Life Outdoors Show back for third year

CLIFFORD – The two-day Life Outdoors Show is returning to Clifford for its third year, with the promise of additional fishing and camping vendors. 

The event is hosted at the Clifford and Community Arena on April 11 and 12 from 9am to 3pm.

“We’ve really expanded our fishing and camping side of things,” show organizer Sarah McGoldrick told the Community News. “Fishing and camping is a really important part of recreation in Wellington County.”

She noted the recreation industry in the area is “growing leaps and bounds because we’re home to many great rivers.”

McGoldrick created the show after speaking with a friend and realizing Clifford had few events focused on the outdoors.

“We were really surprised at the number of people who responded in the first year,” she said. “People understand the value of the outdoors and what it means to protect them.”

The first event saw nearly 60 vendors and “we’ve been able to hold that number ... and have steady growth,” McGoldrick said.

Along with introducing folks to the recreation industry, the show also helps advocate for the protection of valuable resources such as rivers, forests and animals, and for the conservation of land, she explained.

McGoldrick included an educational piece to the show by inviting conservation authorities and other recreation programs.

So far guests can expect to learn from officials with the Canadian Women of the Outdoors podcast and with the county’s Green Legacy program.

“The participating associations provide the resources and knowledge to ensure that when people are enjoying the outdoors, they’re doing it safely and legally,” McGoldrick said.

The Life Outdoors Show is a free event with all donations and revenue going to the Clifford Rotary Club.

“It’s all about supporting community ... and in the last couple of years we’ve been able to collect or donate more than $10,000 to the club,” McGoldrick said.

The Rotary Club has used the funds for various projects.

“We don’t make the outdoors cost prohibitive in any way,” she said. “It shouldn’t be too expensive to do what you love especially when it comes to protecting the environment.”

Although the show is fast approaching, McGoldrick is still accepting volunteers and vendors.

“We’re always pleased to have volunteers,” she said. 

Those interested can fill out a volunteer or vendor form at lifeoutdoorsshow.com.

“Our only caveat is that you fit in the outdoor space in some way,” McGoldrick said.