Homer Alaska - News

In classy restaurants the maitre d' might let you borrow an appropriate dinner jacket before seating you in the dining room. At Anchor Point's second annual game dinner, you might have been told to go back home and put on some camo.

Because at the game dinner it's all about celebrating hunting, fishing, camping, subsistence, family and the Alaska lifestyle.

The Lighthouse Assembly of God hosted the game dinner again this year, and Pastor Milt Michener said that it was bigger and better in every way.

"We had a larger crowd, more prizes and a great guest speaker and everyone really had a good time," said Michener.

Estimates are 146 stopped in at the game dinner.

This year's guest speaker was Johnny McCoy from North Pole, who was mauled by a brown bear in 2001.

What really made the night was billing the game dinner as a family event this year.

"I think it was really great that we also had some children here ... so it was more of a family affair, which I think was even better," said Michener.

No formal lists were kept of who won what, of the plentiful prizes donated at the game dinner, but Michener's best estimates point to about 20 pocketknives handed out plus smaller gifts.

This year's big winners were Don Koch, who won a 20-gauge shotgun donated by Redden Marine, and Rick Paulsrud, who won a Ruger .22 target pistol from "The Bullet Hole" donated by Charlie Garver.

The game dinner raised $500 that will go toward the boys and girls basketball programs at Chapman Elementary.