Get a head start on outdoor fun at Journal Sentinel Sports Show

NOWHERE in Wisconsin can outdoor enthusiasts preview the state’s great sporting traditions as easily and comfortably as at the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel Sports Show.

For 66 years, the 10-day show has marked the unofficial start of spring. Now held in the spacious Wisconsin Expo Center at Wisconsin State Fair Park, 8100 W. Greenfield Avenue, the Sports Show this year runs from March 10 through 19.

The show offers the best in hunting, fishing, camping, outdoor products, resorts, lodges, outfitters, boat dealers and outdoor-themed family entertainment.

Repeat visitors to the show always look forward to new attractions. This year for the first time, canoe jousting at the Chevy Trucks Main Stages will challenge lumberjacks to see which one can keep his canoe upright the longest. The lumberjacks also will compete in log rolling, speed sawing, pole climbing and axe throwing.

Several new contests will be offered this year. The show will crown the fastest retriever in its first-ever dog speed-retrieving contest. Open to amateur owners with any breed of dog, the contest requires pre-registration. The final Sunday of the sports show will pit the top 10 qualifiers in races for the championship and cash prizes.

Audience participation is a constant at the Sports Show. This year Gander Mountain will present the first Duck and Goose Calling Championship. The top 15 callers will compete in a championship call-off, also on the closing Sunday. The best combined duck and goose caller will win a $1,000 cash prize.

The Trout Fishing Derby returns for the first time in more than 10 years. Attendees of all ages who try their luck at the always-popular Gander Mountain Trout Pond can compete for prizes awarded for the most fish caught.

The Sports Show is known throughout Wisconsin and surrounding states as a true family event, with nearly 500 exhibitors and features appealing to all family members. Boat dealers explain their products, while fishing and hunting experts provide tips.  Resorts and adventure sports exhibitors add to the variety of information available to help attendees plan vacations.

The Sports Show will be open from 2-9 p.m. weekdays, 10 a.m.-9 p.m. Saturdays and 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Sundays. Adult admission is $8; children under 12 are free when accompanied by an adult. Advance tickets are $6.50 and can be purchased at all Wisconsin Gander Mountain stores, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, southeastern Wisconsin Kmart stores and Tri-City National Banks. For a complete listing of all ticket outlets and additional Sports Show information, visit www.jsonline.com/sportsshow.

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