Early Bird Sports Expo

The 15th Annual Early Bird Sports Expo will be held January 22-26, 2003 at the Bloomsburg Fairgrounds. Hours are Wednesday and Thursday, 5-10 PM; Friday, noon to 10 PM; Saturday, 10 AM to 9 PM, Sunday, 10 AM to 4 PM. Admission is $5, $.50 off with coupon which will be available at various merchants and at www.earlybirdexpo.com . A special "Senior Discount" admission of $3 is being offered on Friday afternoon from noon until 4 for anyone whose age makes them eligible for a Medicare card (no coupon required). Parking is free. Good homemade-style food will be available at reasonable prices.

The show will feature outfitters, seminars, products and services related to outdoor activities, including hunting, fishing, camping and trapping. The show will feature the state's largest indoor 3-D Archery competition, youth and amateur turkey-calling contest as well as the PA State Professional Turkey Calling contest. There will be a trout pond, B-B Gun range and fishing and casting contests for kids. This year's Expo will feature the Zaft buck (Pope and Young latest record) and a "walk through" Canadian forest exhibit with amazing deer and sheep antlers."

The opening night seminar will feature Gary Alt discussing Pennsylvania deer. Other seminar topics during the Expo will include turkey hunting, bass fishing, coyote hunting, processing game, cowboy action, wild game-food plots and more. A sportsman's auction will be held Sunday afternoon when the Rhinehart targets used in the Archery Competition will be offered to the highest bidder. Many other items of interest to the outdoorsmen are among the list of products and services to be sold in the auction.

Registration information for the contests is available at 570 683-5360 and through Tom and Mary Lou Austin's website www.earlybirdexpo.com you can get late-breaking information on the show and obtain a coupon for the admission discount.