Colusa gun show turns to more antiques

The Internet is quickly becoming the new gun show.

That is where Dennis Bizecu gets most of his sales out of his Sacramento-area pawn shop.

Still, Bizecu brought a handful of rifles to the U.S. Gun Traders Gun & Antique Show at the Colusa County Fairgrounds over the weekend and found the interest was good.

"It has been pretty good," said Bizecu, who has been to the show a couple of times over the years.

Gary Wilder of Paradise wouldn't miss it.

"I've been doing this show since its conception," said Wilder, who collects and sells military memorabilia.

Sometimes, he admits, the collecting outdoes the selling and he goes home with more stuff than he came with.

"I've been collecting most of my life. I've always had an interest," Wilder said. "My father was in the military in World War II and he brought a lot of things back."

On his eighth birthday, Wilder woke up to a foot locker filled with memorabilia, and the lifelong passion was in full bloom.

Wilder, a Vietnam veteran and Purple Heart recipient, said he enjoys the more personal items for his own collection.

He was showing off an altered German belt buckle that qualifies as trench art, and a World War II U.S. Marine helmet he acquired at the show.

His favorite piece was a fighting knife that had been converted from a 16-inch World War II bayonet.

"I like the fighting knives, and I'm getting more into the theater knives," he said.

Gregory Paul of Placerville was at the show to do a little trading.

He had a couple of items he hoped he could barter with to get a good, used shotgun.

"I have always had good luck at this show, whether I am trying to sell or buy, or in this case trade for a better deal on a 12-gauge," Paul said.

Others like Margie Desmond of Chico said she started coming to the show when it added antiques a number of years ago.

"I was able to buy a nice silver bracelet for my daughter's birthday, and will be looking for something for me. I deserve it," Desmond said with a smile.

One of the things she was looking at was a painting by well-known outdoors artist Steele Roberts-Ross, a frequent vendor at the show.

As always, he attracted a lot of interest.

"We own a couple of his pieces," said Shane Desmond, Margie's husband.

Guy Strange out of Roseville was enjoying a brisk day of sales of his silverware on Saturday.

"I'm semi-retired, and I do the antique shows, and have done the guns, too," said Strange.

Daryl Schaad and Larry Urrita have been putting on the Colusa show for 26 years.

They have seen the gun rules and regulations tighten what can and cannot be done at the shows, and of course, have had to expand to include antiques because of that.

But Schaad would not give it up.

He gets to see people he may only see at his shows, which also include two in Yuba City and one in Chico.

"I enjoy the heck out of it. It is such a good change of pace from farming all year," he said.