HARRISBURG, Pa. (WHTM) -- The Great American Outdoor Show is back at the Farm Show Complex after two years. In 2021, the show was canceled because of COVID-19. Both vendors and visitors said it is good to be back.
For visitors Suzie Clark and John Davis, the Outdoor Show is a yearly tradition, and they cannot miss it.
"We've been here when there's a blizzard," Clark said. "No matter what the weather, we get here."
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The couple has been traveling from Maryland to Harrisburg for the show for the last 20 years. The one exception: 2021, when COVID shut down the annual event.
"We missed the show, I'll say that," Davis said.
The two are not the only ones glad to be back.
"There were lines outside the door," NRA Director of Media Relations Amy Hunter Wright said.
Wright said she was not sure what this year would look like after a two-year gap, but so far it has been a success.
"It's such a rich American tradition, the outdoor life, and to be able to have this event and have everyone come together again, it's just been wonderful," she said.
Wright said the show has something for everyone who loves the outdoors. Davis and Clark said for them, it is hard to pick a favorite. Clark loves the exhibits and art.
"We just bought a piece, I've got a piece in my bag right now," she said.
Davis is the hunter in the family.
"John's always up for buying more antlers," Clark said. "His wall's full of it but he always gets another piece."
This year's show might be a little smaller than usual.
"Not as many people are here, friends and stuff like that because some states are still fighting with COVID," Black Bear Outfitters owner Gary Greaves said.
Despite the change, Greaves and his wife are still enjoying being back.
"This is our vacation," Greaves said.
For Greaves, Davis, and Clark, this is about more than business.
"It's like being in the woods because you're with all the same type of people," Greaves said.
Davis said, "Just the people you meet, good people."
Wright also said the show has a $75 million economic impact on the area, because hundreds of thousands of people come through from all over the country, staying in nearby hotels and eating at local restaurants.
The Great American Outdoor Show runs until Sunday, Feb. 13. Wright said the last day is free for people who come with a ticket from a previous day.
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