Eastern expo back for its 36th year

The Eastern Fishing & Outdoor Expo, the longest running outdoor sports show in New England, is returning to the DCU Center in Worcester for its 36th year.Put the event on your calendar for Feb. 10-12, to experience the best in outdoor gear and tackle as well as information and instruction from some of the nation’s most experienced and respected hunters and anglers.Distinguished hunting experts such as TV hosts Peter Fiduccia and Paul Fuller, to name just two, will lead hunting seminars during the three days of the show. The Expo is the ideal place for anglers, hunters and all outdoor enthusiasts to stock up on gear for the upcoming season as well as get involved in “hands-on” activities that are sure to excite and entertain your entire family.uAre you a bass angler looking to catch more bass? If so, then you don’t want to miss out on the Expo’s Bass University – America’s No. 1 bass fishing school. There is nowhere else where can learn from the nation’s premier professional bass anglers.Bassmaster Classic Winner Mike Iaconelli is headlining the teaching team along with pro anglers Pete Gluszek and John Crews.The Bass University is only in-session on Saturday, Feb. 11, and Sunday, Feb. 12.In order to participate, you can purchase your tickets online. For more information, visit www.thebassuniversity.com.On the show floor you can browse through some of the latest fishing and hunting gear that is not available from retailers or catalogs. You’ll also see some thrilling attractions. For the first time at the Worcester show, attendees will be able to see a live alligator handling demonstration.Jeff Quattorcchi, “the Eviel Knieval of alligator handling” who is also known as the “Swampmaster,” will be getting up close and personal with alligators up to 7-feet long while educating the audience about the animals.The Expo also has the new and exclusive Outdoor Skills 101 class where experts in a wide array of subjects will offer short – but very useful – instructional seminars.Also, the Expo’s American Fly Fishing School will feature fly fishermen offering continuous fly casting instruction at a casting pond right on the show floor. Kids can have a great time at the Expo with the large number of kid-friendly activities being offered such as a gemstone mining, an archery range, a virtual fishing simulator and bird house building. Sunday, Feb. 12, is Family Day and children 11 and under are admitted free when accompanied by a paying adult.Family Day also includes a scavenger hunt – a big hit with the younger crowd – where kids can receive a prize by visiting attractions on the show floor and getting their checklist stamped.Show hours are Friday, Feb. 10, 12:30 p.m. to 9 p.m.; Saturday, Feb. 11, 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.; Sunday, Feb. 12, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.Admission is $10 for adults and $3 for children aged 5-11. Kids under five are admitted free. A portion of the ticket sales will go to fund KeepAmericaFishing(tm), which is the American Sportfishing Association’s angler advocacy campaign that is devoted to keeping our nation’s waters open, clean and abundant with fish.uLast Saturday we took our Special Olympics Alpine ski team the Nashoba Shooting Stars to Gunstock Mountain New Hampshire for race training.I know if you look out your window there is virtually no snow, but this is not the case at most of the ski mountains up north.Most are completely covered with snow and fully operational, with all trails open and the skiing is excellent. Gunstock, a short 2 hour ride from home, closes one of their trails and sets up gates for our team. This allows our athletes the opportunity to practice racing drills skiing on a real race course.Our newest addition to the team is a local athlete from Marblehead, Ryan Horrigan. With a little coaching Ryan was proficiently skiing through the gate just as if he’d been doing it for years, I see gold in his future. Congratulations, Ryan, and welcome to the team!Don McClory is The Item’s outdoors writer