THE GREAT DEER HUNT KICKS OFF OCT. 30
MIAMI — The River Bottom Sportsmen and Mid-America Chapter of the Paralyzed Veterans of America are in the final days of preparation for The Great Deer Hunt which kicks off at 9 a.m. Thursday, Oct. 30, in downtown Miami.
The Great Deer Hunt, held annually in Miami, allows disabled American veterans an opportunity to enjoy a weekend of food, fun and fellowship, as well as the thrill of the hunt.
“This event has grown from a grass-roots effort into an annual labor of love for the 50-member volunteer staff of the River Bottom Sportsmen,” said Jack Dalrymple, president of the River Bottom Sportsmen and host for the weekend event. “We do this as a way to honor our veterans. This event symbolizes the values of our community and it is those values that make our community so special.”
The Great Deer Hunt runs Oct. 30 through Nov. 2 and is held on the Dalrymple farm on the western edge of Miami.
Volunteers with the River Bottom Sportsmen, with the assistance of the Miami Fire Department, secure the U.S. flag to the building located at 1 S. Main St. in Miami, Okla. The flag raising ceremony is the official kickoff for The Great Deer Hunt. This year’s ceremony will be held Thursday, Oct. 30, at the corner of Central and Main streets in Miami.
The annual flag raising ceremony has grown into the official opening of the hunt and will feature performances by the Commerce High School band, William Tarrant with the Seneca-Cayuga Tribe, the Quapaw Tribe Honor Guard and Krista Duhon, an invocation by Leroy Orr and the raising of the garrison-style U.S. flag on the five-story building at the corner of Central and Main streets in Miami.
“We only hang this flag in conjunction with this hunt,” Dalrymple said. “It covers the entire front of the building. It is an impressive sight and we hope everyone will come out and join us for the flag raising ceremony.
Dalrymple said the flag “seems to tug at the very foundation of our community. We watch people stop in the middle of Main Street just to take pictures, hug each other, give a thumbs up and walk away with a somewhat renewed base of what our community and our country is and should be all about.”
Six veterans will be participating in this year’s event, according to Dalrymple. While the flag raising ceremony that morning and a banquet sponsored by Buffalo Run Casino that night officially welcome the participants to Miami, hunt activities begin early Friday morning.
“Our volunteers can treat up to six disabled/paralyzed veterans like kings for three days,” Dalrymple said. “These veterans pay for nothing and want for nothing while they are here. To us, our guests represent freedom paid in full.”
This year’s participants include Rick O’Mara, Ferlin Widowski, Alexis Scott, William Smith and Bill Blalock, all of Oklahoma, and Vic Malson of Kansas.
The Great Deer Hunt 2014
Schedule of Events
Thursday, Oct. 30
9 a.m.: Flag raising ceremony at 1 S. Main St. in Miami, Okla.
11 a.m.: Hunter Safety Course, under the instruction of David Dean, at the Dalrymple Farm.
1 p.m.: Hunters check into Hampton Inn & Suites.
6:30 p.m.: Dinner for hunters and volunteer staff provided by the Coleman House Restaurant at Buffalo Run Casino.
Friday, Oct. 31
5 a.m.: Breakfast served at hunt headquarters on Dalrymple Farm.
5:30 a.m.: Morning hunt begins.
11:30 a.m.: Lunch (fried fish and turkey, French fries and coleslaw).
2:30 p.m.: Afternoon hunt begins.
6:30 p.m.: Dinner (Mexican dinner).
Saturday, Nov. 1
5 a.m.: Breakfast served at hunt headquarters on Dalrymple Farm.
5:30 a.m.: Morning hunt begins.
11:30 a.m.: Lunch (red beans and rice with sausage and Tasso and Pizza Hut pizza and pasta).
2:30 p.m.: Afternoon hunt begins.
6:30 p.m.: Dinner (hog trough stew prepared by Chetopa Fire Department and a smoked hog prepared by event staff).
Sunday, Nov. 2
NOTE: Meals will be provided by event staff to any hunters that have not filled their tags by Sunday.
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