PRESQUE ISLE, Maine — The Presque Isle Fish and Game Club and Presque Isle Kiwanis Club are partnering to bring the region a pair of spring events that they hope will get people in the mood for warm weather.
This year, the Presque Isle Fish and Game Club will host its 20th annual Spring Sportsman’s Show on March 23 and 24. The Kiwanis Club will bring back its Swing into Spring Showcase the same weekend.
The two groups are partnering to bring out more people with a $500 drawing for those who attend both shows.
“When the shows run together, we both tend to do fairly well,” said Nick Archer, vice president of the Presque Isle Fish and Game Club.
The Spring Sportsman’s Show is held at the University of Maine Presque Isle and runs from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday. It will feature more than 65 vendors, with tickets at $5 per person and children under 10 free.
“It’s a real family event” marking the best in northern Maine’s outdoors industry, Archer said. Vendors and activities cover hunting, fishing, camping, a children’s trout fishing pond, and archery and shooting ranges.
The Kiwanis Swing into Spring Showcase, meanwhile, is being revived after being dormant for a number of years, said George Watson, president of the Presque Isle Kiwanis Club.
This Kiwanis Club previously ran a spring home and garden show for more than 30 years, and after the phasing out of the former Agri-Business Trade Fair last year, the club thought it could be a good opportunity to start a new spring event to support its charities, Watson said.
“As of now, we have 36 businesses that have signed on. Everything from companies that do insulation in your homes to electrical contractors,” Watson said. “We’re hoping to make this an annual event,” he said, adding that the proceeds from this event are slated for college scholarships.
The Showcase will be held at The Forum in Presque Isle from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday. Admission is $3 per person, with children under 12 free.
