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By Charlie Duckett

Special to The Selma Times-Journal

The wait is finally over.  After extended delays due to the Covid 19 outbreak, the 2021 Super Fund and Hunting Heritage Banquet of Selma’s Blaster Chapter of the National Wild Turkey Federation (NWTF) has been set.

The event will be held August 6, 2021, at the Y Not Entertainment facility located at 2940 County Road 27 in Selma.  The doors will open at 6 p.m. with dinner being served at 7 p.m.  Rousso’s Seafood, heralded as the Gulf Coast’s finest seafood buffet, will cater the event.

This is the 31st annual Banquet for Selma’s Chapter and the organization looks forward to another successful effort on behalf of the wild turkey.

In addition to the great food, the banquet has gained popularity as an evening that can be enjoyed by the entire family.  It features live and silent auctions as well as raffle events.

The money raised at the event will be used to support the various conservation and hunting preservation efforts of the NWTF.  In the latest report from Charity Navigator, America’s largest independent charity evaluator, the NWTF was found to put 89.9 cents of every dollar spent towards its mission.  The NWTF also received the highest score possible on fundraising expense and efficiency.  It is one of the few national conservation organizations, which returns the majority of its funds to its grass roots membership.

In 2019 the Alabama Chapter of the NWTF contributed $405,341 toward the goals of the organization in Alabama.  These efforts included $29,444 in support of shooting teams and Archery in the Schools, $36,099 in conservation seed programs, and $22,250 in scholarships.  The chapter sponsored 26 youth events and 12 landowner events and introduced 1,100 newcomers to the sport of hunting.  Its efforts resulted in the conservation or enhancement of 67,894 acres in the state of Alabama alone. Alabama has already surpassed its ten-year goal in the NWTF’s Save the Habitat, Save the Hunt initiative.

Selma’s Blaster Chapter has earned the “Golden Gobbler Award” every year since its charter and is one of only three chapters in the nation to achieve Golden Gobbler status for 30 consecutive years.  The success of Selma’s Chapter is due to the overwhelming and unselfish support of local businesses, professionals, and individuals who sponsor the Chapter’s Super Fund Banquet.  These sponsors believe in and support the NWTF in its effort to preserve America’s hunting heritage and conservation of all species of wildlife.  They recognize that these efforts will be most appreciated by future generations of hunters and wildlife enthusiasts alike.

“The point of the fundraiser is to increase membership and create opportunities for the federation to enhance the habitat for the wild turkey,” said Jere Peak, who has been banquet chairman for 32 years, and also served on the national NWTF for more than 20 years. “The golden gobbler award is given to those chapters that net the most fundraiser dollars that go directly to those projects which fund enhancement of habitat.

Banquet tickets, which include NWTF membership, meal, and refreshments, can be purchased from any committee member, or by contacting Jere Peak (872-2303) or Jason Potvin (1-251-423-5029).