Founding the CLA

In 1996, Gordon Barlow announced a vision to form the Contemporary Longrifle Association (CLA). He teamed up with Margie Barlow and Rachel Ramsbottom to begin their journey of creating an exciting non-profit membership organization. The goal was to attract artists and collectors to join in the CLA mission of preserving and perpetuating the culture of the contemporary longrifle and related accoutrements.

In August of 1997, the CLA held its 1st annual show at the Radison Airport Hotel near Cincinnati, Ohio with sixty tables. By the end of the show the CLA had enrolled one hundred seventy-six charter members.

In 2001 the CLA moved the annual meeting to the Lexington Convention Center in Lexington, KY to have a better location and venue with more tables. In 2020 the CLA membership surpassed the 2000-member mark and is growing at the rate of 4 members per month.

In 2021, the CLA will celebrate its 25th anniversary at the newly built Lexington Convention Center in Lexington, KY.