INDIAN RIVER COUNTY — True sportsmen are macho enough to take anything Mother Nature throws at them – as evidenced by the steady stream of enthusiasts to a rather soggy inaugural Florida Outdoors Expo, held this weekend at the Indian River County Fairgrounds.
While intermittent rain showers Saturday clearly diminished the large numbers of visitors organizers hoped would attend, it wasn’t enough to keep the real outdoorsy types away.
The show continues Sunday 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Vendors were chiefly sheltered from the elements, located in the air-conditioned indoor pavilion and the covered outdoor pavilion. The RV, boats and kayaks, food vendors, a Florida Fish and Wildlife Archery set-up and others located out in the field area didn’t fare quite as well but they all took the weather in stride and made the most of it.
“For my whole life I’ve loved everything outdoors– hunting, fishing, outdoor vacations. It’s just in my blood,” said Indian River County Fire Rescue Lt. David Dangerfield, who coordinated the Expo. He has also co-chaired the annual Indian River County Firefighters’ Chili and Salsa Cook-off since its inception.
“I think I like the challenge of putting something like this together,” he said, noting that he hoped the event would tempt more of the younger generation to get off the couch and enjoy the great outdoors.
Executing such mammoth events can be a logistical nightmare, but he said a lifetime of managing fire scenes and working with other organizations has given him a leg up on the organizational skills front.
“It’s fun,” said Dangerfield. “And when you’ve got the finished product it’s kind of a cool deal.”
There was no shortage of hunting, fishing and camping equipment to keep the older sportsmen captivated, but the little ones were primarily enthralled with the live critters on display from the Busch Wildlife Sanctuary.
“This snake’s bigger than me!” squealed one little girl, fascinated by a gorgeous yellow rat snake.
She and others gazed in wonder at the stunning pine snake wrapped “boa” style around the neck of David Dangerfield’s son Bryce.
“Want to touch this one or do you want to touch the one that bites?” teased Vero Beach Animal Control Officer Bruce Dangerfield, David’s father, as a gaggle of little girls eagerly lined up to touch a 2 1/2-year-old alligator – whose snout had been safely taped.
The animals were a perfect diversion as a crowd of fans waited in line for a chance to be photographed with Paul Bedard of Animal Planet’s Gator Boys.
“They’re very big fans of the Gator Boys,” said Edie Barrett of 6-year-old Liliana and 4 1/2-year-old Jules who also took turns gently patting the baby alligator. “They just love them to death.”
A portion of proceeds from the event will benefit the newly formed Indian River County Firefighter’s Benevolent Fund. This central fund will allow them to pool resources from various events to be dispersed throughout the year to nonprofit organizations, kids’ baseball teams and bands, and other charitable endeavors.
Next up on the Firefighters’ fundraising front is the Firefighter’s Chili and Salsa Cook-off, scheduled from Noon to 9 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 10 at Riverside Park.