Approximately 15,000 visitors stopped by the Liberty Ballroom at the Clovis Veterans Memorial District this past weekend to enjoy the Old Town Clovis Antique & Gun Show.
Presented by Sierra West Shows, the three-day event which ran from Friday through Sunday, showcased quality antique items and firearm dealers from Southern and Central California, Arizona and Nevada. The room was divided into half antiques and half gun show.
“This is a great place to find one-of-a-kind treasures,” shared one bargain hunter.
Sierra West Shows is a doing-business-as entity of Dennis Kirk, his wife, Claudette Sue and daughter, Jacquie Boudreaux. The business is licensed as Gun Show Producers by The California Department of Justice, Bureau of Firearms. The family also owns Suquie’s Treasures Antique Store on Pollasky.
“This brings the best of the antique and gun worlds together in one venue,” said Kirk Boudreaux. “It’s a lot of fun. We have some wonderful dealers with high-end items as well as things that are priced to sell.
“A portion of the gate proceeds go directly to Heart of the Horse Therapy Ranch. They do such wonderful work, helping kids and veterans. They were last year’s number one non-profit and depend on community support. We’re just a mom and pop operation giving back. If everyone did that, give back, can you imagine what the world would be like?”
Approximately 25 antique dealers displayed their best silver, jewelry, collectibles, pottery, furniture, figurines, art and much more, in their side of the room.
Marilyn Ravanal, of Riverside, sells jewelry only at antique shows.
“I get a lot of pieces from estate sales in Los Angeles,” she said. “Sometimes people bring in items they might want to sell or get an idea of a value amount.”
Patty and Dennis Cortez of Patricia’s Antiques in Reedley had a mix of prices for their antiques and collectibles.
“We buy from Alameda auctions, try to keep our prices low and have a lot of items from the east coast,” said Dennis Cortez.
Four firearm dealers had everything for the gun enthusiast, including accessories, gun safes, ammunition, vintage and modern handguns, rifles, shotguns, air guns and military items.
“We obey all federal, state and local firearm ordinances and laws,” said Boudreaux. “Firearm safety is so important. We follow protocol that includes thorough background checks, residency requirements, fingerprints and a 10-day waiting period. There is no same day, cash and carry for firearms in California.”
“A lot of guys here are military related,” said author and veteran, Tom Morton, who was promoting his book, ‘Whiskey Tango Foxtrot.’ “People stopped by to talk about the book with stories shared. It’s a very friendly atmosphere and I look forward to doing it again.”
Save the date: October 20-22, 2017, will be the next Old Town Clovis Gun & Antiques Show. Hours: Friday and Saturday 9 a.m.-6 p.m., Sunday 10 a.m.-3 p.m. General admission is $10. For more information, visit: www.antiquesatsuquies.com and www.facebook.com/SierraWestShows.