The planning and the brainstorming for the very first Woods-N-Water News Outdoor Weekend took only a couple of months, if that. Today, it’s nearly a year-round job. Who would have thought one day we would be celebrating its 38th year? Not me!
The first Outdoor Weekend had a dozen or so exhibitors. Enough people attended to make it worth our exhibitors’ time.
Now, 38 shows and one year canceled due to covid, and the Outdoor Weekend draws several thousand visitors each year and over a couple hundred exhibitors. For the first 15 years, we used a small portion of the Eastern Michigan Fairgrounds; today, we use it all and spill over into the streets.
We’re newspaper people, not show promoters, so the learning curve has been steep from time to time. But we did learn our visitors liked to chat firsthand with experts and to see, touch and feel the outdoors experience.
It’s hard not to reminisce about those early days. It is such a big part of our family’s life.
Early on, we booked the most popular outdoor personalities from the mid-80s: Jerry Chippetta, Howard Shelley and Bob Gardner from Michigan Outdoors TV, to name a few. You could walk up to the Free Press outdoor writer, Dave Richey and ask him a question. Or Dave’s brother George, who was the state’s top antique lure expert. Tom Huggler, a popular outdoor writer, author and photographer, was always there.
Fred Trost, the outspoken former Michigan Outdoors TV host, visited, as did his friend Bill Yoder. Bill would bring live deer, arctic fox and bobcats for visitors to see and touch. Richard English brought giant whitetail bucks, which people would stare at in amazement. Later, Bob Sawmiller brings black bears, grizzly bears, cougars and wolves. We would have loved to bring those animals to you today, but regulations have changed and transporting such critters is no longer allowed.
In the early 90s, we booked others like Valerie and Verlen Kruger, a husband and wife team who kayaked through North America onto the Amazon River of South America. They regularly talked with radio host JP McCarthy about their progress. On several occasions, we had Alabama’s Byron Ferguson perform his incredible archery skills. Byron could, and did, shoot an aspirin out of mid-air. Always a highlight was Michigan traditional archery legends, Norm Blaker and Ron LaClair. Norm often camped at the fairgrounds with the frontier and Civil War encampments.
We still enjoy the wonderful folklore and dance of Native American Reg Petibone and his family, who have performed for decades at the weekend. Thousands of kids of all ages have walked away with a sense of awe on their faces.
As the years went on, we had visits from Jimmy Gretzinger and Jenny Olsen from Michigan Outdoors TV who did a few shows from the Outdoor Weekend.
Regular seminar speakers over the past 30 years have been Richard P. Smith, Away’s, Fred and Greg Abbas, Tony LaPratt and Mr. Food Plot himself, Ed Spinnazzola, to name a few.
Thanks to many, we have a 38-year history to talk about, and we thank Ray Clemens (Ray C’s Sports Center), Dale Chapman (Chapman’s Sports Center), and Jim Adams (Freeway Sports) as few who have exhibited in every one of our Outdoor Weekends.
Other people who have played key roles in the Outdoor Weekend success, of course, are the Eastern Michigan Fair Board, Bob and Dave Zgnilec (LumberJack Shack), Rick Bryan of Stihl Chainsaws, eXmark Lawn Equipment, Jim Novak of Novak’s Supply and Jim Adams of Freeway Sports Center.
The entire Woods-N-Water News has worked long hard hours to make it something we are all very proud of.
This year’s Outdoor Weekend is nearly complete. Oh, like always, there will be plenty of odds and ends that will need our attention, but for the most part, the Outdoor Weekend is a wrap.
We are excited about some of the new attractions for our visitors, and of course, we are happy to have our mainstay popular attractions back. CanAm will be conducting ATV demo rides, Committed Deer Tacking dogs and whitetail deer surveys with Michigan Dronedogs on Saturday. Bring your trophies to be officially scored for Michigan record books by Commemorative Bucks of Michigan, then sit back and take in the All-American Lumberjack Show.
The Outdoor Weekend just wouldn’t be the Outdoor Weekend without our Puppy Tent, Chili Cook-Off Contest, a strong line-up of seminars, hundreds of exhibitors, the frontier encampments, and an atmosphere of celebrating our outdoor heritage.
Popular attractions remain, like Steve Francis, owner of Country Smoke House, who will again offer his demonstration of butchering and processing your whitetail on Saturday. Randy’s Hunting Center is back with another huge “Garage Sale.” We’ve also got a few new vendors with merchandise perfect for this fall’s hunting or fishing trip.
There will also be a chainsaw carving demonstration each of the three days of the Outdoor Weekend. We are excited to see what they can create from pine logs.
To find out more about the Outdoor Weekend, be sure to follow us at the Woods-N-Water News on FaceBook or visit us at www.outdoorweekend.net.
Mark your calendar and attend the 38th Outdoor Weekend, September 6, 7 and 8, held at the Eastern Michigan Fairgrounds in Imlay City. Admission is $10, kids 12 and under are free and free parking. Outdoor Weekend hours are Friday, 3 p.m.-9 p.m.; Saturday, 9 a.m.-7 p.m. and Sunday, 9 a.m.-5 p.m.
