25th annual Sportsmen’s & Outdoor Recreation Show set for The Expo
Published 11:45 am Monday, February 17, 2025
- This year's Sportsmen’s & Outdoor Recreation Show will have the latest boats, RVs, ATVs and much more on display.
Whether it’s fishing, off-roading, hunting or boating, the Sportsmen’s & Outdoor Recreation Show brings outdoor hobbies to the forefront with numerous booths, activities and more to check out.
This year will be the 25th annual show with the main featured attraction being the Wild Wolves of Yellowstone wild animal exhibit. The Jackson County Expo, 1 Peninger Road in Central Point, is playing host to the three-day event.
“Once a year, we like to bring (outdoors enthusiasts) all together,” said Joseph Pate, producer of the Sportsmen’s & Outdoor Recreation Show. “It’s just a mixture of buying and looking and learning and watching demonstrations; it’s a really fun event to produce.”
The show is scheduled to run noon to 9 p.m. Friday, Feb. 21; 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 22; and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 23.
Admission is $9 per person for adults, $1 for kids between ages 6 to 11 and free for children 5 years old and younger.
Tickets can be purchased ahead of time at exposureshows.com/2025-shows/medford.html.
Attendees can get a $2-off coupon for tickets from show sponsor Bi-Mart at bimart.com/sportshow, and seniors 65 and older will be admitted free from 5 to 9 p.m. Friday.
The show will have plenty of activities, displays and other entrainment for outdoor enthusiasts to explore — from boating displays to a mechanical bull ride.
“New and innovative product lines, we’re always looking for that and people mixing things up,” Pate said. “We always have our finger on the pulse for what’s hot and not.”
This year’s show will include many displays for RVs as well as off-road vehicles and more.
“We have dozens of RVs this year; it’s like three shows in one with outdoors attractions and ATVs and boats,” Pate said.
Entertainment will pique the interest of visitors of all ages, such as the returning Giant Fish Tank with expert fishing demonstrations held each hour discussing techniques and topics.
Some of those demonstrators include hunter and fisherman Jody Smith, fishing guide Dave Jones and others.
The scheduled speakers list can be found at exposureshows.com.
Pate anticipates this year’s biggest hit to be the Wild Wolves of Yellowstone.
“I’m always looking for a live animal activity, because I believe that presenting these majestic animals is important for people to appreciate them up close,” he said. “People can understand and appreciate how incredible they are and why we strive to save their habitat and prevent them from being poached.”
The pack of wolves and trainers at the show will showcase examples of training methods and techniques used to develop the acting skills of the animals for numerous movies and TV shows.
“It’s about a 30-minute presentation, and it gets filled up every time they go on,” Pate said.
Other features of the show include canoe and kayaking exhibits, the Sportsmen’s Theatre — featuring presentations on a wide variety of topics, photo-ops with the 10-foot Sasquatch, North American Taxidermy on display, government agencies like Oregon State Police and Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, raffle prizes and more.
All in all, the Sportsmen’s & Outdoor Recreation Show is a hub for outdoors lovers and outdoor hobbyists, Pate said.
“Our goal is to unite the public with outdoor recreation opportunities in the market and enthusiasts,” he said, adding, “bringing the two together is actually really fun.”
For Pate and his peers running the annual show, the desire is to get more people outdoors and provide them with the right tools for their hobbies.
“I grew up in the public facility assembly business, running arenas, auditoriums, state fairs, so I’ve always been interested in it,” he said. “The idea is to have fun. I do this show because it’s varied enough to keep being interesting for everyone, and it’s a good time to be had by all.”
“The people I get to work with are wonderful,” Pate added.
To learn more about the Sportsmen’s & Outdoor Recreation Show and its programs and other details, visit exposureshows.com.