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Packing buns and guns: Hundreds expected for pistol picnic (Glenwood City, WI)

Mike

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http://www.kare11.com/news/news_article.aspx?storyid=822024&catid=391

Packing buns and guns: Hundreds expected for pistol picnic

GLENWOOD CITY, Wis. -- A community picnic - could anything be more American?

"They're very proud citizens around here," says Annette Olson of her neighbors in Glenwood City, Wisconsin as she hangs picnic posters around town.

But this isn't the church or 4-H gathering some might expect in a small rural Western Wisconsin community. This is a picnic of a different caliber.

"The poster talks about our 'open carry' picnic which is on Sunday August 23rd," Annette explains.

"Open carry," as in firearms. Annette is planning for 500 people at the St. Croix County Fairgrounds, proudly displaying their guns on their hips.

The Glenwood City picnic will be modeled after others held earlier this year near Milwaukee, Green Bay, and La Crosse.

The picnics have been held in part to send a message to Wisconsin Governor Jim Doyle, who has twice vetoed conceal and carry legislation.

"I have passion for the second amendment, liberties and everything else that I feel that we're losing," says Annette's husband Dave 'Ole' Olson, who's putting up $2000 of his own money for the picnic.

The legal right to gather with guns was bolstered recently when Wisconsin Attorney General JB Van Hollen issued an advisory declaring the open carrying of firearms legal under many circumstances.

It was a victory for gun owners, just not the one many of them actually wanted. Thus the picnics were born.

"What we're trying to do is educate the public as well as our public elected officials and let them know that we should actually be supporting conceal and carry here," says Annette. "It's actually much safer for the general public."

"It's not a normal thing for Glenwood City," agreed Glenwood City's police chief Robert Darwin when asked about the prospect of several hundred gun-wearing picnickers at the county fairgrounds.

Yet Darwin isn't overly concerned and plans to add no extra staffing. "I'm hoping that they will keep themselves to the perimeter of the fairgrounds as to not alert the passing public," he says.

Annette Olson left her gun at home as she hung posters in storefronts Thursday, not wanting "to alarm people as I'm walking along the street."

But come August 23rd it won't just be the potato chips she's packing.
 

countrymama

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is there any way we can merge all of these into one (same) thread?? i think it would give some organization to the event and keep all the news/discussion/etc in one place...

just a thought...?
 

Mike

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countrymama wrote:
is there any way we can merge all of these into one (same) thread?? i think it would give some organization to the event and keep all the news/discussion/etc in one place...

just a thought...?
You can add the links to your main announcement; mutiple threads help drive up google hits on the event to increase publicity etc.
 
M

McX

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I drool at the thought of "hundreds". And congradulate you already on a successful venture!
 

TFred

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countrymama wrote:
is there any way we can merge all of these into one (same) thread?? i think it would give some organization to the event and keep all the news/discussion/etc in one place...

just a thought...?
This is actually a very bad idea. I participate in other unrelated message forums, where the moderators periodically go through and merge all threads that are of similar subjects.

What you end up with is one long thread containing hundreds of messages that make absolutely no sense. Suddenly several conversations are all intermingled together, with the original messages sorted in chronological order, but not related.

It's a big mess, and it essentially kills all the previous threads of thought and conversation.

TFred
 

Dutch Uncle

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Best of luck to all you in Wisconsin! I'm sure the picnic itself will be a success, but if you really do get 500 people or so, I'm pretty sure it will be the biggest OC picnic ever! We had 200+ at our Newport News VA picnic last year, with TV cameras and national media interviews, but mostly we just had a great time, and even the media folks joined in eventually. I hope it works that way for you as well.

It looks as though WI is now at the forefront of this movement, and handling it very well. Isn't it ironic that indirectly you have Jim Doyle to thank for all this? VCDL here had a "Michael Bloomberg Gun Giveaway" raffle a few years ago to help victims of his illegal sting operation, and it was very successful. Bloomberg called it "sick" which made the moment all the more delicious. :lol:If your picnic becomes a yearly event, may I suggest the "Jim Doyle 'Wear a Gun on your Hip' Picnic"?:quirky
 

countrymama

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I have aglobal event already created for it. Says its hosted by the Stout Trigger Guards, but that's only becasue that is a 2A group i started in college and i could invite the whole roster. PM me if you want to exchange facebook info and i can invite you to the event!
 

Mike

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More press: http://www.wqow.com/Global/story.asp?S=10936324

Western Wisconsin community to hold "Open Carry" picnic
Posted:

wnRenderDate('Saturday, August 15, 2009 6:20 PM EST', '', true);

Aug 15, 2009 6:20 PM EDT [/i]

Glenwood City (WQOW) - Residents in Glenwood City are planning a picnic of a different caliber.

When they get together August 23 for a fun day in the sun, they won't just be packing food, they'll be packing guns, too. The Glenwood City "Open Carry" picnic is modeled after similar events in Milwaukee and Green Bay. They're trying to get their point across to the governor, who's vetoed conceal and carry legislation twice.

"What we're trying to do is educate the public as well as our public elected officials and let them know that we should actually be supporting conceal and carry here," says Annette Olson, organizing picnic.

"It's not a normal thing for Glenwood City. I'm hoping that they will keep themselves to the perimeter of the fairgrounds as to not alert the passing public," says Chief Robert Darwin, Glenwood City Police.

Olson says the community's planning for about500 people to show up.
 

Venator

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Mike wrote:
More press: http://www.wqow.com/Global/story.asp?S=10936324

Western Wisconsin community to hold "Open Carry" picnic
Posted:

wnRenderDate('Saturday, August 15, 2009 6:20 PM EST', '', true);

Aug 15, 2009 6:20 PM EDT [/i]

Glenwood City (WQOW) - Residents in Glenwood City are planning a picnic of a different caliber.

When they get together August 23 for a fun day in the sun, they won't just be packing food, they'll be packing guns, too. The Glenwood City "Open Carry" picnic is modeled after similar events in Milwaukee and Green Bay. They're trying to get their point across to the governor, who's vetoed conceal and carry legislation twice.

"What we're trying to do is educate the public as well as our public elected officials and let them know that we should actually be supporting conceal and carry here," says Annette Olson, organizing picnic.

"It's not a normal thing for Glenwood City. I'm hoping that they will keep themselves to the perimeter of the fairgrounds as to not alert the passing public," says Chief Robert Darwin, Glenwood City Police.

Olson says the community's planning for about500 people to show up.
We don't want to associate with their kind. That sounds familiar,...Jews, Catholics, Irish, Blacks, intellectually challenged... I could go on and on.
 

J.Gleason

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Mike wrote:
http://www.kare11.com/news/news_article.aspx?storyid=822024&catid=391


Annette Olson left her gun at home as she hung posters in storefronts Thursday, not wanting "to alarm people as I'm walking along the street."

But come August 23rd it won't just be the potato chips she's packing.
Not to criticize, but my question for Annette is: If you believe so strongly in the 2nd Amendment why would you be afraid to open carry while putting up signs for the event?

Also I realize that at the bottom of your event posters you have a statement that this even is not affiliated with opencarry.org.

Will you advertise for the petition online as OCDO has advertised for your event?
Like I said I am not criticizing you, however we need to get the word out on this petition and every little bit helps.

Molon Labe!
Carry On!
 

countrymama

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Annette is my mom, so I'll answer for her on this one, but feel free to attend to ask her yourself, too.

Its not that she's afraid to carry while hanging posters. They edited out the part where she answered that. It has to do with the fact that it has to be open carry and in a vehicle you have to have it cased. It isn't as safe to be continuously getting in and out of a vehicle and un-holstering and re-holstering to uncase and recase a firearm to be in compliance. The more times you handle an egg, the more likely you are to break it, as an analogy.

A secondary reason we do not open carry on a regular basis, as she did say in the news clip, she doesn't want to be harassed while carrying, and right now, its not commonplace to open carry.

It is much safer for everyone for concealed carry. That's the gist of it.

As far as the petition, feel free to contactthe main organization emailat ole357@centurytel.net to see about setting up at the event.

As far as advertising online for it, we do not have a website, and we did not ask opencarry.org to advertise for us. I simply put word out here, as well as several other, forums and networking sites I belong to &/or frequent to get word of mouth advertising.

thanks!

see you there!
 
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