Usually, if a hunter wants to go to a major outdoorsman convention, they have to travel. It’s the price of living in a smaller community. So perhaps it speaks to how much hunting and naturalism means to Adair County that local outdoor enthusiasts can participate in a convention centered around their interests without leaving their hometown.
For the third year in a row, Ultimate Whitetail is sponsoring the Southcentral Kentucky Outdoorsman’s Expo. Held Aug. 9 from 2 p.m. to 8 p.m. and Aug. 10 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., the SCKY Outdoorsman’s Expo will feature special guests, several vendor booths, activities, giveaways, and a grand auction.
Chris Burton of Ultimate Whitetail, along with his wife, Lisa, are currently the ones responsible for organizing the Expo. While this is the third year of the event in its current form, a similar version of the Outdoorsman’s Expo dates back even further.
Before being inherited by the Burtons, the Expo was largely organized by Jones Chapel Church—in particular Terry Partin and David Jones, who started the event and managed it for years. Burton’s company got its start at the original iteration of the Expo.
“I felt as my company grew, that I should put back… I felt I needed to bring it back if we could,” he said. The desire to bring it back stems from both a desire to give others the same opportunity he had, but also, simply, “everyone loves this expo so much.”
Burton seems to have hit the ground running. There are, at presstime, 60 booths out of an available 100 spoken for.
Headlining the Expo are numerous people influential in hunting, wildlife, and the South.
Special guests include Tim Farmer, a five-time Emmy award winner known for being a producer and host for “Kentucky Afield” and currently hosting “Tim Farmer’s Country Kitchen;” Jon Collins of ToothAndClawTV, an online hunting show centered around predator hunting; and Dale Weddle, official measurer for Boone & Crockett, Pope & Young, Buckmasters Trophy Records, and Longhunter Society, will be present to score deer. Previous years’ guest were “Turtleman” of “Kentucky Afield” fame as well as Ronnie Adams from Swamp People.
Apart from guests, there is also a raffle. Everyone who purchases a ticket will be entered in a drawing for a deer hunting blind. One of which will be given away both days of the event, meaning there are two chances to win. There is also an auction on Saturday for a South African Hunting expedition. The 60 percent of proceeds meant for the Expo will instead be given to Crusade for Children to help youth with special needs.
“(I’m) pretty excited about the auction—that’s a really good cause,” Burton said.
For future Expos, Burton has big plans. He wants more games and activities for children, who make up a sizable portion of attendees. He wants Michael Waddell from the television series “Michael Waddell’s Bone Collector” as a guest.
But above all, he wants “more kids and bigger crowds every year.”
More information can be found at their website southcentralkyoutdoorsmansexpo.com/event-info.
Children under 12 can attend the event for free. A ticket for ages 13 and over is $10. The Southcentral Kentucky Outdoorsman’s Expo will be hosted in the Adair County High School gymnasium.
By Kenley Godby
kenley@adairvoice.com
