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Interactive Outdoor Expo at Pearkes this weekend

Fire off a few arrows in the archery range and bounce off the side of the building in a harness.

Those are just two of the interactive activities available at this weekend’s Vancouver Island Outdoor Adventure Expo in the field house of the George R. Pearkes Rec. Centre, April 1-3.

It’s the second annual outdoor trade show put on by Jill Stefanyk.

“We do a lot of research into the activities and, since last year, when we had a zipline, we’ve had quite a few different people approach us,” Stefanyk said.

The 40-foot archery range is run by Vantage Point Outfitters. WildPlay adventure parks will host their first mobile edition of the Monkido experience, where people jump, zip, walk and climb through the trees, safely harnessed to a high wire.

It’s all part of the growing craziness in trade shows these days, Stefanyk said.

“You should see what they do in Las Vegas. We even looked at bringing in a water simulator for surfing, but at $100,000 per day, it wasn’t practical.”

There is an interactive fly-fishing setup to work on fly casting, for those who wish to get their feet wet. But the best part of the show are the tables and tables of weekend-only deals on outdoor products by local businesses.

There’s an $8 entry fee plus $2 minimum donation for the Monkido activity, with all proceeds benefiting Power to Be Adventure Therapy Society.

sports@vicnews.com