Turn on the television nowadays, and you’re bound to hear plenty about the economy, and how much trouble we’re all in.
With that in mind, I called Woody Higgins last week to ask him how one of the region’s top harbingers of spring has been faring.
Higgins helps run the Penobscot County Conservation Association’s popular Eastern Maine Sportsman’s Show, which draws exhibitors from across the northeast and Canada.
Higgins said times have been tough, but the PCCA has adapted.
“Let’s say I lose 10 percent [of past vendors] every year,” Higgins said. “I’m saying this year I’ve lost more than that but I’ve picked up 20 percent in new people. Every year’s different.”
As of Saturday, Higgins reported that only two booths remained unfilled for this year’s 71st edition of the show, which will run March 13-15 at the University of Maine’s field house complex.
Some longtime vendors have bowed out due to economics, Higgins said, but others were eager to scoop up the vacant booths.
Higgins said this year’s emphasis has been on interactive exhibits, and said he’s been willing to negotiate with groups that are willing to help the PCCA toward that goal.
“We’re trying to get people to do something where they have more interaction with people,” Higgins said. “[I ask them] ‘Can you do something besides just sit there?’”
The response has been overwhelming, he said, and those groups that always stage hands-on activities have been joined by many others who will try to engage show visitors in different ways.
One example of those: The Bangor Bass Club will be on hand this year to stage a Casting Kids contest throughout the weekend.
As has become our tradition, the Bangor Daily News will again have a booth at the show and our circulation department staffers will be on hand to help you learn more about subscription packages.
If you’re nice, they’ll probably give you some candy or a prize, just for stopping by.
In addition, we’ll be accepting entries for our seventh annual “Win a Drift Boat Trip Contest,” which has proven to be a big hit over the years.
You don’t have to buy anything to enter, and if you’re the lucky participant, you’ll join me for a fun-filled day fly-fishing on the East Outlet of the Kennebec River.
Our host for the day will be guide Dan Legere, the knowledgeable proprietor of the Maine Guide Fly Shop in Greenville.
We’ll spend Father’s Day — June 21 — drifting down the East Outlet, one of the most beautiful pieces of water you’ll find in these parts.
Legere will coach us, cajole us, and cook a scrumptious lunch.
Me? I’ll watch, take notes, cast a few times, and eat.
Sound good?
Good. All you’ve got to do is stop by our booth to sign up … or watch these pages for the entry blank.
Watanabe tops SBX field
Maine fans likely hoped the weekend’s snowboarding World Cup event at Sunday River would result in yet another triumph for local star Seth Wescott.
Graham Watanabe of Sun Valley, Idaho, had another idea.
Watanabe, a 5-foot-6, 150-pounder who lists his nickname as “The Little One” on the ESPN X Games Web site, dominated throughout Saturday’s snowboard cross competition and won the Visa U.S. Snowboarding World Cup competition at the Newry resort.
Lukas Gruener of Austria was second while Ross Powers of Londonderry, Vt., took third.
Farmington’s Wescott, the 2006 snowboard cross Olympic gold medalist, finished fourth in his semifinal and failed to advance to the championship round. He finished third in the consolation final and wound up in seventh place.
Watanabe earned 1,000 World Cup points with the win and vaulted into third place in the snowboard cross standings. Markus Schairer leads the standings with 4,340 points while Wescott is second with 3,280. Watanabe now has 2,670.
In the women’s snowboard cross, Lindsey Jaccobellis of Stratton Mountain, Vt., finished fourth. Maeile Ricker of Canada won the race while Helene Olafsen of Norway was second.
East Grand derby results in
Nearly 500 participants bought tickets to the 11th annual East Grand Lake Area Ice Fishing Derby, and anglers caught a number of hefty fish.
Buck Plummer, the derby committee’s chairman, reported that about 50 ice shacks were placed in a small village over the popular deep hole at Greenland Cove.
In the salmon category, Vic Jamison earned first prize with a 3-pound, 6-ounce fish. Harold Williams was second (3 pounds) and Jeanne Clancy was third (2 pounds, 10 ounces).
In the togue class, Heidi Parker caught an 11-pound, 5-ounce lunker to earn the win. Tyler Morse was second (10 pounds, 1 ounce) and Devin Dorr was third (10 pounds).
Marlo Coe won the cusk division with a 7-pound, 8-ounce fish, while Austin Randall (7 pounds, 5 ounces) and Zachary Randall (6 pounds, 15 ounces) were second and third.
Josh Ison caught the largest pickerel (3 pounds) while Dylan Howland took second in the division (2 pounds, 8 ounces).
Tyler Morse landed the largest brook trout, a 2-pound specimen, while Ashley Brewer finished second in the class with a 15-ounce fish. Ryan Wellington’s 1-pound, 5-ounce white perch won that category and Cleveland Kenyon hooked the biggest white fish, a 2-pound, 4-ouncer.
Steven Rouse won the grand prize, $1,000, in a drawing.
