Vendors sought for outdoor-themed trade show in Aberdeen

Gateway to the Olympics Expo May 5-6 at the Shoppes at Riverside

March 23, 2018 7:00 pm
ALPHA MEDIA GROUP The 50 or more vendors at the first ever Gateway to the Olympics Expo will feature fishing and hunting gear, demonstrations, hiking, camping and water sports gear and more. Vendors will be organized around the center stage and the hallway between Cinema 10 and the Cafe Court.
ALPHA MEDIA GROUP The 50 or more vendors at the first ever Gateway to the Olympics Expo will feature fishing and hunting gear, demonstrations, hiking, camping and water sports gear and more. Vendors will be organized around the center stage and the hallway between Cinema 10 and the Cafe Court.

The Gateway to the Olympics Expo, an interactive outdoor/recreational lifestyle event highlighting everything outdoors, is currently signing up vendors for the event May 5-6 at the Shoppes at Riverside in South Aberdeen.

“Our goal with the expo is to showcase our community and region and at the same time educate and inform,” said Alpha Media Marketing Manager Donna Rosi. “Whether you’re a visitor or lifelong resident be prepared to learn more about what the Gateway to the Olympics has to offer.”

The event is being organized by The Daily World, Alpha Media Grays Harbor, The Shoppes at Riverside, and Grays Harbor Tourism.

“Our goal is to have all of those elements, similar to a sportsman’s show,” said Rosi. She’s talking about the sportsman’s shows that come to the Puyallup Fairgrounds annually, which have hundreds of vendors ranging from local to overseas opportunities, but on a smaller scale and focused on local opportunities. “As of now we’ll have boats, trucks and some food vendors outside. Most of the vendors will be inside.”

The event, touted as the largest of its kind on the Harbor, will feature how-to seminars — for example, how to cook the perfect clam — in the Shoppes at Riverside community room. There will also be product demonstrations from experts in hunting, fishing and camping, plus the latest in outdoor gear.

”There will be speakers throughout the two-day event covering topics such as hiking, fishing, boater and hunter safety,” said Rosi. There will also be hands-on activities, exhibitors showcasing food, prizes, and more. Parking and entry are free and there are thousands of dollars in prizes to be given away.

As of March 22 the expo had already secured 26 vendors, including GH Unders, Grays Harbor Guns, Ocean Sport Fishing, the Ocean Shores Chamber of Commerce, Verle’s Boats, Five Star dealerships, the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation and the Washington State Department of Fish and Wildlife.

Anyone interested in being a vendor at the expo should contact Stan Woody at The Daily World, at 360-537-3945 or email him at publisher@thedailyworld.com. The fee is $200 per vendor space, said Rosi.

Expo hours are Saturday, May 5 from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Sunday, May 6 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. The Shoppes at Riverside is located at 1017 S. Boone St.