Palmetto Sportsmen’s Classic is in Columbia this weekend

Outdoors show is in its 30th year at state fairgrounds in Columbia

Thirty years. Is it possible that outdoorsmen from across South Carolina have enjoyed the Palmetto Sportsmen’s Classic for 30 years? It would seem so, as the 30th annual Palmetto Sportsmen’s Classic is at hand, scheduled for March 28-30 at the state fairgrounds in Columbia.

Sponsored by the S.C. Department of Natural Resources, the Classic features hundreds of exhibitors and seminars throughout the weekend, with a handful of special features including deer-antler scoring, a youth bass tournament, youth and adult archery tournaments, catch-and-release fishing, an exhibition of retrievers and a fly-fishing school.

Hours for the show are: Friday, March 28, noon to 8 p.m.; Saturday, March 29, 9 a.m.-7 p.m.; and Sunday, March 30, from 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Admission is $8 for adults, $7 for seniors and members of the military. Kids under age 10 are free, as is all parking at the fairgounds.

A big attraction will be Troy Landry from the popular “Swamp People” television show. He will sign autographs in the Nutt Cattle Arena from 1-5 p.m. on Saturday and 11 a.m.-3 p.m. on Sunday.

Antler scoring for the SCDNR’s all-time deer record book will be held all three days of the show, as will the popular Bass Tub, SCDNR’s Aquatic Education catch-and-release pond and the Daisy BB gun range in the Ruff Building.

SCDNR is sponsoring its first annual Youth Bass Fishing Championship for public, private and homeschool fishing teams. It will be held on Saturday at Lake Murray, with the weigh-in scheduled for 3:30 p.m. in the Nutt Arena.

The American Fly Fishing School will hold a Kids Casting competition on Sunday from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. The Archery in the Schools program will hold an archery tournament in the HamptonBuilding on Thursday, March 27, and Friday, March 28, and the Lake Marion Archery Club will hold a 3D competition on Saturday and Sunday in the Hampton Building.

In addition, the popular Bwana Jim reptile show will be on hand, along with Retriever World’s Roy Coffey doing retriever training seminars and exhibitions, and fishing TV show host Joey Mines will be on hand for seminars and autographs.

For more information, visit www.dnr.sc.gov/psc.