BY BETTY DIETZ
Beginning this week, and continuing through the first week of March, outdoorsmen will begin making plans for 2015 and beyond by attending regional outdoors sports shows. Attendees at these shows can book outdoors adventures, attend seminars and get in-person looks at the newest and latest in outdoors-related gear from pickup trucks and fishing boats to camping gear and clothing.
Kicking off the run of shows is the 27th Annual Early Bird Sports Expo at the Bloomsburg Fairgrounds, Thursday-Sunday, Jan. 22-25. Major sponsors of this year’s show are Cabela’s and Drop Tine Archery, with Nathan and Renee Earnest and their staff running the annual 3-D contest, which has been expanded and made more challenging with moving targets.
Show promoters Dave and Betty Broadt have teamed with the Pennsylvania Game Commission and the GoHuntPA.org program to provide the Pennsylvania Hunter-Trapper Education Course that is required of all first-time license buyers. The course will be presented in two sessions, Thursday from 6-9 p.m., and Saturday from 9 a.m. to noon. Participants must preregister at gohuntpa.org. Information on the seminars is on the show website at www.earlybirdexpo.com.
One of the most unique and specialized outdoors shows returns to our area during the eighth annual 18th Century Artisan’s Show on Friday and Saturday, Feb. 6 and 7, at the Country Cupboard Restaurant and Best Western Inn in Lewisburg. This event showcases more than 100 tables displaying the finest contemporary American Folk Art, antique muzzleloader rifles and component parts suppliers in the country.
A diverse group of artisans and craftsmen will be exhibiting their work, including period jewelers, potters, furniture makers, flintlock rifle, powder horn, knife and bag makers, leatherworkers, tin ware, silver work, historic publications, painters and more. Several antique Pennsylvania longrifles will be on display, including many from the Susquehanna Valley.
Last year the Great American Outdoor Show, sponsored by the National Rifle Association, at the Pennsylvania State Farm Show Complex in Harrisburg surpassed the former Eastern Sports and Outdoor Show it replaced. This year’s show has expanded for its nine-day run Saturday-Sunday, Feb. 7-15. One of the highlights will be several exciting interactive events and contests in addition to the show’s more than 1,000 hunting, fishing and outdoor sports exhibitors.
Families attending the show can participate in several free events at the Family Fun Zone in the Hunting Outfitter Hall. This special, kid-friendly area is open every day and features stations for camouflage face painting, magnetic fishing, barrel racing, wildlife identification, suction cup archery, LaserShot and more great activities for all ages.
This year’s sixth annual Greater Philadelphia Outdoor Sportshow is Thursday-Sunday, Feb. 26-March 1, at the Greater Philadelphia Expo Center in Oaks. While all aspects of outdoors recreation will be represented at the show, as with previous shows, there will be a heavy emphasis on fishing and water sports.
Finishing the run of sports and outdoors shows is the one that proudly bills itself as “The Show Worth Waiting For,” the Lehigh Valley Sportsman Show. This year’s show is Friday-Sunday, March 6-8, and is larger than ever because of a redesigned floor plan in the 60,000-square-foot Agri-Plex at the Allentown Fairgrounds.
Sportsmen and outdoors enthusiasts for decades have considered Allentown “The Show Worth Waiting For” because of its ability to present high-end attractions and outfitters in a low-key, laid-back atmosphere that makes it a family-friendly event. That theme has been expanded with activities for youth by enlarging the fishing pond and adding attractions such as the National Wild Turkey Federation indoor shooting range.
There are daily seminars and educational and conservation displays, and once again the Lehigh Valley Sportsman Show is proud to partner with the Pennsylvania Outdoor Writers Association for the organization’s annual benefit auction, which will be Sunday, March 8, beginning at 1 p.m. Through the generous support of show promoters, vendors, guides and outfitters, the Pennsylvania Outdoor Writers Association has raised more than $400,000 through its auctions at outdoors shows.
2015 Winter Outdoor Sports Shows
• Early Bird Sports Expo: Thursday-Sunday, Jan. 22-25, Bloomsburg Fairgrounds, Bloomsburg; for information and tickets, call (570) 594-0252 or access the website at www.earlybirdsportsexpso.
• 18th Century Artisan’s Show: Friday-Saturday, Feb. 6-7, Country Cupboard Restaurant and Best Western Inn, Lewisburg; for information, call (570) 541-1655 or access the website at www.18thcenturyartisanshow.com.
• Great American Outdoor Show: Saturday-Sunday, Feb. 7-15, Pennsylvania State Farm Show Complex, Harrisburg; for information and tickets, access the website at
www.greatamericanoutdoorshow.com.
• Greater Philadelphia Outdoor Sportshow: Thursday-Sunday, Feb. 26-March 1, Greater Philadelphia Expo Center at Oaks, Oaks; for information and tickets, access the website at
www.sportshows.com.
• Lehigh Valley Sportsman Show: Friday-Sunday, March 6-8, Agri-Plex, Allentown Fairgrounds, Allentown; for information, call (610) 395-5280 or access the website at
www.lehighvalleysportsmanshow.com.