Game Fair means summer's fleeting, fall is approaching
- o - Inside the Outdoors

A group of parents, whose kids are soon leaving for their first year of college, recently gathered one last time, to share a lakeside cookout and a decade worth of memories. Aside from reminiscing about the many hours w e ' v e spent suppor t - ing their sports and other activities, trying to shape their character and readiness for life and pondering what lies ahead for them, there was another common - and unrelated -

theme: "Where has summer

gone?" Or, another version: "Are we going to HAVE a

summer?"

It shouldn't be such a surprising theme in a state where there is potential for snowfall during seven out of the12 months of the year. But this year the "Where's summer?" effect has been exaggerated, not only by hectic schedules associated with graduations and preparations to leave home, but by some real weather oddities, too.

Spring and summer seemed to spar to see which season would come out on top. During the first 15 days of July, more than half registered warmer temperatures in Anchorage, Alaska, than in Minneapolis. We're told that Minnesota is on pace toward perhaps the second coldest summer on record.

The "Where's summer?" question may finally be answered as we turn the page from July to August, a month that almost always brings browner lawns, watering bans in large communities and more work for air conditioner repair men. But for many of us who look forward to the first hunting seasons, a chill in the morning air and a resurgence of good fishing, we're ready to move on. Our eyes are on the prize of Autumn.

One dependable sign of seasonal change is Game Fair, held in August in Anoka County, on 80 rural acres on the northern fringe of the Twin Cities. Game Fair could be described as a cross between a county fair and a conservation banquet, featuring all the major species of game, such as waterfowl, grouse, pheasant, deer, wild turkeys and more. Add teaching sessions by experts in these fields, an opportunity to shop the latest and greatest outdoor gear, to bring your gun and shoot, or your dog for some fun field work and you have some idea of why it is now in its 27th consecutive year.

Of course, the hunting experiences most of us seek do not involve parking lots and shuttle buses, but an escape from those things. Our adventures are not public events, which Game Fair is. But, while we may prefer to hunt or fish in solitude, we're also turned on by events that celebrate our sports, like the Minnesota Deer Classic, the winter outdoor sport shows, or visits to "gear heaven," like Cabela's, or Bass Pro Shops.

Game Fair takes it all outdoors and - though there may be crowds - there is a tangible camaraderie, a sense of (this will sound corny.) "oneness," of a community that shares the same passions and understands without needing an explanation why it's thrilling to shiver in a duck blind before dawn, or have your glasses steam up as you walk in to flush a pheasant or grouse that your dog is pointing.

There are duck and goose calling contests - including a special event for youth - and seminars on calling, waterfowl hunting blinds and decoy rigging. There's a 3-D archery course and youth archery instruction. In addition to dog training seminars, there are fun dog competitions that include obstacle course retrieving, a pointing dog challenge and a "splash for cash" to see which dog can make the longest leap off a dock (like you've seen on ESPN Outdoors.).

There's shotgun instruction from several target shooting champions and an opportunity to shoot sporting clays and other clay target games, using your own shotgun (bring it cased, of course.) or a "loaner." There are demonstrations of decoy and wildlife carving and information on all the popular hunting dog breeds for prospective puppy shoppers. And of course, like any good county fair would have, there's food.

With more than 200 exhibitors, you're almost certain to find something to whet your hunting appetite. This year's Game Fair is the first two weekends of August; three-day weekends, actually, Friday-Sunday, August 7-9 and 14-16. Fridays

are family days - Game Fair

is definitely family-oriented - with all youngsters up to

age 12 free on those days with a paying adult. Hours are 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Game Fair is easy to get to. Just five miles west of Anoka on Highway 10/169 is Armstrong Boulevard, on which you turn north ("left" if you're coming from Elk River, the nearest large town to the north). From there it's just "follow the signs." There is a lot of information at the Game Fair web site, www.gamefair.com, including printable discount coupons for adults, youth and senior citizens. If you'd prefer calling for information rather than going online, you can do that, too: 763-427-0944.

Game Fair is a great way to realign the internal compass toward what many find the most rewarding time in the outdoor year. I couldn't agree more.