Pheasants Forever’s first chapter, the Kandiyohi County Chapter of PF, formed in Minnesota in 1983. Since its first project in 1984, Minnesota’s 70 PF chapters and 22,000 PF members have completed thousands of projects affecting more than 177,000 acres of wildlife habitat. In fact, Minnesota PF chapters have spent more than $27 million on habitat and conservation education in the state. National Pheasant Fest 2008 will bring together chapter leaders and members from across the country, not only for a look back, but a look ahead. “It will be very gratifying to get together at the biggest and best ever National Pheasant Fest and look back at what our dedicated volunteers, staff and supporters have accomplished throughout our first 25 years,” Finden said, “But we all know there’s always more to do.”
Daily ticket prices for National Pheasant Fest 2008 include: Ages 16 and older – $10; ages 6-15 – $5; ages five and under – free. Friday, Jan. 18th will be Senior Citizen Day with $5 admission for Seniors, while Sunday, Jan. 20th will be Family Day with $1 off all admissions. National Pheasant Fest 2008 will combine a national consumer show, habitat seminar series, and family event complete with puppies, tractors, shotguns, and art. National Pheasant Fest promises to be the country’s largest event for upland hunters, farmers, sport dog owners, and wildlife habitat conservationists. The event is open to the public, and you do not need to be a PF member to attend.
