It’s back, in the right place, at the right time, and with a lineup that’s sure to please every member of the family with some sort of outdoor fun. The 43rd annual Louisiana Sportsman Show & Festival is back in the spring where it was before the pandemic put a temporary hold on the longest running outdoors show in the state of Louisiana.
The three-day event will run March 17-19, 2023 and has been expanded to include a larger area of the Lamar-Dixon Expo Center in Gonzales, just south of Baton Rouge, La.
Show hours are Friday from noon – 7 p.m., Saturday from 9 a.m. – 7 p.m. and Sunday from 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. Tickets are $12 for adults, $6 for kids and children under five are admitted free.
“It’s fantastic to have the show back in the spring with a lineup that’s bigger and better than last year,” said Lisa Cuccia, President of Louisiana Publishing. “Attendees can expect a great show this year. I hope you and your family are planning to come.
“Our vendors and exhibitors are working hard to ensure we bring the best show possible this year and give people the chance to come out and see all this great gear and equipment in one place. Plus, it’s a great place to save lots of money on outdoor purchases.”
The show is a buyer’s market for outdoor lovers. Exhibitors and dealers are geared up with offers you don’t want to miss. Bring your wife. Bring your kids. Bring your wallet! The exhibitors and dealers at the Louisiana Sportsman Show and Festival aren’t just there to show off their goods — they are geared up with offers and prices you can’t beat. You won’t want to miss the Bowie Outfittters “Super Booth.”
Show attendees can shop hundreds of boats, RV’s, ATVS, Outdoor Power Equipment, bait and tackle, outdoor cooking equipment and food items, outdoor clothing, outdoor art items and more with special show financing available for major items.
You also get to bring your big buck to the show once again and enter it in the Big Buck Contest. Get all the details here.
Fetch-n-Fish dog show
One of the highlights of the show is the fabulous Fetch-N-Fish dog show, a fun family run business that promotes hunting, fishing and educational seminars with high-flying retrievers.
They will have exciting shows scheduled all three days. Come out and meet the stars of the show — Rio, Roxy, Boondock, and Jackpot! Oh yes, Jason Reynolds, too. He runs the show, or at least the dogs let him think he does. It’s a blast for the whole family!
Throughout the show, Reynolds will be featuring his high-flying dogs that will be jumping into his 41-foot-long bass tub and combining that with fishing seminars. The show invites audience participation, particularly from children who help mark the longest jumps — and might get wet in the process.
“Basically, what we do is a family fun program,” Reynolds said. “We talk a little about obedience, then a little about dog training, and I mix it with some fun games and some dog tricks. And the ultimate of the show is when I have the dogs jump in the fish tank. This is not just dog training — this is entertainment. This is something the whole family can relate to. The kids love it.”
But this show isn’t all about dog jumping: the 4,000-gallon tank also is stocked with bass and is used to demonstrate fishing tactics throughout the day.
“It’s a home run,” Reynolds said of the combined dog and fishing shows.
Shell stepping up big
It takes a lot of people and organizations planning, pulling together and going “all in” to pull off a great outdoor show like the Louisiana Sportsman Show and Festival. And it couldn’t be done without sponsors and supporters.
Shell has once again stepped up and is the title sponsor of the event for 2023.
“The Louisiana Sportsman Show gives us an opportunity to sponsor something that is special to this state. Hunting, fishing and the outdoors are a deep and embedded part of our culture,” said Jordan Tremblay, Shell Corporate Relations. “It’s also a great opportunity for Shell to connect with the communities in which we operate, and to showcase our presence here in Louisiana. Shell assets range across the state, and the positive impacts we make on our communities and the partnerships we have with them is exceptional. Louisiana is where we live and we’re proud to call it home.”
With over 100 years of history in Louisiana, Shell currently employs nearly 3,000 people and thousands of contractors. Annual taxes of $240.5 million positively impact the state and community giving is supported with $6.7 million.
At the 2023 Sportsman Show, Shell’s booth will include NASCAR #22 and race car simulators. Shell employees will share the exciting ongoing transformation of the energy and chemicals industry, and attest to why Shell is the Rhythm of Louisiana.
Youth Involvement
You are never too young or too old to learn about the outdoors, and the show this year will feature hands-on exhibits and education presented by members of the LaBranche Wetland Watchers of Harry Hurst Middle School in St. Charles Parish. Wetland Watchers is a nationally recognized school-based service-learning project that involves a core group of 200 sixth, seventh, and eighth grade students in a variety of service activities to improve their local habitat and community. Students lead field trips, host community events, and speak to over 70,000 people a year through outreach events.
A group of around 30 students will be set up at the Sportsman’s Show on Saturday from 9 a.m. – 1 p.m.
Through education, service, and awareness, Harry Hurst Middle students lead a community effort for wetland conservation. Anticipated outcomes of the project are increased participation of students in environmental projects, increased awareness of wetland values and challenges locally and globally, and a greater emphasis on the classroom study of environmental issues, according to Barry Guillot, Harry Hurst Middle School’s Wetland Watchers founder and coordinator.
Tournament weigh-in
Another exciting addition to this year’s show will involve young fishermen and some of their catches.
On Sunday, the show will host the weigh-in for the FCA Outdoors Youth Redfish, Trout & Bass Fishing Series tournament. The weigh-in will be held at the show at approximately 3 p.m. This is one of six FCA tournaments for 2023, held specifically for anglers ages 8-18 years old fishing as two-person teams with a Captain/Mentor.
For more information on the series, contact dconstant@fca.org. Fishermen are vying for $10,000 in scholarships on the circuit as well as other prizes and awards.
Live Music
Entertainment, sponsored by BEDO and A&M Contractors LLC, will be provided Saturday and Sunday. Adam Pearce will provide a solo acoustic show on Saturday and Dominick Michael will be providing a concert on Sunday.
Pearce is a national touring artist who fuses the best of Rock ’n Soul with a high energy one-man concert experience. He is from Bunkie, La., and currently lives in New Orleans. He has been featured on NBC’s “The Voice,” landing a spot on Adam Levine’s team and finishing in the Top 20 on Season 13 (as the “comeback kid”).
Michael is from Baton Rouge, La., and is a popular country music artist. He plays events all around the south. His top selling album, “I’ll Get Mine” features several popular songs, including “You Asked Me To.”
For the latest updates on the show, check the show’s website, www.louisianasportsmanshow.com or you can contact the show hotline at 866.238.5639 or email showservices@louisianasportsmanshow.com.
The post “The 2023 Louisiana Sportsman Show & Festival” first appeared on LouisianaSportsman.com.
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