Encore Event to…

Hold Annie Oakley’s Gun!

Woman holding a rifle next to a poster of Annie Oakley

During the 2023 Gathering at Garst, visitors could hold Annie Oakley’s gun for the first time ever. It was such a popular event that the Annie Oakley Center Foundation and Garst Museum will again create the experience. 

This year during the Gathering at Garst, visitors can again hold Annie’s 1910 J. Stevens .22 caliber deluxe target rifle with a Scheutzen butt in the Lowell Thomas Meeting Room of the museum. This extraordinary event will be from 12 p.m.–6 p.m. on Saturday, July 27 and 12 p.m.–3 p.m. on Sunday, July 28. As a fundraising event for the Annie Oakley Center Foundation, the cost is $10 for adults and $5 for youth under 18. Additionally, if you bundle holding the gun with touring the museum, there is a $2 discount on museum admission.

This is just one of Annie Oakley’s guns on display as well as other artifacts from her life including medals, trophies, garments, and personal items. Photos along with video clips tell the story of this legend and her husband Frank Butler.

Annie performed before thousands of people including European heads of state. She was a celebrated sharpshooter. Connect with “Little Sure Shot” as you hold her authentic firearm; it is a piece of history. Experience the extraordinary moment and keep the memory for a lifetime!


Images courtesy of the Darke County Historial Society
Annie Oakley Center Foundation, Inc., P.O. Box 1025, Greenville, OH 45331
info@annieoakleycenterfoundation.com