Spokane Great Outdoors and Bike Expo set for next weekend
The great outdoors will be indoors this week.
The Spokane Great Outdoors and Bike Expo is set for Saturday and next Sunday at the Spokane Convention Center, offering winter-weary hikers, bikers and campers a chance to live vicariously through a variety of exhibits and presentations.
Put on by OutThere Outdoors Magazine, the event will feature a dizzying array of vendors and activities.
Derrick Knowles, the event’s promoter, said it’s meant to give people a chance to get out of the cold and daydream about their summers.
“It’s the place for people who are into a wide range of outdoor activities to come plan their warm weather travel and adventures,” Knowles said.
Knowles, who owns OutThere Outdoors with his wife, Shallan, said they launched the event in 2017.
This year’s iteration includes some of the same and some new things. An extreme skateboard demo is returning, but with a new feature – an indoor halfpipe.
Kids may have the best time. There will be an indoor bike riding area put on by Spokane BMX, live animal presentations and an indoor campsite where they can roast marshmallows. They can also try their hand at using a crosscut saw with the Idaho Trails Association.
There’s plenty for adults to love, too. Vendors offering travel deals and guided fly-fishing trips will be there, as will representatives from bicycle shops, RV dealerships and companies specializing in overland vehicles and gear.
Several conservation groups and outdoor clubs will have booths, too, and there will be live bluegrass music.
About a dozen presentations are planned, starting Saturday morning with Karie Lee Knoke, who competed on Season 9 of the History Channel’s show “Alone.”
Hawks, owls, bugs and snakes will be on the agenda later in the day, as will presentations on herbal plants and the geology of the Inland Northwest. E-bike demonstrations and magic shows are set for both days.
Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife biologist Trent Roussin will talk about wolf recovery on Sunday morning.
The final presentation on the schedule comes from photographer Brian Christianson, who will talk about the Great Burn Recommended Wilderness in Idaho and Montana.
Tickets cost $12 plus a service fee. They are available online at spokaneoutdoorexp.com and at the door all weekend.