The parking lot at the Shoppes at Riverside saw more traffic than it has in many years as an estimated 2,800 people attended the inauguarl Gateway to the Olympics Expo over the weekend at the Shoppes at Riverside. People of all ages walked through the mall, enjoying about 50 vendors, displays of outdoor gear for everything from hunting to fishing to camping, and the kids were treated to a fishing pond in the parking lot, catching and keeping one of 300 rainbow trout that were planted.

The event was co-sponsored by The Daily World and AlphaMedia. The free event featured the trout pond, along with a bounce house, a BB-gun shooting range and an archery range, all sponsored by Cabela’s. There were hourly drawings for items such as gift cards worth up to $100, movie tickets, concert tickets, Mariners tickets and — the showcase item — a camping basket containing about $750 worth of equipment.

Kids lined up for the Cabela’s archery range at the Gateway to the Olympics Expo. There was a steady stream of kids throughout the event.

DAN HAMMOCK | THE DAILY WORLD The Daily World, a co-sponsor of the expo, was among the 47 or so vendors.

Elk Junction Outfitters and Guiding’s display included a selection of elk antlers taken on both sides of the Cascades.

Olympic Waters Guide Service had two large steelhead mounts in its booth at the two-day expo.

Grays Harbor Guns from Aberdeen gave away free targets and had a variety of shooting related products on hand.

Westport’s Merino’s Seafood was among the vendors with this colorful display of the wide variety of seafood they offer. “Thumbs up!”