Guns and roses: Dixie Center dual hosts gun show, wedding showcase; STGnews Videocast, photo gallery

ST. GEORGE — All the ingredients for a shotgun wedding could be found at the Dixie Center Saturday as the Southern Utah Wedding Showcase and the Crossroads of the West Gun Show kicked into high gear in two different areas of the convention center.


To watch videocast, click play arrow  play-arrow  in center of image at top of story


The gun show shot off first at 9 a.m. and will continue again Sunday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. The wedding showcase, which was one day only, kicked off at 10 a.m., presenting many options to help brides-to-be plan their upcoming weddings.

Crossroads of the West Gun Show

More than 1,000 gun enthusiasts were present at the gun show Saturday to check out the latest offerings from vendors like Browning Arms Co., Western Arms & Ammo Co. and Fishbone Knotless Gear Tie.

Gun display at the Crossroads of the West Gun Show, St. George, Utah, Jan. 24, 2015 | Photo by Holly Coombs, St. George News
Gun display at the Crossroads of the West Gun Show, St. George, Utah, Jan. 24, 2015 | Photo by Holly Coombs, St. George News

The Crossroads of the West Gun Show, which travels annually to stops throughout Utah, Nevada, Arizona and California, has grown enormously since the first show 30 years ago, show Manager Jeff Templeton said.

“Since the first show in 1985, we’ve added more than 100 tables,” he said. “We’ve had more than 2,500 people (per event) coming through to these shows over the years.”

Trading guns and buying ammunition are among activities that typically take place at a gun show, Templeton said. Many items of merchandise for outdoor and hunting enthusiasts can also be purchased at a special discounted show price.

Sheryl Martell said she and her husband have been coming to gun shows for many years.

“We like the variety that’s here so we can find what we want,” she said.

In addition to various vendors dealing in all things arms, other related booths were available at the show. Army veteran Dallas Pearce was on hand to share his book “Baghdad at Night.” Pearce said he wants to share his experience of being in the service from January 2007 to March 2008.

“It’s not your regular explosion boilerplate Army literature,” he said. “There is some combat in the book, but it mainly focuses on interpersonal relationships and more about relationships and how infantry soldiers live overseas nowadays.”

The Crossroads of the West Gun Show continues Sunday at the Dixie Center, 1835 S. Convention Center Drive in St. George.

Southern Utah Wedding Showcase

It was a bride’s paradise at the annual Southern Utah Wedding Showcase Saturday as brides-to-be browsed, shopped and vied for prizes in another area of the Dixie Center.

The most coveted prize of the event was won by Carly Solomon, of Cedar City, who took home a $35,000 wedding package that will include a custom handmade wedding dress, a venue, engagement and wedding photos, a wedding video, flowers, a wedding planner, a wedding cake and more.

Solomon said she is getting married in May and couldn’t believe she won.

“I have broken the Solomon curse,” she said. “We never win anything, and I am just floored by this.”

Betsy Kimber wins a $15,000 wedding ring after digging through 10,000 pounds of ice to find a diamond at the Southern Utah Wedding Showcase, St. George, Utah, Jan. 24, 2015 | Photo by Holly Coombs, St. George News
Betsy Kimber wins a $15,000 wedding ring after digging through 10,000 pounds of ice to find a diamond at the Southern Utah Wedding Showcase, St. George, Utah, Jan. 24, 2015 | Photo by Holly Coombs, St. George News

The giveaways continued as 10 people dove into a huge bucket containing 10,000 pounds of ice to find a diamond that would win them a $15,000 ring from Seven Oaks Jewelers. The winner was Betsy Kimber. The ring itself was not in the ice but kept in a safe by the jewelry company.

Kimber said she will be giving the diamond ring to her friend Morgan Thurston, who will be getting married this summer.

“I am just so excited,” Thurston said when she heard the news.

Other prizes given included free limo rides to various places in California and Las Vegas courtesy of St. George Shuttle, to help brides and grooms travel to their honeymoon destinations.

Southern Utah Wedding Showcase Owner Cristina Zollinger said she was very happy with the turnout at the showcase.

“Everyone is excited for the giveaways,” Zollinger said. “This is the first time we have given so many big prizes away. It’s been such a success.”

Wedding cake display from the Sweet Tooth Fairy at the Southern Utah Wedding Showcase, St. George, Utah, Jan. 24, 2015 | Photo by Holly Coombs, St. George News
Wedding cake display from the Sweet Tooth Fairy at the Southern Utah Wedding Showcase, St. George, Utah, Jan. 24, 2015 | Photo by Holly Coombs, St. George News

A variety of vendors, including Kissin’ Makeup, Lovie’s Baked Goods, Holiday Lighting, the Mattress Store, the Sweet Tooth Fairy, and Jocelyn’s Floral, were at the showcase to share ideas and help brides plan their weddings.

Caleb White and McKell Goddard have a date for a May wedding and said they found a lot of helpful ideas at the showcase.

“It’s been great. It’s been a lot of fun to see all the displays because we have been doing a lot of online planning, and it’s great to come see things come together,” White said. “We have found a lot of good ideas and some vendors we may use for the wedding now.”

Click on photo to enlarge it, then use your left-right arrow keys to cycle through the gallery. 

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Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2015, all rights reserved.

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16 Comments

  • Koolaid January 25, 2015 at 7:51 am

    For some reason, I can’t find a better way to explain St George to anyone than this weekend event with the combination of guns for guys and gowns for gals where the guys fantasize over guns & knives, and the gals fantasize over gowns & makeup. But then, this was a dating opportunity for hunters to bag themselves a princess or the princesses to snag themselves a hunter. Do the dresses come in camouflage?

    • OMG KOOLAID IS A SCREAM!! January 25, 2015 at 12:17 pm

      HAHAHAHHAHAHA I get it! You’re making a joke because there are polygamists here, and they like both guns AND brides which is why you used the word “princesses”, plural!! So clever!!! And the Dixie Center was ONE STOP SHOPPING! HAHAAAAAAAAAAAAA…I literally can not stop laughing!!! And please don’t even get me STARTED on the camouflage dresses thing. My sides are splitting – HAHAAAAA. I cannot WAIT to hear what your next funny joke is going to be!! [squeals with anticipation] 🙂 🙂 🙂

      • Bunny2015 January 25, 2015 at 12:45 pm

        wow?

      • Moveback7spaces January 26, 2015 at 9:53 am

        Whatever you say MO Ferguson

  • Arts and Letterss January 25, 2015 at 9:32 am

    And people say there’s not enough diversity here…

  • colten lomenick January 25, 2015 at 10:35 am

    Ha ha this is just silly

  • One for the road January 25, 2015 at 12:23 pm

    The gun show is a joke..save your money

  • Arts and Letters January 25, 2015 at 1:12 pm

    A lot of marriages are a joke, too

  • My Evil Twin January 25, 2015 at 3:16 pm

    Gun show and wedding show in same building? I dunno, sort of seems appropriate when you think about all the “shotgun weddings” that take place here! 😉

    • koolaid January 25, 2015 at 4:29 pm

      One bride said it was a blast

  • lp January 25, 2015 at 6:50 pm

    I think you are all wrong. Having both ends if the spectrum in one place is so the women have something to look at while the men are looking at guns. I guess sometimes it could be the other way around though.

  • tight magic undies January 25, 2015 at 10:59 pm

    Welcome to St. George. Please set your clocks back 100 years.

    • Free Parkimg January 26, 2015 at 9:20 am

      Oh yeah you are so right about that

    • mesaman January 26, 2015 at 10:21 am

      And, thanks to in-migration over the past 20 years, move to the extreme left.

  • Dolly January 26, 2015 at 12:57 am

    Yeah, kinda like the TV section (for the men) and the Fine Jewelry section (for the ladies) in Costco. Keep ’em outta each other’s hair on the shopping trip!

  • Herd January 26, 2015 at 9:17 am

    How many of those women had no business wearing white?

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