CHARLESTON, W.Va. — The 35th annual West Virginia Hunting and Fishing Show opens Friday at the Charleston Coliseum and Convention Center. The event draws hunters and fishermen from all over West Virginia and several surrounding states. The three day attendance typically nears 15,000 people.
“This will be our 35th show, it’s the state’s biggest indoor event,” said Glen Jarrell, spokesman for the West Virginia Trophy Hunters Association which puts on the annual event.
Jarrell said in recent years they’ve been asked by many to make modifications to the show’s operations and events, he said this year, they’ve taken some of those suggestions to heart.
“We’ve made some significant changes and I’m really excited about it. I think everyone coming to the show will really enjoy it,” Jarrell explained.
Show promotors announced the changes back in November. The biggest shift is the creation of a large stage which will be situated in the middle of the exhibition hall. The stage will feature a gallery of about 100 chairs and standing room area for about 100 more people to take in various activities that will be happening throughout the weekend.
“It’s about a 30 by 18 stage in the center of the hall. All during the show, all three days, there will be events going on on that stage,” he explained.
The stage is sponsored by Cabela’s who helped with a major commitment to the show. The large retail outfitter partnered with a number of different organizations to bring in some top notched speakers for seminars on everything from patterning large Appalachian whitetails to the proper use of trail cameras. There will be speakers talking about the advancement of women in the outdoors along with fishing techniques, predator calling, and updates on various programs from the West Virginia Division of Natural Resources.
Saturday morning’s West Virginia Outdoors radio show will originate from the Cabela’s stage and a special three hour edition of the show will play out live there from 9am to noon Saturday heard on MetroNews Flagship Station, 580-WCHS. Jarrell added Cabela’s is also planning a fashion show.
“Cabela’s indicated there’s so much going on with the new clothing and the weatherproof and waterproof material, we’re going to put on an outdoors fashion show right there on the stage,” he explained.
Although the stage and the increased attention to seminars and speakers is a big change, one thing which has not changed will be the vast number of vendors and outfitters who will fill the hall to sell their wares and offer hunting and fishing adventures around the world.
“This show brings together hunters, fishermen and really all outdoors enthusiasts from around the world,” said Jarrell.
A full house of outdoor exhibitors will be on hand. There will also be a kids scavenger hunt in which children can pursue various opportunities to shoot a bow, visit the DNR Law Enforcement shoot/don’t shoot video trailer, and be involved in other activities especially geared for them during the weekend.
The West Virginia Trophy Hunters Association is a volunteer organization and the West Virginia Hunting and Fishing Show is their one event of the year. The organization uses profits from the weekend to support conservation and youth outdoor education. Groups dedicated to those pursuits are awarded grants later in the year.
“After we pay all of the show’s bills, we want to give back to those things which mean so much to all of us. Anything that deals with hunter education and conservation groups, we’ll support them. It’s a lot of work to put the show on, but then at the end when we get a chance to support these groups, it’s well worth it,” said Jarrell.
Admission is $9 for adults. Children ages 6 to 12 is $1 and under age six are admitted for free. The show hours are noon to 9 p.m. Friday, 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Saturday, and 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday.