Signs of spring have been in short supply in these parts lately — I nearly started cheering when I drove through an actual puddle on one of our recent 30-degree days — but a real harbinger of that season is approaching quickly.
This weekend thousands of outdoor enthusiasts will flock to the University of Maine in Orono for the 77th edition of a late-winter classic, the Eastern Maine Sportsmen’s Show.
The show will take over the entire field house complex, including Memorial Gymnasium and Stanley Wallace Pool, beginning Friday evening and running through Sunday.
Show hours are 5-9 p.m. Friday, 9 a.m.-8 p.m. Saturday and 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Sunday.
Produced by the Penobscot County Conservation Association, the Eastern Maine Sportsmen’s Show has generated hundreds of thousands of dollars that are funneled back to students studying conservation-oriented subjects at Maine colleges in the form of scholarships. The Penobscot County Conservation Association also helps fund camperships for younger students interested in learning more about fish, wildlife and outdoor skills.
Show chairman Woody Higgins said the event has long been special to attendees.
“I guess you can say it’s a local show with a broad view of the outdoors,” Higgins said. “I think it’s just a rite of spring. People want to get outside and do things, especially after this winter that we’ve had.”
Higgins said most attendees have shared experiences, having fished similar spots and hunted in similar ways. He said the Penobscot County Conservation Association surveys have shown that between 85 and 90 percent of attendees are drawn from within 60 to 70 miles of Bangor.
Over the past couple of years, the show has begun featuring more exhibitors who are reaching out to the public, whether to offer new educational opportunities, or to provide services to veterans or recovering cancer patients.
“I think last year was the first year that we added, BOW — Becoming an Outdoorswoman — and we brought in Casting for Recovery, and before that, House in the Woods,” said Higgins. “We try to pick out people that are helping people, so we reach out to them.”
Our BDN Outdoors crew will be there all weekend, and our own Aislinn Sarnacki will give two hiking presentations: The first is at 5 p.m. Saturday, and the second is at noon Sunday.
We also will be on-hand at the BDN booth, where you can pick up a copy of the latest edition of our BDN Outdoors magazine or an issue of Bangor Metro, the publication that the BDN recently purchased. Circulation staffers also will staff our booth this year and would be happy to arrange home delivery for our varied publications.
And of course, we’ll be accepting entries into our 13th annual “Win a Drift Boat Trip” contest. Check print editions of the BDN for an entry blank, or just stop by our booth and sign up at the show. The lucky winner will join me and guide Dan Legere of the Maine Guide Fly Shop in Greenville for a fantastic day of fly fishing on the East Outlet of the Kennebec River. Legere has set aside June 14 for this year’s trip, and if past trips are any indication, our 2015 winner will catch more fish than they ever thought possible, while drifting one of the state’s most magnificent rivers.
The Orono show is one of the state’s largest, but certainly not the only outdoor-oriented event on the calendar for coming weeks. Here are a few more options:
In Presque Isle, the Presque Isle Fish and Game Club will stage its eighth annual gun show, also this weekend.
The show will be held at the Northeastland Hotel in Presque Isle, and will run 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday and 9 a.m.-2 p.m. Sunday. At this year’s show, the club will celebrate the opening of a new Museum of Guns, which will be hosted by the Fort Fairfield Rifle and Pistol Club.
Also in Presque Isle, the Presque Isle Fish and Game Club is gearing up for its annual sportsman’s show, which will be held March 21-22.
The show will be held at the Gentile Building at the University of Maine at Presque Isle. Show hours are 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday, March 21, and 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Sunday, March 22.
Show organizers say there will be 75 exhibitors on hand this year. Among the popular attractions, a children’s trout-fishing pond sponsored by L.L. Bean, a shooting range and an archery range.
In Augusta, The Maine Sportsman and the Sportsman’s Alliance of Maine are finalizing plans for the 35th annual State of Maine Sportsman’s Show, which will be held March 27-29 at the Augusta Civic Center.
The hours have been changed slightly for this year’s event, and attendees should take note.
This year’s hours are 1-7 p.m. March 27, 9 a.m.-7 p.m. March 28 and 9 a.m.-4 p.m. March 29.
John Holyoke can be contacted at 990-8214 or jholyoke@bangordailynews.com. Follow him on Twitter: @JohnHolyoke.
