Outdoor Weekend starts Friday

Michigan’s largest fall show returns to Fairgrounds for 39th year

 

Editor’s note: Below is an article written by Woods-N-Waters News Editor, Tom Campbell, highlighting this weekend’s big event in Imlay City. The show has had an economical impact on the area, as well as benefitted several service groups. The Imlay City Rotary and the Imlay City Lions are among those who have been involved in helping make the three-day event so successful. Over the years, Woods-N-Water News organizers say they have donated thousands of dollars to local groups and clubs. With an average show attendance of 12,000, Campbell says the show has improved as improvements have been made to the Eastern Michigan State Fairgrounds, allowing them to expand the show to over 200 vendors this year.

IMLAY CITY — After 38 years, it’s very challenging to have a dissimilar introduction to the 39th Annual Woods-N-Water News Outdoor Weekend, Sept. 5-7 at the Eastern Michigan State Fairgrounds in Imlay City. It’s everything outdoors, and more. It’s a “Celebration of our Outdoor Heritage,” it’s the first weekend after Labor Day and the annual kick-off to the fall outdoor seasons. And again, this year’s event will not conflict with the Liberty Hunt, the special deer hunt for youth and hunters with qualifying disabilities, as it is scheduled for the following weekend, Sept. 13-14. Please come and celebrate with us.

The Outdoor Weekend’s hours have been adjusted for 2025. The show hours on Friday, September 5, will be from 3 p.m. to 8 p.m. The lack of sufficient lighting and concerns for safety have prompted this change. Our Saturday hours are 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Sunday hours are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

We have lined up an outstanding event for showgoers, starting with over 200 impressive outdoor retailers, educational displays, and exhibits…just about every type of product for outdoor enthusiasts. Add a bunch of great entertainment from lumberjacks to artistic chainsaw carvers, Native American storytellers/dancers, a Revolutionary War Reenactor Camp, a Camp Chili Cook-Off (Saturday), a climbing wall, and lots of food, refreshments, and puppies—lots of puppies. Check out the special insert in the middle of this issue, pages 47-50, also on our website, outdoorweekend.net and our Facebook page for updates.

For this year’s entertainment side of the Weekend, we are bringing back the All-American Lumberjack Show! Entertainment for the entire family with lumberjack competitors known worldwide, with action-packed competition and plenty of laughter, good old-fashioned fun. You’ll see log rolling, underhand chopping, springboard chopping, standing block chop, crosscut sawing, and axe throwing. And again this year will be an Interactive Lumberjack Camp where you can try some of the events yourself. All are safe and designed for the first-timer.

Seminars for Hunters

We’ve always been proud of the hunting seminars offered at the Outdoor Weekend, but this year’s are the best! Incredibly informative with thinking outside the box, these deer hunting experts will take your hunting to the next level.

Adam Lewis has 30-plus years of deer hunting experience and hosts the educational podcast, blog, and video series for deer hunters, “Deer IQ,” at deeriq.com. Adam’s seminar topic is “How To Take Big Bucks Consistently.” To consistently take big whitetails year after year, it takes precise habits and certain steps. In his seminars, the essential foundations for going from inconsistent to consistent hunting will be covered, and a 6-step framework for strategic hunts will be introduced. This smarter approach to hunting whitetail will benefit those of all skill levels, and can be applied for increased odds this hunting season.

Back to the seminars this year is Rich Chrzan of Killer Food Plots, who has a genuine passion, love, respect and knowledge for whitetail deer, their nutrition and creating premier habitat. He spends time educating himself about the best nutrition, habitat and current issues regarding whitetails and their habitat from the ground up. Now, he’ll share tips and tactics with showgoers.

We are extremely excited to bring Danyelle Currier, owner and founder of Flawless Whitetail, to our seminar stage for the first time. Danyelle has a love and passion for the outdoors, which inspired her to create a company focused on innovation, integrity and a commitment to bringing purity into the hunting industry. Flawless Whitetail specializes in habitat development and whitetail nutrition. Danyelle’s seminars will focus on scent and scents for the deer hunter.

Steve Francis of Country Smoke House completes our incredible deer seminars with his amazing Field Dressing Demo! Learn the proper field dressing and skinning demonstrations of big game by Steve and Sue Francis and family, owners of Country Smoke House in Almont. Their seminars have been so popular they will be back again this year. You won’t want to miss these presentations on Saturday, only at 3:00 p.m.

Raptor Returning

The Michigan Avian Experience was once again tremendously popular at last year’s event, so we had to get them back. Using non-releasable, wild, native Michigan raptors as teaching partners, they share an educational, conservational and incredibly exciting experience with a “Raptor Meet and Greet, Saturday and Sunday only!” On stage in the Rotary Beer Tent, it’s a great opportunity for some terrific photos!

Foss Locked Antler Display

If you love antlers and add the uniqueness of ‘locked antlers,’ you must see the Foss collection…it’s astounding! The Foss Brothers have been collecting locked antlers for a very long time and have amassed an incredible collection of locked antlers, and Ron will have it on display the entire weekend. You don’t want to miss it.

So Much More

• Terry McBurney, Woods-N-Water News staff writer, will answer questions and offer free appraisals about sporting collectibles, especially vintage fishing tackle. Remember the $114,000 spearing decoy a picker found in a garage sale? Well, what’s in your old tackle box? Terry gives you an idea of what it’s worth. He is also interested in purchasing items for his collection.

• New this year and joining the fishing theme, Prime Time Reel Repair, with Jeff Reed, who has 55 years of experience working with fishing reels of all types and brands. Jeff’s motto is, “I can’t resurrect the dead, but I can breathe new life into any fishing reel you own! Bring your broken, dismantled, or poorly operating fishing reels and schedule a repair time with Jeff!

• Back again will be three days of champion chainsaw carving demonstrations by Alonzo Montoya of Newaygo and Tom Gillman of Bay City. It’s amazing what these artists can do with a chainsaw!

• Living history—Reg Pettibone and his family will teach Native American culture through interpretive dances and artifact displays of the Ho-Chunk nation on Saturday and Sunday.

• With the help of the Lapeer County Animal Control (LCAC) and the Michigan Hunting Dog Federation, the Puppy Area is new and improved to make a positive experience for everyone. The LCAC will assist puppy breeders, sellers and buyers in understanding the importance of canine health and will not allow the health of puppies to be jeopardized by anyone in any way. There will be puppies to pet, photograph and buy. Most major hunting breeds will be represented.

If you’re interested in selling quality, healthy hunting breed pups, check out the rules and regulations at www.outdoorweekend.net or call 810-724-0254.

• The Camp Chili Cook-off on Saturday, September 7, features teams competing for $750 cash with judging at 3 p.m. under the Rotary Beer Tent! You still have time to enter!

The Outdoor Weekend hours: Friday, 3 p.m. to 8 p.m.; Saturday, 9 a.m. to 7 p.m.; and Sunday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. The event will be held at the Eastern Michigan State Fairgrounds in Imlay City. Admission is $10 per person, with kids 12 and under admitted free. Parking is also free. For more information, check our Woods-N-Water News Facebook page, website www.outdoorweekend.net, or call 810-724-0254.