Lake Superior Chapter Celebrates 25
The Lake Superior Chapter of Safari Club International proudly celebrated its 25th Anniversary earlier this year in Hinckley, Minn.
An Outfitter Appreciation event was hosted on April 3 at a nearby Northwood’s themed tavern. More than 75 outfitters, guests and board members shared stories and caught up with friends.
April 4 started with a sporting clays shoot. The shoot had a record number of new shooters, mostly lady members of our Sables Committee.
Nick Hoffman, a Minnesota native and host of Nick’s Wild Ride on the Outdoor Channel, as well as one of the hosts of SCI’s national dinner and awards programs at the Convention, entertained our audience each night with a mix of music and storytelling that always holds our members’ attention. This was the second time Nick entertained us at our event.
The Chapter was honored to have Safari Club International CEO Laird Hamberlin and his wife, Katie, attend the event. What a treat it was to spend time with both of them! They were impressed with some of our uniquely “Lake Superior Chapter” activities, especially our custom cake auction each night, giving away an ATV on Friday and a side-by-side UTV on Saturday.
April 5 started with our annual Veterans’ Breakfast, then some informative seminars. Later, a sold-out Sables Wine and Cheese event sponsored by the Chapter’s treasurer, Lisa Gingerich-Olson of Coppersmith Global Logistics, kept the ladies busy.
One of the Chapter’s goals each year is to increase the membership of both the Chapter and SCI. Regional Representative Jordan Wisecup works our membership booth tirelessly each year.
To celebrate our Chapter’s 25th anniversary, I worked with six of our award-winning outfitters to have a free raffle available to all members of the Lake Superior Chapter.
- International Adventures Unlimited: Roe Deer hunt in Scotland
- Nootka Island Lodge: British Columbia fishing trip
- Leyo Outfitting: Montana Trophy Elk hunt
- Africa Maximum Safaris: NW Province of South African Plains Game safari
- Western Cape Game: Western Cape Province Golden Wildebeest safari
- Mike Popp’s Nature Adventures: Idaho Predator 4 Pack hunt including Mountain Lion, Wolf, Bobcat and Coyote
Jordan and the membership booth were busy right up until dinner both days. At our 25th anniversary event, we sold 79 annual National memberships, 10 three-year National memberships, and 90 Chapter memberships!
CEO Hamberlin was our guest speaker Saturday evening. Laird talked about SCI’s mission on local, national and international levels and challenged all of the guests to continue supporting SCI and the Chapter.
Laird spoke of being a Southern boy, and while being a recipient of the prestigious World Hunting Award from SCI, his favorite things to hunt were DDT: deer, ducks, and turkey. What a great reminder that Safari Club International is First for Hunters, all hunters.
After Laird’s speech, I took the stage again and called all the youth in attendance to the front of the stage. We had 27 youth, 17 years and under, in attendance.
On behalf of the Chapter, I announced that the Lake Superior Chapter was presenting each youth with a Minnesota lifetime hunting/fishing license. (Wisconsin youth were given $500 on the promise that they would use the funds for hunting and fishing licenses.)
The attendees gave a standing ovation to the Lake Superior Chapter. It was an incredible thrill to be part of this event; all of the Chapter’s hard work was visible to the attendees.
What will 2026 bring? Stay tuned!
CAPTIONS:
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Shown from left are Nick Hoffman, Jordan Wisecup, Chapter President Scott Olson, Treasurer Lisa Gingerich-Olson, Katie and Laird Hamberlin, and Auctioneer Bruce Brock, along with 400 other SCI members, enjoying the Lake Superior Chapter’s 25th anniversary event.