Duck and goose callers migrating into Burlington for the weekend

This weekend, thousands of people will be converging on Burlington, Iowa for the 18th annual Mississippi Valley Calling Classic on Saturday, Feb. 6, at the PZAZZ! Convention and Event Center. Hosted by the Mississippi Valley Callers Association, this event brings the best of the best in the calling competition circuit right here to the Midwest.

?When it comes to waterfowl calling,? said Ron Vorwerk, charter member of the MVCA, ?We have the best right here in Iowa. Since our contest began, five Iowans have won the World?s Championship. That says a tremendous amount about the quality of the competition you?ll hear in Burlington this February.?

All of the contestants are again trying to win their chance to compete in the World?s Championship in Arkansas this fall.

The Calling Classic kicks off at 8:30 a.m., with the Mississippi Valley Youth Duck Calling Contest (open to those 16 and under), followed by the 2016 Iowa State Duck Calling Contest, an Open Goose Calling Contest, a two-person meat goose calling contest, and the final event will be the 2016 Bernie Boyle Regional Duck Calling Contest.

?We expect to have a good turnout with some of the best callers in the nation competing for prize money of up to $1,000 for first place,? said Vorwerk.

The entire day will be filled with competition, food and drinks, and numerous raffles for guns and championship duck and goose calls. There will also be numerous local and national vendors displaying their products for sale.

Founded in 1999, the Mississippi Valley Callers Association was formed to support and enhance outdoor sporting activities such as duck and goose calling competitions, waterfowl preservation and involvement of youth in outdoor sporting activities in the Burlington area. A goal of the Association is to promote and expand Southeast Iowa?s rich water fowling heritage right here on the shores of the Mighty Mississippi River.

For more information on the MVCA event, please visit www.callingclassic.com.