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Arkansas Sportshow slated for Feb. 4-6 |
 JONESBORO
- The 2005 edition of the Arkansas Sportshow, scheduled for Feb. 4-6 at
the Arkansas State University Convocation Center, marks the 21st year
for this annual fundraiser for the Jonesboro Rotary Club.According to Rotarian Guy Patteson, the Arkansas Sportshow grew out of a desire to have an annual club fundraiser to enable Rotary the ability to support charitable projects. The Rotary Club tried various fundraisers where members were given a designated number of tickets to sell, but this approach did not produce the results that the club wanted. But one Rotarian with a vision suggested the idea of having a boat show. “The first few years were hard,” reminisces Gene Wing, president of the Rotary Club of Jonesboro. “The first year we had more Rotary volunteers than we had people attending the event.” Even though the first year wasn’t so great, club members decided that the idea of a Sportshow was worth pursuing. Twenty-one years later the Arkansas Sportshow has transformed into a successful event, attracting exhibitors from across the United States and Canada. More than 20,000 visitors are expected attend the annual show. “The Arkansas Sportshow is truly a family event,” said David Mosesso, 2005 Sportshow Chairman. “This year we have exhibitors ranging from boats and hunting gear to homemade fudge and clothing. We are also excited to have a great line up of seminars this year presented by people like Roger Raglin, Alex Rutlege and Dan and Guy Fitzgerald.” Outdoor enthusiasts can see a wide range of outdoor and leisure time products. Hundreds of the latest sporting products designed to captivate hunting, fishing and boating enthusiasts will be on display at the ASU Convocation Center. Also returning to the 2005 Arkansas Sportshow is the “World’s Greatest Trout Tank.” This tank was custom designed and built by members of the Rotary Club and will be stocked with 800 pounds of trout for children to fish. The Arkansas Sportshow has again designated an exclusive area for the 2005 show called the “Deer Woods.” This is an additional 5,600 square feet of exhibit space that will feature Jerry Stafford’s full body mount whitetail deer exhibit. Also, featured in the “Deer Woods” is the Mid-South Big Buck Extravaganza. This Buck Scoring Contest is open to entries from Arkansas, Tennessee, Mississippi and Missouri. This year’s categories include Gun, Bow, Muzzleloader, Crossbow, Youth, Women’s, Open and Sheds. Big Bucks, trout fishing, snakes, hunting seminars, boats and ATVs are all part of the show. However, the greatest thing about the Arkansas Sportshow is that it raises thousands of dollars for worthy projects in Jonesboro, Northeast Arkansas and throughout the world. “There are countless hours volunteered by Rotarians who plan, organize and work the Arkansas Sportshow. Many of our club members spend more than 9 months planning this event each year,” Mosesso said. According to Mosesso, some of the money raised has helped fund projects that are working toward world-wide polio eradication. Each year scholarships are given to area high school students, exchange programs are funded and local non-profit organizations benefit from money raised by the Rotary Club of Jonesboro through the Arkansas Sportshow. For more information about the Arkansas Sportshow or to see the rules for the Mid-South Big Buck Extravaganza, readers can log onto www.arsportshow.com. |
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