Five years ago, I was hired at the Orangeburg County Chamber of Commerce after a career of 31 years as an educator. During the first few weeks on the job, chamber members and staff frequently advised me with a chuckle, "You better get ready for the coon hunt."

I had never been to the event at the Orangeburg County Fairgrounds and knew nothing about coon hunting. To be completely truthful, I have never been hunting in my life. Although I was raised in hunting country in nearby Clarendon County, my father had a serious leg disability as a result of World War II, which prohibited him from hunting.

As a family, we were involved in other sports and activities, but not hunting. A number of years ago, Kay Barr, who is still the superintendent's executive assistant at Orangeburg Consolidated School District 4, was laughing uncontrollably at her desk. I went to her and asked what was so funny. She responded as she continued laughing, "You have just received an invitation to a dove hunt, and I can only imagine what you would look like in camouflage apparel."

Surely, no one could be less equipped to work with the Grand American Hunt and Show each January than me. Actually, I have developed a genuine enjoyment for working with the Grand American each year and have learned a lot since my first event in 2004. What follows are some of the key bits of knowledge that I have picked up since I began working with the event.

It's all about the dogs

Despite being simple referred to as the "coon hunt" around Orangeburg, the Grand American is about the coonhound. Each year about 20,000 people attend the event at the fairgrounds. The hunts on Friday and Saturday nights include only slightly above 300 hunters each night (By the way, the raccoons are just treed). The rest of the attendees are there to purchase and trade dogs as well as to buy dog supplies and hunting gear from the more than 100 vendors on site. Equally important for the attendees is to be with other hunters and dog owners like themselves with whom they chat and share yarns.

They come from far and wide. Approximately 25 states and Canada are represented each year at the Grand American.

The first telephone inquiry that I took about this year's event was from Maine. Each year a radio station in Kentucky schedules a telephone interview with me during the days leading up to the hunt. The Grand American is well known all over the country.

A couple of years ago George McPherson, one of our chamber members, reported that while consulting with a company outside of New York City, he met the private pilot of August A. Busch IV, the then chairman of the board of Anheuser-Busch. During the conversation with pilot, George mentioned that the he was from Orangeburg. The pilot said, "Oh, I know about Orangeburg. That's where the Grand American Coon Hunt is held. Mr. Busch was reading an article about it in a hunting magazine on the flight here, and we were discussing trying to get to the hunt some year." The next day the pilot brought George the magazine so that he too could read about what they were writing about the hunt.

Our businesses know that they are here. Last year I was eating lunch at Hardee's at John C. Calhoun and Broughton streets on the Saturday during the hunt. It seemed busy, and I asked the manager how was business during the hunt. She replied, "It's our busiest weekend of the year." Certainly, this may not be true for every business because the South Carolina State University Homecoming has tremendous economic impact as well, but our businesses know when the hunt is in town.

On a quick drive through Orangeburg during the event, one will see dozens of pickup trucks with dog boxes at hotels, restaurants, pharmacies, gas stations and convenience stores. Last year, I conducted a very conservative economic impact study of the Grand American and calculated that the event had an economic impact of over $4 million. The Grand American Association purposely helps the economic impact by only allowing one food vendor each year so that attendees will patronize local businesses.

Volunteers make a difference. The Grand American Association is comprised of 14 local coon hunt clubs in South Carolina. They meet several times a year and plan for the hunting contests, bench shows, vendors, advertising, awards and parking. They do it themselves; therefore, the association is able to run the event for no admission charge and only $2 per car for parking. They do a great job!

I hope that you will be able to attend the Grand American Hunt this year. I have got my camouflage clothing ready for their annual use. See you at the fairgrounds.

David Coleman is president of the Orangeburg County Chamber of Commerce.

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