Of the 75 years there has been a Ducks Unlimited, the Roanoke Valley Chapter has been there for 30 of them.
As the wetlands conservation organization celebrates its 75th anniversary, the Roanoke Valley Chapter will be celebrating its 30th with a new venue and menu for its annual banquet.
This year the banquet will be held November 1 at the American Legion Building on American Legion Road, said Matt Glenn, area chairman of the Roanoke Valley chapter. Doors will open at 6 p.m. and there will be the live auction, silent auction, gun raffles and games.
The Roanoke Valley chapter, District Chairman Kevin Hawkins said, is one of the oldest in the state.
What made it one of the most popular chapters, Glenn said, is the many people who hunt ducks here. “It’s because of the waterfowl and ducks we have here. All the lakes and rivers.”
DU print.
“They’re one of our most loyal and profitable chapters,” said Larry Wilkins, DU regional director for central North Carolina, who visited with local members Monday in Roanoke Rapids, “Everyone of these guys likes duck hunting and they have kids and want them to have the same thing we’ve got.”
Money from the banquet, which will feature a fine dining menu this year, goes to fund projects across the state and country. Locally, Wilkins said, money through DU membership has gone to fund the Roanoke River wetlands near Caledonia Correction Center. “It was an old wetlands that had gone stagnant and was put back in a natural state.”
While it can’t be hunted because it is too close to the prison, it serves as a rest area for migrating ducks, Wilkins said.
To celebrate the organization’s 75th anniversary, special edition rifles, shotguns, prints and decoys will be auctioned, Wilkins said.
To buy tickets or for more information contact Glenn at 252-578-0026 or Richard Pulley at 252-532-3931.
