Elmwood AllOutdoors Show ahead

For days now I’ve been losing sleep fretting about getting 4,000 gallons of lake water into the Elmwood grade school gymnasium.

And that was before reading that the Dubai Aquarium had started leaking.

Worries like that probably help explain why quality outdoors shows are becoming a thing of the past. Trust me, organizing the first Elmwood AllOutdoors Show was no easy task.

But we think you’ll like the results of all our head-scratching Saturday, March 6 and Sunday, March 7 when more than 95 vendors will pack two gymnasiums, two tents and hallways in the Elmwood high school and grade school. And I’m happy to report all the money raised benefits athletic teams, athletes and students of Elmwood.

That was one goal of our committee, which consists of myself, Larry and Linda Dozard of East Peoria and Elmwood residents Russ and Janice Nash, David Vaughan and Chad Jordan.

Our other goal was to put together a high quality, family-friendly show that’s affordable for vendors and showgoers alike. To do that we borrowed heavily from a successful show in Tinley Park, an event that packs in vendors and spectators and raises thousands of dollars each year for high school athletics.

To lure our vendors we sold booths for just $50. To attract spectators we offer free parking, $5 admission and no charge for children 13 and under.

Cheap admission doesn’t matter without a reason to attend, of course. And I’ll stack our list of vendors up against any show Peoria or western Illinois has seen in years.

One thing you won’t find is anyone peddling windows or siding. Instead we’ve worked to find folks who sell fishing tackle, hunting gear and other products or services related to the outdoors.

Looking for hard-to-find Japanese bass fishing lures? Anglers Outlet has two booths packed with those and other hard-to-find bass lures. Need custom-made spinnerbaits and chatterbaits? My man Paul Clay will be there with his Dine-A-Mite Baits.

In all we’ve got 34 booths of fishing gear, ranging from carp rods to Hoss’s Hawg Bait to a big selection from Presley’s Outdoors. Yyes, you will be able to buy the Red Eye Shad that Kevin Van Dam used to win last week’s Bassmaster Classic.

Another 10 booths feature lodges and fishing guides.

There will also be a fishing pond designed by Herman Brothers Pond Management and stocked with trout and a few surprise monster fish. For $3 a youngster can wet a line under the tutelage of Chef Todd, an ironic pairing since Chef has been tossed out of a few trout ponds.

But this isn’t “just a fishing show.” Hunting is well-represented. We’ve got 21 booths of hunting gear, with vendors to interest turkey chasers, waterfowlers and deer hunters. We’re also running a big buck contest with top measurers on hand to score your trophy whitetail. And the Illinois Bowfishers will have an archery range where youngsters can shoot at fish targets.

Beyond that numerous other interesting booths, including Chad Hunziker’s live deer display, Ray Windmiller’s popular River Rats, land sellers, painters, decoy carvers and even a woman who paints on turkey feathers.

The one thing we don’t have is a massive parking lot. So some of you will be parking on city streets. We ask that you park east of the school. To shorten your walk, we will have a shuttle bus cruising through that side of town.

That’s another goal of our event — to do whatever we can to help you enjoy your time in Elmwood. We’re a small, close-knit town of friendly, hard-working people. And you’ll get to meet most of the town since the volunteer list includes more than 105 students from Elmwood and Brimfield and an equal amount of adults.

Now if somebody can just come up with an easy way to fill that fishing pond, we’ll be all set.