By Chris Cornwall
The Hendricks County Gun and Knife Show returns to the fairgrounds this weekend with dozens of vendors selling firearms, nonlethal items and an array of accessories. The event will take place inside the expo hall at 1900 E. Main St, Danville, and will run from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Feb. 9 and 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Feb. 10. Admission is $5 and kids 12 and under are free.
Since the annual event started in January 2017, weekend attendance for the two previous years has reached into the thousands. Its popularity confirms what event organizer, Greg Waters of Danville, already knew about the level of local interest for this type of event.
“I firmly believe that we have a strong base of people here in Hendricks County,” Waters said. “Much of it is made up of people who live in rural areas or come from a farming background. I’m one of those people.”
Waters said he got the idea to organize his own event after he attended several gun shows in surrounding areas.
“I helped other organizers set up for their shows and I thought I could do it better,” Waters said.
Along with wife, Leslie, Greg Waters organized a successful first event, drawing more than 3000 visitors over the course of two days. Prior to that, it had been 30 years since a gun show was held in Hendricks County.
Although the event is called the Gun and Knife Show, Waters said there will be a variety of other products as well. Examples include non-lethal items for personal protection like mace and tasers, and an array of accessories like conceal-and-carry purses for women.
One of the vendors setting up on Friday afternoon was Roy Kidd, owner of AAR Firearms in Clayton. In recent years, Kidd said the number of women buying handguns has been on the rise. A few of the weapons in his showcase sport stylish colors, and some have mechanical components to make them more comfortable for women to operate.
When asked what other products he’ll feature at the event, Kidd said he went heavy on the re-loaders this year.
“Reloading can be very cost effective,” he explained. “Some ammos can cost as much as $1 per shot, but you could probably reload those for less than 50 cents.”
These are just a few of the products that residents can expect at this year’s Gun and Knife Show.
For more information, check out the events calendar at 4hcomplex.org. For more information on We the People Gun Shows, visit wethepeoplegunshows.com.