1993 marked the year that a group of people came together in Muskegon to show kids that there's more to life than video games. All kinds of different organizations came together to give kids a hands on experience with nature and start to foster a love of outdoor sports. Over the years, as their website will tell you, it's become an extravaganza.
It's a hands on experience for kids with opportunities to fish, real fish in a huge tank...they have both live and mounted animals that can be touched to provide some sensory stimulation. There are displays and shows put on by masters of their craft be it sport fishing or aerospace, fire fighting, bb guns, reptiles and more. What kid wouldn't love that? They provide gift bags while they last for those 17 and under and they also have lunch served to and annual crowd of about 2500 attendees who might otherwise never get a chance to experience all of this incredible opportunity for FREE. Yes, you heard right...this is free to kids and put on by groups who truly care about their experience and their future. 
Sportsmen For Youth on Facebook
This is all funded by generous contributions of those on hand that day. Let's face it, to being all of this in and feed the masses does have a cost entailed to it. They also have a large fundraiser banquet annually which helps defer the costs and gives the outdoorsmen a chance to get together and enjoy some fellowship during the off season. Kids are the focus of the day on the 11th however and the event gets under way at 9am or so with a bass fishing display. At noon, there will be a very special memorial marking the 20 year anniversary of the 9/11 Attacks on America. The fire department will be displaying some of their safety equipment like the jaws of life, there will be CPR training and kids can even take a turn at throwing a tomahawk.
Captain Jon Gale of the Norton Shores PD is a major factor in all of this coming together Brian Harris sat down to have a chat with the Chief at the NSPD when they found a spare minute. Take a listen to the the plans and then make a day of it this Saturday out at the Muskegon County Fairgrounds for Sportsmen for Youth Day 2021 .
It's a great day for all, free lunch for the kids included, and not only is it a chance to be up close and personal with nature, but it's also a great time to invest with your kids to meet and greet some of our first responders and let them see a different side of them than they might get from the rabble on the news day in and day out. Knowing fist hand the faces and caring people in the law enforcement and civil protection business goes a long way with young people and they are all highly accessible on the 11th. It's a great day of family fun, and you might even get a nice trout for dinner that night! Make sure you head out to see all there is to see Saturday September 11th beginning at 9a at the Muskegon County Fairgrounds!
