For KC area, five shows indoors offer outdoors fun
This is the one time of the year when fishermen, hunters, boaters and campers don’t mind being inside.
Why? It’s show season. The calendar is full of inside events for outdoors enthusiasts.
▪ The Overland Park Boat Show, which features the Lake of the Ozarks boating lifestyle, opened Thursday and will continue through Sunday at the Overland Park Convention Center.
The event includes more than 40 Lake of the Ozarks marine dealers. Show hours are noon to 10 p.m. Friday, 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Saturday and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday. Tickets are $9 for adults, $5 for children ages 6 to 12, and free for children 5 and younger.
▪ Recreational vehicles of all shapes and sizes will be on display when the Mid-America RV Show makes its run Jan. 14 to 17 in Bartle Hall.
Everything from pop-up campers to luxury motorhomes will be on display. RV accessories, travel destinations and campground representatives also will featured.
Show hours are 1 to 8 p.m. Jan. 14, noon to 8 p.m. Jan. 15, 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Jan. 16 and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Jan. 17. Tickets will cost $12 for adults, with children ages 12 and younger admitted free.
▪ The grandaddy of all area sports shows, the Kansas City Boat and Sportshow, will return to Bartle Hall for its 62nd annual show from Jan. 21 to 24.
The event, which features everything outdoors, will include fishing and boating seminars, Dock Dogs competition, boat-maintenance talks and special features for kids.
Hours will be 2 to 9 p.m. Jan. 21, noon to 9 p.m. Jan. 22, 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Jan. 23 and 10 a.m. 5 p.m. Jan. 24. Tickets will be $12 for adults, with children ages 15 and younger admitted free.
▪ As in the past, the Monster Buck Classic will be a dreamland for Kansas deer hunters.
The show, which will run Jan. 22 to 24 at the Kansas ExpoCentre in Topeka, will feature displays of some of the biggest bucks ever taken in Kansas, a chance for hunters to get their deer scored, and a King of Kansas contest for the show’s biggest typical and nontypical bucks brought in.
Show hours will be 3 to 9 p.m. Jan. 22, 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Jan. 23 and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Jan. 24. Tickets will cost $10 for adults (or $15 for a three-day wristband) and $5 for youngsters ages 10 to 15. Children 9 and younger will be admitted free.
▪ The National Pheasant Fest and Quail Classic will return to Kansas City from Feb. 19 to 21, with organizers shooting for record attendance at the Kansas City Convention Center.
The show attracted 22,000 people when it was last in Kansas City, in 2012. It will include a bird-dog parade, seminars by hunting experts, wild-game cooking, and a chance for landowners to consult with wildlife-management authorities on how to manage their land.
Show hours will be 1 to 8:30 p.m. Feb. 19, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Feb. 20 and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Feb. 21. Tickets will be $10 for adults, $5 for children ages 6 to 16. There will be additional charges for banquet tickets.
Trapping and predator calling
Tuttle Creek State Park at Manhattan, Kan., will be the site of a trapping and predator calling workshop Saturday. The event will take place from 1 to 4:30 p.m., and will be based at the state park office, 5800A River Pond Road. The workshop is free, and no preregistration is required.
The class is designed for trappers and hunters of all skill levels. For more information, call park manager Todd Lovin at 785-539-7941.
This story was originally published January 7, 2016 at 7:37 PM with the headline "For KC area, five shows indoors offer outdoors fun."