Texas Hunters & Sportsman's Expo to open at Convention Center
McALLEN — The years pass by, but the feeling never gets old for Christopher Curl.
“I love to see people come out of a show with a smile on their face,” Curl said. “It makes me feel good that they enjoyed something that I spent a year to help put together.”
Run by brothers Christopher and Justin Curl, the 20th annual Texas Hunters and Sportsman Expo opens today at the McAllen Convention Center. The Expo runs through Sunday.
Christopher Curl said the Expo will have a record 250 exhibitors that will feature vendors for hunting equipment, fishing gear, camping equipment, mesquite furniture, jewelry, western wear, RVs and boats, among other things.
Country singer Kevin Fowler will be signing autographs at the Cavender’s booth from 6-7:30 p.m. today. He’ll be performing at Las Palmas Race Track in Mission afterward.
Also, Joe Martin will bring his ever-popular snake pit for the fourth-straight year. Wildlife artists, David Drinkard and Don Breeden, will have some of their work on display and for sale. They will also be available for autographs. The Expo will also have outfitters from across the United States, Canada, Mexico and Africa ready to book hunting and fishing trips in those places.
The Expo, which was started by the brothers’ late father, Jerry W. Curl, 20 years ago at the old McAllen Civic Center, is now in its fourth-straight year at the Convention Center. Christopher Curl said the Expo will take up the entire indoor space at the Center in addition to some parking lot space.
“We keep getting more exhibitors every year and need more space to hold it each year,” he said. “The crowds keep getting bigger.”
About 30,000 people attended the Expo last year. Christopher Curl hopes to exceed that amount this year. He theorized that one reason the crowds have grown each year is because his father insisted that children should always been admitted free.
“My father always said that children should always come in free,” Christopher Curl said. “Now, they are the ones coming in, and I’m seeing their kids.”
The work doesn’t end for the Curl brothers on Sunday. During the Expo, they’ll already be securing exhibitors for next year’s show.
“My brother and I put in about 15,000 phone calls a year for this show,” Christopher Curl said.
Texas Hunters & Sportsman’s Expo
McAllen Convention Center
Friday: 5-9 p.m.
Saturday: 10 a.m.-7 p.m.
Sunday: 11 a.m.-6 p.m.
Tickets: $9 adults, $8 seniors. Children 12 and under free.
(Admission is good for the entire weekend)
Online: www.texashunterassociation.com
