“Big gills, equipment, bait, food, and entertainment provided…for free? Tell me more.” This was my response after talking to Danny Thompson, Retail Marketing Manager for the Owatonna, Cabela’s store. I had attended an event like this before at the Minnesota Horse and Hunt Club, also organized and sponsored by Cabela’s. At it, my boys got to shoot .22 rifles, learn how to fly-cast, fish for prizes, and generally just enjoy the day. IT, was a hoot, for kids and all grownups in attendance. So it was without surprise that the Cabela’s Free Family Outdoors day today was just as much fun, if not more. For dads and outdoors-fans in general, the fish were very cooperative, and huge!
We first arrived and were directed to a sign-up tent, where kids got wrist-bands, registered for prizes, and were given the lay-of-the-land. Fishing seemed to be first priority, so we went straight for the rods and reels. Everything down to the bait, rods, tackle, and sunscreen were provided by volunteers from surrounding outdoors organizations. Members of the National Wild Turkey Federation (NWTF), Steele County 4H, and a pile more that I can’t recall were extremely helpful in getting us where we needed to go. I brought a buddy and his kids also, and we both looked to wherever no-one seemed to be fishing, and setup camp. Two casts, and fish-on! Hard to get excited about stocked pond-fishing? How about seeing your kids reel in so many 9-10” gills they literally grow tired of it, with a few at the 11” mark?
Before we had 2 fish to the bank, my son’s name was announced over the loud-speaker as a prize-winner. All five kids we had with dropped rods and raced to the prize-booth, proudly claiming a rod/reel package. Once back to the pond, we found more gills than we could shake a stick at while looking for one of three that were previously tagged and released. Catch a tagged fish, get a $100 Cabela’s gift card. Free photos were offered for families or kids that caught a fish, so we made sure to take advantage of those as well. While none in our group caught a tagged fish, they honestly don’t know that they just caught their personal best gills and may not break that record for several decades to come.
We fished for an hour until the kids were starved, then headed back to the main tents for a bunch more fun. Free hot-dogs, water, and root-beer floats were all highlights for our group, as were some of the other giveaways. My oldest boy was a bit bummed out he didn’t get anything, until we found out that any child who wanted a rod/reel got one for free. Grownups even got can coolers and/or sunglasses holders. After lunch, the Owatonna Fire Dept. had a truck there that the kids could climb in and check out. Several pros were there with boats to oogle, along with a race car, ATV’s/UTV’s, BB-gun range….the kids even got to pet an alligator, boa-constrictor, and African tortoise. They thought of everything, as evidenced by the jumble-of-explanations to mom regarding the event. I want to thank Cabela’s, and specifically the Owatonna Cabela’s. I was incredibly impressed with how the event was run, and particularly staffed. Partnering with other like-minded organizations in the local community is what it’s all about, and it’s no wonder this store recently won their internal Cabelas store of the year award.
For families that love the outdoors, or are just interested in getting their kids out and learning more about the outdoors…don’t miss the next one of these, wherever it is. “Free, free, free,” they kept saying over the loudspeakers, mostly because the generosity and quality of an experience like this would normally fetch a hefty price-tag.
Joel