AZGFD Outdoor Expo/Youth Day Draw Record 48,000

The Arizona Game And Fish Department's 2014 Outdoor Expo and Friday Youth Day drew a combined 48,000 attendees, the highest three-day total in the event's history.

The weekend Outdoor Expo, held March 29-30 at the Ben Avery Shooting Facility in Phoenix, was visited by 41,000 people. Sunday's attendance of 20,700 was a record for an Expo Sunday.

The Friday Youth Day, geared toward school children, teachers and chaperones who preregistered, was attended by 7,000, another record. The Youth Day was held at the Ben Avery facility.

"We’re thrilled with the public's interest in the Expo," said Game and Fish Deputy Director Ty Gray. "We hold this event to give people exposure to wildlife-related and other outdoor recreation activities. Despite many other events in the Valley this weekend, the record crowd shows that there is huge interest in learning about the great outdoors."

The annual Expo showcases activities such as fishing, hunting, shooting sports, archery, camping, off-highway vehicle recreation, boating recreation, and wildlife viewing and education.

In addition to the hands-on activities, more than 170 exhibitors were on hand, including sportsmen's and conservation organizations, government agencies, and commercial vendors of outdoor products and services.

The Gold Sponsors for the 2014 Outdoor Expo were Cabela's, Waste Management, and Arizona State Credit Union.

Silver Sponsors were Iron City Polaris, Arizona State Parks, AWC Silencers, Mule Deer Foundation, NRA Sports, Sportsman's Warehouse, U.S. Sportsmen's Alliance Foundation, and Weatherby Foundation International. Bronze Sponsors were A to Z Equipment Rentals and Sales, Arizona Department of Transportation, Bill Luke Chrysler, Jeep, Dodge and Ram, Lincoln Property Company, and Smith & Wesson. Other sponsors included HomCo Ace Hardware Tempe and White Flyer Targets.

Next year’s Outdoor Expo will be held on March 28-29, 2015, at the Ben Avery Shooting Facility in Phoenix. More information will be posted at http://www.azgfd.gov/expo as it becomes available.