Our Daily Show Interview! Bluff City Outdoors Fest Set for May 30th - June 1st
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GODFREY - A local outdoors sports store will host their first Bluff City Outdoors Fest.
Bluff City Outdoors, an Alton-based shop that specializes in fishing, archery and trapping, invites community members to their festival from May 30 to June 1, 2025, at the Alton-Godfrey Sportsmen’s Club in Godfrey. Attendees can enjoy trapping seminars, a 3D archery shoot, a kids fishing derby, a memorial catfish tournament and more.
“It’s our inaugural event,” said organizer Mark McMurray. “We decided to pull the trigger and get it done.”
From Friday, May 30 to Sunday, June 1, 2025, attendees can shoot the 3D archery course for $15. On Friday, the course will be open from 1–5 p.m., followed by 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday and 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Sunday.
Most of the fest’s activities will take place on Saturday, May 31, 2025. The kids fishing derby runs from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m., with prizes for biggest fish, smallest fish, and other winners. McMurray encourages people to arrive early and bring their own rods, though Bluff City Outdoors will have some equipment available for the kids.
There will be fishing and trapping seminars on the hour every hour throughout the day. A few vendors will be available as well.
“We’re working with the Illinois Trappers Association — I’m a trapper myself — to have trapping seminars,” McMurray explained. “They’re going to be introductory to get people exposed to it. We sell a lot of trapping stuff at the shop. We try to grow that as a way of educating people on how to manage wildlife.”
McMurray is most excited for the memorial catfish tournament on Saturday, May 31. Contestants will meet for a live well check at 5 a.m. at the Sportsmen’s Club. Fishing runs from 7 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., and all participants must be in line at the Sportsmen’s Club by 3:30 p.m. for weigh-in.
There is a three-fish limit, and it costs $120 to participate. Proceeds from the catfish tournament will go to the American Cancer Society in honor of “Mississippi Queen” Vicky Mathenia and Lillie Mae Hill.
“Both of those great people succumbed to cancer, so this is the first annual memorial tournament in their honor,” McMurray said. “This is meant to be an enjoyable, low-stress environment…This is meant to be a fun tournament.”
Attendees can camp at the Sportsmen’s Club throughout the weekend, and food and drinks will be available onsite. McMurray emphasized that this is the first Bluff City Outdoors Fest, but it won’t be the last.
He hopes to see many people come out to the store in the coming weeks to prepare for the events and tournaments, and he looks forward to welcoming the community to the festival on May 30 through June 1, 2025.
“We’re going to see how it goes,” he added. “We’re totally on course with what I had laid out.”
For more information about Bluff City Outdoors, visit their official website at BluffCityOutdoors.com. To learn more about the Bluff City Outdoors Fest, check out the official Facebook event page.
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