Presque Isle Sportsman's Show
2017-03-23

Presque Isle Sportsman's Show

Guest Blogger: Jen Brophy

It’s spring in Aroostook County, and for at least a few days, even the thermometer has been looking forward to snow melting and sunshine. For Mainers who love the outdoors (and who doesn’t?), spring is synonymous with getting outdoors again, dusting off the fly rod in the hopes that the ice will recede quickly, and starting to plan summer adventures. If you want to get a jump-start on some summer dreaming, there’s no better place than the Presque Isle Sportsman’s Show. Now in its nineteenth year, the 2017 show will run this weekend (Saturday, March 25, from 9AM to 5PM and Sunday, March 26, from 9AM to 4PM) at Gentile Hall on the University of Maine at Presque Isle (UMPI) campus. The weekend features more than seventy-five local, New England, and Canadian exhibitors of all things outdoors, ranging from lodging to fishing, boats to ATVs, and local craftsmen to L.L. Bean.

The Sportsman’s Show is a family-friendly event and includes a kids’ trout fishing pond, an air-gun shooting range, an archery range, a laser-shot rifle and pistol range, and access to UMPI’s rock-climbing wall for the adventurous youngsters who have been climbing the walls at home all winter. Visitors of all ages are treated to canoeing, kayaking, fishing, and bird dog demonstrations. As an additional bonus, Presque Isle’s Riverside Restaurant provides food for purchase!

Have you ever wanted to learn more about what local conservation organizations like the Aroostook County Conservation Association (ACCA), Presque Isle Fish and Game Club (PIFG), or Sportsman’s Alliance of Maine (SAM) do? Do you have a burning question for a biologist or warden with the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife? The Sportsman’s Show is the perfect chance to meet and talk with local outdoor professionals that are making a difference in Aroostook County every day. Feeling lucky? Two boys’ and two girls’ bicycles will be raffled off at the show on Sunday, and one lucky winner will go home with an Old Town canoe at the end of the weekend!

So come on out this Saturday or Sunday and feel the spring in the air with like-minded County folks. Join a local organization, find your perfect summer vacation, and support small businesses and craftsmen from all over the county. We’ll see you at the show!