Mayhem Meets Mastery: Colorado River Survivalist Expo Wraps Up

BULLHEAD CITY — Jeff Petersen had barely entered the Chaos On The Colorado River Survivalist Expo at Anderson Auto Group Fieldhouse before he was intrigued by several rifles on display.

“Just came to look around and see what’s available, what’s on display,” said Petersen, who roamed the booths with his wife and father-in-law. They inspected firearms offered by Gary Konigsmark of Konigsmark Supply Company.

Rebecca Petersen pointed towards a semi-automatic rifle with a blue muzzle, stock, and grip. Jeff examined it, considering the price, but hesitated to make a final decision.

Despite this, the Petersens—and other attendees—continued to peruse guns, knives, survival gear, and various accessories at the three-day expo presented by Murphy Broadcasting.

Konigsmark observed that Saturday showed somewhat increased traffic compared to a slow Friday. “A little more traffic today,” he noted, hoping for more sales.

Alex McGrady from High Desert Defense Solutions echoed similar sentiments. “A lot of lookers, just not many buyers,” he said. His display included medical kits, body armor, disaster kits, and other survival essentials, all tailored to the expo’s theme.

McGrady emphasized his aim to cover all aspects of survival gear. “We tried to go with the whole survivalist expo theme,” he said.

Some vendors expressed disappointment with the turnout. “This is not a survivalist show,” said one Tri-state vendor, noting the absence of off-the-grid businesses and low public attendance. “It’s Saturday afternoon, and there’s nobody here,” he observed.

The expo wraps up today from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the fieldhouse. Admission costs $10 for adults, while children 16 and younger can attend for free with a paying adult.