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ENTERTAINMENT
Sportsman Expo brings the outdoors in for show
The Bass Tub, a 4,500-gallon live fish tank for pro fishing seminars, is just one of the many highlights of this weekend’s Tri-State Sportsman’s Expo at the Big Sandy Superstore Arena. There are fishing and hunting seminars scheduled hourly throughout the weekend.
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HUNTINGTON -- The Big Sandy Superstore Arena is going to be filled with wildlife this weekend, and not just another 8,000 fans getting crazy with Kid Rock.
The West Virginia woods come calling downtown this weekend as the Tri-State Sportsman's Expo brings in the Tri-State's largest hunting and fishing show for the weekend.
The show is packed with such nationally traveling exhibits as the Bass Tub, a 4,500-gallon live fish tank for pro bass seminars, a rock-climbing wall, a 40-foot video gun range, dozens of vendors, a National Wild Turkey Federation Calling Contest, and several animal displays including the Mountain Magic Deer Exhibit featuring the West Virginia State Record Deer.
The show runs 4 to 9:30 p.m. Friday; 10 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. Saturday and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday.
Admission is $5 for adults and free for children under 18-years-old.
The show is being organized by veteran West Virginia outdoorsman and publisher, Mark Goudy, who has put on smaller hunting and fishing shows all over West Virginia including Bluefield, Beckley and Summersville.
Goudy, of Vienna, W.Va., near Parkersburg, has been publishing the West Virginia Sportsman magazine for 17 years.
He's excited to bring a true hunting and fishing expo that is packed with seminars from pro fishermen and hunters, into the arena, which hasn't had a hunting and fishing show for a couple of years.
One of the main attractions is the Bass Tub, a 4,500 gallon fishing tank outfitted with a cut-out bass boat that four different pro fishermen will use to cast and catch bass during live seminars teaching anglers better techniques for landing those lunkers.
There will also be some cool interactive elements that include a rock-climbing wall and a 40-foot video gun range where you can shoot a light beam shotgun at a variety of big game.
"It's free for kids under 18 but adults will have to pay a few bucks for it," Goudy said. "We're encouraging kids to learn about hunting and to get that gun in their hand and to see what it is like to shoot a gun."
There will also be some pretty quirky displays as well including the Mountain Magic Deer Exhibit of monster bucks that includes the non-typical West Virginia state record deer.
Hovatters Wildlife Zoo, out of Kingwood, W.Va., will also be bringing in a wild assortment of critters.
Bryan Hovatter said they are bringing a 350-pound tiger, a year-old grizzly bear, two grizzly bear cubs that are about 12 to 14-weeks-old, a Wallaby, some copperheads and rattlesnakes.
Operating out of Kingwood, W.Va., for the past 17 years, Hovatters' eight acres holds a wide variety of everything from a pride of lions, to all kind of leopards, monkeys and chimpanzees.
"We don't open our season until April 5th this year," Hovatter said. "So we thought we'd come over and be a part of the show. We hope we get some big crowds 'cause we've got a little drive."
Whether it's learning about the exotic and native animals brought by Hovatters, climbing the rock wall or learning turkey calling tips from four-time West Virginia state champion caller, Dick Clevenger, Goudy wants folks to walk away having learned a lot about the outdoors.
"The whole premise for the Tri-State Sportsman's Expo is that it is a learning experience, especially for the kids," Goudy said. "You can come in and walk about, take a video shot at a deer, see someone catch a fish and really educate the youth in the sports of hunting and fishing."
Goudy, whose free outdoors publication is stacked with vendors, is hosting a lot of those folks this weekend.
About half of the arena will be filled with boats, RVs, ATVs and jet skis, while there will also be a good number of unique vendors that will include local hunting and fishing stores, wildlife art, spices and rubs for cooking wild game, knives and fishing tackle.
"There will be a lot of things that you won't see in a regular store," Goudy said. "There is a segment of the population that travels to a lot of the shows. You'll see a lot of things like that."
Closing out the festivities Sunday will be a National Wild Turkey Federation-sanctioned turkey calling contest that begins at 3 p.m., and that is sponsored by the local Four Rivers chapter of the NWTF.
Goudy said he knows there hasn't been a show here for a while, so he's hoping to get a great crowd coming through and is keeping the prices low so a family can get in for just $10.
"I've been to the big shows in Cincinnati, Columbus and Pittsburgh and we're basically doing it the same way," Goudy said. "The way we're doing admission the whole family can come in for $10. What else can a whole family do for $10?"
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