Outdoors expos highlight January
January is show season, starting Friday through Sunday with the 42nd annual Arkansas Marine Expo and ending with the 34th annual Arkansas Big Buck Classic, both in Little Rock.
Ken Griffey, the longtime Arkansas Marine Expo promoter, said that the expo will enable Arkansans to get the year’s best bargain on a new boat. Dealers from around the state will be present representing every genre of recreational boat available, Griffey said.
Representatives from most of the state’s major lake and river resorts and marinas will be on hand, as well.
For anglers, the Arkansas Marine Expo has long been one of the state’s biggest fishing tackle shows. Fishing guides specializing in trout, bass, striped bass and crappie will be there, as well.
“It is a real opportunity for you to bring out the family,” Griffey said. “There’s travel destinations. There’s campgrounds. This is a resource for outdoor enthusiasts in Arkansas to have all these vendors and dealers all under one roof.”
While it seems odd to hold a boat show amid sub-freezing temperatures with duck season still in progress, Griffey said the timing is strategic.
“I often get asked why boat shows are held in January and February,” Griffey said. “Why boat shows have lasted 40, 50, 60 years is because the manufacturers are giving extra incentives, discounts and rebates to dealers to pass on only through shows so that the manufacturers can help dealers kick off sales for the year. If you buy at the show, you will get the best price and deal on a boat that you’ll get this year. But that will only happen at the show.
“As you get closer and closer to spring and summer, the boat supply starts getting diminished,” Griffey added. “The reason to attend a boat show like the Marine Expo is so you have the opportunity to select the color, size and floor plan that suits your family’s needs. If you wait until May or June, the law of supply and demand kicks in, and you probably will not have that flexibility.”
Show hours will be 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday, and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Sunday. Admission will be $10 for adults. Admission will be free for children age 12-under.
BIG BUCK CLASSIC
Deer hunters will celebrate the year’s deer season at the 34th annual Arkansas Big Buck Classic Jan. 26-28 at the Arkansas State Fairgrounds.
Tommy Murchison, the founder and promoter of the Big Buck Classic, is very proud of the show’s longevity. It is one of the oldest and largest hunting expos in the Southeast, and it has become the unofficial archive of the state’s annual deer season.
The show’s centerpiece is its Wall of Honor. It occupies an entire corner of Barton Coliseum and contains mounts of deer killed in Arkansas during the 202324 season. Any hunter may submit their deer on the Wall of Honor regardless of its Boone and Crockett or Pope & Young score.
“We’re dedicating one whole building to the Arkansas Game and Fish Foundation for kids,” Murchison said. “It’s not just entertainment, but it’s education based too.
If you’ve ever considered taking kids hunting but you don’t hunt yourself and don’t know how to get started, this is the place to go. You don’t have to be a diehard hunter to enjoy Big Buck. If you want to be around experts that can teach and help you, there’s part of what we’re about.”
As always, the Texas rattlesnake exhibit will be in Barton Coliseum. The Jonathan Wood’s Raptor Project exhibit will also be there.
Also, the Hall of Industry will be full of vendors offering everything from guided hunting and fishing trips, including African safaris. You can buy turkey calls and duck calls. You can buy ATVs and UTVs, and even all-terrain scooters for mobility-impaired. You can buy knives, footwear and apparel, as well as wild game jerky and snack sticks.
The grand finale will be on Sunday Jan. 28, when the promoters honor the biggest bucks taken in multiple categories. The buck with the biggest antlers and its hunter will also be honored.
Admission will be $15 for adults and $5 for children. Admission is free for children age 5 and younger. Parking is included. For more information, visit bigbuckclassic.com.