JOURNEY THROUGH THE GREAT OUTDOORS

Off to Michigan

billhiltsjr — Sat, 13 Jun 2009 15:02:40 +0000

A setting sun over Lake Ontario from Olcott ...

June 13, 2009

OWAA Conference is next journey – but there have been lots in between!

There’s just not enough time in a day to get everything accomplished. The past month has been an absolute whirlwind. As I write these words, I’m attending the first official day of the 82nd Annual Outdoor Writers Association of America Conference in Grand Rapids, Michigan. It’s not the first day for me, though. I arrived a day early to attend the Board of Directors meeting, completing my first full year on the board. It looks like it’s going to be a great conference by looking at the program that’s been set up. There’s an outside chance that the group will be returning to Niagara. We have a bid in to host the 2012 conference. We hosted the conference back in 1991 and it was great for the area. All told, 888 people attended that year. We’ll find out by Tuesday. While conference attendees have dwindled a bit, we can expect around 400 people to attend – media from all around the country telling the story of Niagara.

This journey to Michigan has been one of many the past month, some of them taking place within the boundaries of Niagara. Last weekend was the Lake Ontario Pro-Am Salmon Team Tournament and associated activities. I still haven’t caught up on my sleep and my stress level is still up, but everything went as good as can be expected. The weekend started early with the Buffalo Sabres Alumni Spring Salmon Spectacular on Thursday. All told, 27 boats were involved in the outing, utilizing many of the big boats that were in town for the tournament. A grand gathering was held at Krull Park under the Lions Club pavilion with many of the Sabres from yesteryear. The event seems to be getting better every year! The local community really comes together to make it all happen. Brothers Rick and Dave did most of the cooking on the grills; Dawn Wilson and Amy Walker coordinated a ton of things behind the scenes like food and licenses; there are too many people the thank that really made this a success. Friday was the Don Johannes and Pete DeAngelo Memorial events, honoring two people who meant a lot to the local fishery. Some 62 boats competed this year and it was another successful event. And before that event was over, we were already getting ready for the Captain’s meeting for the Skip Hartman Memorial Lake Ontario Pro-Am, held out of the ports of Wilson and Olcott. As it turned out, the meeting was completed in record time and I was celebrating my 53rd birthday by 7:30 p.m. Not the way I would normally celebrate my birthday, but it turned out to be one of the best ever – enjoying it with family and one very special friend. The Pro-Am tournament was held the next two days and it went off without a hitch. The weather held off, taking us to Monday and the first ever Big Boys Shootout. That, too, went off without a problem. For a complete run-down on the tournament, check out www.lakeontarioproam.net. My weekend for the Pro-Am ended with some spectacular sunsets from Olcott, one of which I will share with you. Lake Ontario sunsets are among the most beautiful in the world and every one is a little bit different, a picturesque view that unique in its own right. The next few days were spent trying to get everything organized for the Orleans County version of the series, an event that is going on as I write this. Hopefully, they are having a good event and I’m sorry I can’t be there. Then again, maybe I’m not because I renewing friendships and enjoying this OWAA conference. Next year this conference will take me to Minnesota; Utah in 2011. I really hope we’ll be in Niagara in ’12, but time will tell.

Prior to the Pro-Am tournament, it was Memorial Day weekend in Letchworth State Park. What a great natural resource that is for New York and we had a grand time, sharing the camping experience with five other families from Pendleton Center UMC. We enjoyed whitewater rafting on the Genesee through the Grand Canyon of the East one day, experienced the sights of hot air balloons drifting above us and hiked many of the trails associated with the park. As with every camping trip, we ate way too much. Every evening ended with a cool drink around the campfire, sharing a time outdoors with family and friends. It really doesn’t get any better than that. The next camping trip will take us into the Finger Lakes and Taughannock Falls State Park. I can’t wait to be outdoors again, taking in the fresh air and sharing special moments with family and friends. It’s also a great way to charge those batteries after stressful times like tournaments and derbies. We’ll do our best to update our journey blog real soon …

Big Fish, Small Journeys

billhiltsjr — Sun, 10 May 2009 16:09:23 +0000

Big Fish, Short Journeys

Getting into this blog thing hasn’t been easy. I’ve had trips to North and South Carolina – with the focus on hitting a little white ball around with 11 other guys – since my last blog. I’ve had a trip to the Adirondacks so that my dad, Bill, Sr., could receive a recognition award from the 4-H Shooting Sports Foundation. I’ve had trips to Canada to visit a water park and allow for three pre-teen girls to have some fun (my daughter Natalie is 12). I’ve attended meetings all around Western New York. And this has all taken place since my last blog. Somehow, I need to find the time to not just tell my story, though, but the stories of so many others – as they relate to the outdoors. They might have to be a bit shorter, but hopefully I’ll be able to include photos to help tell those stories I’m referring to. These stories have to get out and there just isn’t enough space in the newspapers that I write in through the Greater Niagara Newspaper Group and beyond.
My column this week focused on the fantastic fishing that we have here in Western New York and we have a tendency to take it all for granted. Whether it’s the bass fishing on Lake Erie, the steelhead fishing on the lower river or the salmon and trout in Lake Ontario – to name but a few options to consider – we truly have a world class angling destination. This past week we brought in some of the top outdoor media in the country and the fish make us look like stars. While I mentioned the likes of the In Fisherman television show and magazine and Bob Redfern’s Outdoor Magazine TV Show, there were many others who sampled what we had to offer to help tell this story to the rest of the world. John Burgman of Brooklyn, new fishing editor with Outdoor Life magazine, cracked the LOC Derby leaderboard with an 18 pound, 14 ounce fish caught on the Niagara Bar. It’s currently in 9th place. You need better than a 16 pound fork tail to cash into the top 20 – with every single fish caught from right here for this lakewide competition. Nearly every salmon was also caught from Niagara, including the current leader at 24 pounds, 8 ounces. Will it hold up? That will be my next trip as I get ready to emcee the awards ceremony in Sodus Bay this afternoon at 6 p.m.
Every year, there’s at least one catch that will get your heads shaking, wondering why they didn’t get the derby. This year, local charter guy Lloyd Schrack passed along the picture of the monster lake trout caught a few days ago on the Niagara Bar – tipping the scales at better than 32 pounds! A sure spring winner for the $12,500 Grand Prize. However, they weren’t in the derby! A full derby ticket is $25; $15 for a one day pass.
Jeff Knapp of Pennsylvania was one of the writers in town this week and he produced a seven pound, five ounce smallmouth from in front of Fort Niagara on a tube jig. Take a look at the picture and see what one of these lunkers look like.
I’d also like to add a couple turkey photos. Last week I wrote about some successful youth hunters around the county and I’ll do my best to try and get these up, too. It’s important to get the next generation of outdoors people out in the woods and on the water.
Rather than wait to right up that big journey to share with everyone, I’ll need to focus on many of the smaller ones so that I can keep it short and sweet …and let people know about some of the great things we have right here in Western New York.

Small Journeys Connect to Make the Big One –

billhiltsjr — Mon, 13 Apr 2009 13:15:19 +0000

Our journeys through the outdoors are often made up of many, many small ones that are all connected and interrelated. Believe it or not, it was the most recent “Nickelback” CD (yes, I’m a rocker among other things) that really started me thinking about pounding out this particular blog.
“Time is going by, so much faster than I” were the opening words for one song and it was never more appropriate than last weekend when I played in the Damn Yankees hockey tournament in Niagara Falls. Playing against a level of talent that was more like years gone by, my body took a toll as I played in three games in three days. I’m still limping around as I write this. Hockey has long been a passion, a love passed down by Bill, Sr. to his three sons. I played with brother Dave in the tournament and he did well, but he’s 10 years younger than me. Rick, who’s only three years my junior, has put his hockey playing days on hold due to recent neck surgery that was pretty serious. He may be able to play again; he may not. But at 50 years old, his body is starting to wear out – just like all of ours. This particular journey may be over for him but there’s no question that his involvement with the sport has brought about much pleasure and joy. Time IS going by so much faster than I want it to – a process that really does seem to speed up with age.
In the past week, I’ve attended three funerals for parents of friends. I’ve lost three good friends in the past year. Our life on Earth is shorter than we realize sometime and another song that jumped out at me was “If Today Was Your Last Day.” What would you do if today was your last day?
“Each day’s a gift, and not a given right; leave no stone unturned, leave your fears behind …”
I learned long ago that if you surround yourself with good people, your life will be that much more enjoyable. I’ve done that through my work, through my extracurricular activites and in my personal life. As far as I’m concerned, there isn’t anyone more blessed than me when it comes to friends. Of course, I believe in a good laugh from time to time and last weekend was no exception. The highlight was the awards ceremony for the winter skeet league banquet held at the 3-F Club and the most recent victim was Mike George of Niagara Falls.
Skeet shooting has become another journey of sorts, with a great bunch of men and women at the 3-F Club. This winter we had to suffer the loss of our team leader, Doug Stein. We named our team this year “Doug’s Team” and it will be that for as long as we shoot. Doug was a competitive shooter and he was always in the mix for top gun on the team. I was fortunate enough to win that distinction the last three years, but a revitalized Mike George was breathing down my back. He wanted high gun back and was going after it. It came down to my final round, shot March 4th before I left for a trade show. I needed to shoot a 24 to win, a 23 to tie. I had a 23 going into the final station and I missed low house at station eight to lose to Mike by one bird.
Now it was my turn to take some ribbing. I couldn’t take it lying down. I tried to make arrangements behind the scenes to show that Mike and I tied and that a shoot off would be required. However, it didn’t work out and Mike found out that he won high gun before those arrangements could be made. To show how happy he was that day was highlighted at the winter skeet league banquet last weekend. A special award was presented that night:

A Special Day in History – March 4, 2009
Mike George stunned the 3-F Club and the world By buying the BAR a round of drinks!
Believe it or not!!!

Anyone who knows Mike knows that what happened on that day – March 4 – was something most people will not see in their lifetime again. It made for a good laugh at the banquet! I’ve been friends with Mike for nearly 30 years, a long time. He’s the guy that does most of the food set ups and cooking at the Niagara River Angler functions (his next one will be April 19 at St. Leo’s Church Hall, 2746 Military Rd., Niagara Falls from 2-6 p.m. for the 4th Annual John Long, Sr. Memorial Outdoorsman Raffle and Feast – working in the kitchen to help Mike Henderson and committee to make this event a success) and he also does a fair share of special events on the side whenever I ask him. He’s been a good friend and I wouldn’t trade him for anyone. We’ve fished up in Georgian Bay three or four times together, as well as countless trips on the Niagara River. He even went with me on a canoe trip to Quetico Provi

The one-of-a-kind Mike George of Niagara Falls - this year's high gun on our winter skeet league team - Doug's Team.

ncial Park above Minnesota. Mike’s motto? If you start catching fish, leave and go someplace else. At least, that’s what it seems. If this were my last day on Earth, some type of a party would be involved and Mike would be cooking!
A wise friend once told me: “What a journey life is…everyone, every experience is integral to who you are…”
My point, exactly. Hope everyone had a great Easter season or whatever you celebrate this time of year!

Cleveland Sport Show

billhiltsjr — Sun, 22 Mar 2009 13:23:13 +0000

My latest journey through the outdoors takes me to Cleveland, Ohio for the American & Canadian Sport, Travel and Outdoor Show at the I-X Center in Berea, adjacent to Hopkins International Airport. What was one of the giants in the industry as far as consumer outdoor shows is slowly starting to fade away into a shadow of itself. This is a sport show that I’ve been involved with for some 22 years. In it’s heyday, it stretched out over nine days and saw more than 100,000 people come through its doors. The I-X Center is huge and they used to just about fill it with exhibitors, programs and seminar speakers; trailers, boats and more. Several years ago, it was reduced to five days. This year, they announced the dates for 2010 and it looks like it’s going to be a three day show! Dates selected are March 12-14. While this part of the country continues to be a big market for Niagara tourism because of the numbers of people and its close proximity to our area, something is happening with this outdoor show. What the show promoter may not realize is that they’ve just butted heads with the Western New York Sport, Travel and Outdoor Show in Hamburg – which are essentially the same dates. I’ve discussed this with many of the exhibitors that have come from Hamburg to Cleveland this year and if they had to make a choice … it would be Hamburg. Hamburg has been growing; people come out for all four days of the event and they spend money. Cleveland show goers turned out for the weekend and they had to pick and choose what to spend money on … if they had any left! It was $12 admission for an adult, $8 for parking. The food vendors hit them up for premium prices like $3.50 for a bottle of water; $15 for a hamburg, fries and drink. And for the vendors, I-X Center policy won’t allow you to bring in food or beverage on your own while in the booth. During the week, the show opened at noon and closed at 9 p.m. Saturday is was 10 a.m. to 9 p.m.; Sunday is 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Needless to say, we needed to get creative in the food and drink department. Enough rambling about the show itself. The people are what really make it. Listening to them tell their stories about the first time they ever fished the Niagara and continue to come back; tales of the big one on Lake Ontario and their winning catch in a derby; dreams of hoping to bring a son or daughter up to fish so that they can have their first Niagara experience on the water. That’s what it’s all about. We need to do more to get that next generation of angler interested in something other than video games or the computer. We need to get them out of the house and exposed to nature. We had one group of college kids come up to the booth looking to hit the tributaries off Lake Ontario during spring break and they were sponges for fishing knowledge. They were excited by what the prospects held and they wanted to tie into a big trout or salmon. Unfortunately, this was the exception rather than the rule. We need to get those kids out – both boys AND girls – fishing, hunting, shooting, camping, hiking and just appreciating nature in general. Not only is it important to the future of the sport, it’s good for their health and well being. It can start with a family camping trip, a kids fishing derby or a hike with the local state parks. It has to start somewhere and the vehicle is you. Do it!

A Visit To Branson Missouri –

billhiltsjr — Fri, 13 Mar 2009 20:36:09 +0000

My next journey has taken me to the Ozarks of Missouri – the Show Me State. Out my window at the Chateau on the Lake, I can see Table Rock Lake as bass boats buzz around for an FLW tournament. The Table Rock Dam is in view, holding back the water for Table Rock and forming Lake Taneycomo below the huge manmade structure. I managed to get a tour of Taney yesterday when fellow writer and tourism professional Jim Zaleski of Parsons, Kansas took has bass boat out onto the water to show off this special water that means so much to him. It is on this very water he won his first bass tournament. He was also married on this water to his current wife, Michele. I’m not sure which meant more. As we motored down the lake, which is more of a river or strait connecting to larger bodies of water (Bull Shoals is at the other end of Taneycomo), we huddled to stay warm. The wind chill put the temperatures into the 20s; boat speed put it lower than that. Water temperatures hovered in the lower 40s. Prospects were not good for catching a picture bass, but we had to at least try. We cast jerk baits for any kind of bass in a back water creek. We drifted power baits in the main river for a chance at a trout. Today was not the day for us, although we did see two small trout netted in boats near us. Then Jim received a phone call from his wife – sleet was coming! We picked up our rigs and headed back to Rockaway Beach where we had started. It wasn’t long before we were getting pelted with frozen ice crystals. This was not what I expected when I signed up for this trip. Last week it was 70 here!
The primary purpose of this trip was to attend the Mid-Winter board meeting of the Association of Great Lakes Outdoor Writers (AGLOW). It’s a super writer group that has really been coming on strong in recent years and I’m currently on that board. The group visited Niagara in 2007 and we’re still getting positive press from attendees at the conference. The conference this fall will be in Gaylord, Michigan. Our next AGLOW adventure after that could be a brand new “Spring Fling” that the organization is now promoting for the spring of 2010. Niagara is one of four sites being considered, butting heads with Chautauqua County in New York; Branson, Missouri where I’m at right now; and White Bear Lake in Minnesota. While there’s quite a bit of business on our agenda, the local community has set aside some time for us to take in a show here and there in the evening. Tonight is a Tribute to the Beatles stage performance; tomorrow is Jim Stafford. If you’ve ever wondered what ever happened to some of the entertainers in the industry, there’s a good chance you’ll find them some place in Branson! It’s amazing how much this area has grown up the past decade, with a long strip of theatres, hotels, motels, restaurants and shops. It’s not surprising to see a Bass Pro Shop here, just an hour outside the granddaddy of all Bass Pros in Springfield.
I’m looking forward to spending the next couple of days here. So far, the people have been friendly and the sights spectacular. It brings back some fond memories, too. The last time I was down this way was nearly 20 years ago, but on the Arkansas side of things. I fished the White River and Bull Shoals with Bob Pingel and the Bumblebee Bait Company, as a pre-trip to a Red Man All-American Bass Tourament out of Little Rock. This was back when Bill Clinton was still in office as the Governor and we actually had a barbecue on the front lawn of the Capitol. Really, it doesn’t seem like it was that long ago. The big difference between that trip and this one was the temperature …and I caught fish! The journey continues … and happy Friday the 13th!

Sufferin’ in Suffern

billhiltsjr — Sat, 07 Mar 2009 13:37:10 +0000

After the whirlwind tour to England, it was off to the World Fishing and Outdoor Exposition in Suffern, NY at Rockland County Community College set for March 5-8. This is considered one of the top outdoor shows in the state and I’ve been attending it for more than 15 years as a representative of the local tourism office. In addition, this is a show where we partner with the Lake Ontario Sportfishing Promotion Council to join together and create a 20-foot booth and a more impressive display for downstate sportsmen and women. We’ve talked to more and more people who have made the trek to Lake Ontario and the Niagara River. They will be back!
Doing these types of consumer shows are important in that they help me maintain contact with the general public to get a feel for what’s happening out there in the marketplace. It allows for a better opportunity to “sell” our area, an excellent support mechanism for some of the advertising that we do AND the work we do with outdoor media. We’ve had several outdoor writer fam trips from local media mavens like Ken Schultz, Glenn Sapir, Dick Nelson, Jim Stabile, Milt Rosko, Joel Lucks and the like through individual trips, as well as trips with the Metropolitan Outdoor Press Assn. and the New York State Outdoor Writers Assn. In fact, I cornered Dick Nelson here on the opening day of the show to try and work on a MOPA spring safari May 27-29 this year to show off the lower river trout fishing, the Lake Ontario salmon and trout fishing and maybe some of the local bass fishing if weather patterns cooperate.
These shows are also a great way to network with manufacturers for potential sponsorships for derbies and tournaments, as well as supporting some of our media events. It also allows us to see what other areas are doing to promote themselves, helping us to stay ahead of the curve and lead the charge in the world of fishing promotion.
It’s certainly not about the lifestyle. Trying to keep track of all the writing assignments is a nightmare. Having to take care of finances like bills and personal expenses while on the road is a difficult challenge. We’re usually up early and get back to the room late after a late meal in a local restaurant.
A local favorite restaurant here is Sutter’s Mill and I had dinner with Oswego charter captain Greg Gehrig last night, an intense fishermen who runs his 40-foot boat down the lake each year to compete in the Lake Ontario Pro-Am Salmon Team Tournaments. We appreciate his support and we let him know that.
In the booth, two other Oswego guys are working the LOSPC end of things. Dave Rath and Jim Wright are two retired guys with a pulse on the outdoors and excellent promoters of our natural resources. They’re fun to work with and help to get that important message out to the general public. Of course, food is usually involved of a wild variety and just yesterday we sampled wild boar sausage, goose jerky, goose pastrami, pheasant sausage and duck sausage. Most of that was courtesy our friend John Yonke, retired DEC wildlife biologist who live in the area and volunteers for some of the state booths here. I’ve known John for a good number of years and we’re always sharing stories … and food!
And so the show season continues. today will be a long day in the booth, opening up at 9:30 a.m. and continuing until 7 p.m. tonight. That will be time for dinner and another late night back to the room … before we do it all over again. It’s a different kind of lifestyle, but one I’ve become accustomed to. I’ve been attending these kind of shows for the county for 22 years now. It’s not glamorous, it’s tough on the body, but it’s an important part of the job. Hey, someone has to do it!

Jim Stabile, writer from New Jersey, during a recent writer fam out of Wilson.

The Big One in England

billhiltsjr — Sun, 01 Mar 2009 18:25:30 +0000

The Big One fishing trade show in Farnborough was held Feb. 28-Mar. 1 and it was a success from a promotional standpoint. Mike Waterhouse of Orleans County and I were representing the Lake Ontario basin in the UK marketplace and there was interest from the standpoint of carp, as well as from the standpoint of other fish species. UK anglers are fishing crazy and their quest to expand their fishing knowledge is starting to get the best of them. They want to sample new fisheries like what we have to offer in New York. Our biggest hurdle has been to overcome perceptions – such as that New York is more than just New York City – and educate the general angling public that public access is abundant and fishing can cost as little as what it takes to purchase a license. Here in England, the average angler must spend hundreds of pounds to gain admission to private fishing ponds for a chance to catch a carp. Shoreline access for rivers is limited. Not all anglers are as fortunate as what we have in the Empire State. However, we need some help getting the word out, so a more concerted marketing effort is needed.
Our neighbor at the show was Jerry and Marcy Laramay of Massena, NY who purchased American Carp Adventures from Bernie Haines. The St. Lawrence River has made quite a name for itself thanks to some prominent fishing contests focusing on carp and a consistent clientele has been developed from the UK market as a result. Some of that success could be attributed to media coverage, so we made key media contacts to bring some of the top television, magazine and Internet communications mavens to come and visit the Lake Ontario resource. The wheels are already turning to make that happen. During the past two days, some 14,000 to 15,000 fishermen visited the show and along with it, media coverage.
Alongside us in the booth were Gerry Davies and his brother Ray. They were important promotional cogs because they’ve been coming to fish our area year after year since 1999 and lend credibility to what we’ve been saying. They also helped to make introductions to key fishing contacts they were familiar with.
But now the show is over and we must bid farewell to our friends. Tonight it’s Karaoke over Ray’s house and a final gathering with the fishing team that competed in the Lake Ontario Pro-Am last year … and returning in 2009. Most of these same people will be back in June and we look forward to seeing them. We’ll be back on a flight to Buffalo tomorrow morning and get ready for our next trade show on the road. Not enough time to share our English experience to its fullest, but still a time to share friendships and good times. These blokes are a blast to hang around, always up for a good laugh. They are a close knit group that see each other frequently. We will see them soon … but not soon enough.

A trip across the Big Pond ….

billhiltsjr — Sat, 28 Feb 2009 00:31:24 +0000

England – A country rich in traditions and ancestry, many of which have had a direct influence on our United States. For the last decade, New York State has been involved with promotions involving fishing through I Love NY’s International arm. Markly Wilson has been our contact person and he was the reason I originally hooked with Gerry Davies of Twyford 10 years ago. We’ve connected one way or another every year since then, mostly with Gerry and his wife Gina coming over to fish. Gerry brought a team of English anglers to compete in our Niagara County Pro-Am tournament last summer – and stayed over to fish Orleans, as well – and he will be bringing a team representing England once again this summer. But I digress…

Wilson was able to arrange some support for several regions and counties to attend The Big One fishing trade show in Farnborough, home of the famous air show. It is being advertised as the largest fishing show in Europe this year and our intent was to take advantage of a stronger U.S. dollar to promote our fishing resources around the Niagara River, Lake Ontario and the St. Lawrence River. The Lake Ontario Sportfishing Promotion Council picked up the booth cost; Gerry and Gina Davies offered their accommodations in nearby Twyford and John Watson of Charvil opened his home up to Mike Waterhouse from Orleans County who was accompanying me on this trip. They would also serve as our transportation to and from the airport, as well as to and from the show. We arrived on Thursday and today was set up. Today’s weather was incredible. It was roughly 60 degrees with plenty of sun and blue sky – just what the doctor ordered. We walked around in tee shirts as we prepared to set up our booth. The only glitch we encountered was when we headed off to set-up today was when we traveled to Thorpe Park by mistake. Davies had remembered that the show was there and, in fact, it was there for 20 years. However, the venue changed last year so we encountered a bit extra driving around the English countryside. I wasn’t complaining, although gas is a bit more expensive here than at home. The show site looks impressive and the promoters were most accommodating. We’re looking forward to telling our fishing counterparts over here about our fantastic natural resources.
One of the big problem has been getting our bodies adjusted to the time difference. As I write this, it’s after midnight – but 7 p.m. back home. However, sleep isn’t on our agenda to any excess. We need to be at the show by 8 a.m. tomorrow and the drive is just under an hour. Waterhouse will be driven by Gerry’s brother Ray and their intentions are to meet us at 7 a.m. So it looks like we’ll be getting up at 6 a.m.

We just finished a wonderful evening with the Watson family, John and his wife, Sarah; Holly and Kenny as the kids. Kenny was part of the fishing team last year and he hopes to make a return trip this June. He’s still talking about last year’s trip, especially how much the Sanborn Volunteer Fire Company took good care of him by letting him wear their gear and let him sit in the trucks. Memories that will be with him for the rest of his life, for sure. We played a few games of Wii and shared some stories and fellowship – what it’s all about.
Time to hit the sack. I hope this is a good enough foundation to continue with a story tomorrow, if time allows for it. It will be a full day, full of surprises, memories and meeting new people. Cherio, mates!

On the Road to Pittsburgh – Past and Present

billhiltsjr — Fri, 20 Feb 2009 18:43:35 +0000

Here I am, working the Allegheny Sport, Travel and Outdoor Show in downtown Pittsburgh. It’s part of my regular job with Niagara Tourism & Convention Corporation and Niagara County as the outdoor sports specialist and fishing promotion coordinator. The show actually started on Wednesday, but due to a variety of extenuating circumstances, I haven’t been able to blog and give a report. For starters, probably the worst Internet connection in the modern world has been a problem at my Comfort Inn Pittsburgh East. I was able to get onto the Internet yesterday by walking around the lobby area seeking out a stronger signal, but everything was so slow it took forever. The room has no hard wire connection so everything needs to be wireless. I’ve been able to connect twice in three days so it’s forced me to pre-write a blog and then copy-paste when the opportunity arises. The show doesn’t open until 3 p.m. today, but due to parking constraints downtown, we usually have to get their early. The last two days our plan was to arrive at noon, seek out a nice lunch location and then walk to the convention center. I’ve already gotten a call this morning that downtown parking is already a bear by noon due to another tourism convention – Hartland Showcase – starting up today. And you can’t just park anywhere with a 12-passenger van. Biting cold temperatures with no gloves or hat (because of bringing the wrong jacket) is not very healthy for a six or seven block walk. That walk will probably be longer today. So here’s how a typical day will go for me: Up at 7 a.m. to start writing and/or answering e-mails. Off to breakfast by 9 a.m. because the kitchen area closes at 9:30 a.m. Back to the room to finish off writing projects, be it column, calendar, fishing forecast, Federation awards dinner write ups, blogs, bid package presentations or answer e-mails. Off to try and send e-mails and stories out. Yesterday I had to record my radio show for WLVL and WECK at noon. Then off to find a parking spot at the show. We have been spoiled the last 20 years of doing this show because previously it was always held in Monroeville at the Expomart facility. For 20 years we enjoyed free parking and a hotel that was connected to the facility. We never had to go outside if we didn’t want to. But times do change and the Expomart and Radisson are scheduled for demolition in the very near future. Hence, the show this year at the Convention Center downtown. Let’s hope that attendees don’t get discouraged with the parking problem. Maybe it will be better on the weekend when the regular work force isn’t occupying a majority of spaces. Time will tell.

In the show itself, we’re handing out literature to interested sportsmen and general tourism people. Yesterday I answered questions on waterfowl hunting, steelhead fishing in the Niagara (nearly a dozen) and salmon fishing in Lake Ontario. I renewed acquaintances with friends from the Pittsburgh Downriggers, a diehard fishing group that has adopted Olcott as one of their homes. It reminded me of the time that Capt. Bob Cinelli and I made the trek to Pittsburgh to give the club a presentation on salmon fishing nearly 20 years ago. Cinelli, not one for talking to large groups, reluctantly agreed to give a presentation when I told him it was just a small club. When we arrived, there were a hundred cars in the parking lot. Panic came across his face, but I downplayed everything, saying that there was some special auction going on. Such was not the case.

After I gave a brief presentation and overview on what was happening with Lake Ontario, I introduced Cinelli to the group. He spoke for about a minute when he stopped, walked over to me, hyperventilated a little and whispered: “I’m going to kill you, Hilts.” He ended up getting through it just fine. But the stage was set for the second phase.

Tom Kelly of Pittsburgh was program chairman and he wanted to take us out to dinner. We went to meet up with his girlfiend, Nancy, but Bob didn’t know that. As we walked in, I saw her sitting in a corner and said, “My friend here needs a back rub. Think you could help?”
Without blinking an eye, she said “It just so happens I have the best hands in Pittsburgh. This is your lucky night!” Panic set back in as Cinelli walked back to our booth.
“YOU deal with that. I don’t have any patience for that tonight.”
Five minutes later, Nancy was sitting next to Bob, propositioning him for the evening. “Let me give you a back rub at my room next door,” she said. Bob was speechless, believe it or not. He finally flat out said, “No thank you.”
Her response was, “Just as well. My boyfriend Tom here probably won’t like that anyway!” Who has more fun that people. I saw Tom yesterday and he looked the same. He still comes back to Niagara nearly every year, but his focus is not on salmon and trout, but muskie. Attitudes change, preferences change, priorities changes. However, fishing is still at the top of recreational activities.

Getting used to this whole blog thing

billhiltsjr — Sun, 15 Feb 2009 14:08:16 +0000

Doug Stein, of Grand Island, enjoying one of his passions, fishing on the lower Niagara River.

Getting used to this whole blog thing is quite an adjustment. Life just seems to get in the way. This past week I lost a third good friend inside of a year. Capt. Doug Stein of Grand Island lost his bout with cancer and his funeral was last Friday. I can’t tell you how many things I did with that guy – from shooting skeet and sporting clays to goose and duck hunting to fishing the river and the lakes to sitting on committees and attending meetings together. Sometimes it would be just to sit down and have a drink together. He meant a lot to the sporting community of Western New York, much more than many people realize. My column today reflects on some of the stories that come to mind but I could probably do one of those every Sunday for the remainder of the year. We got together last Wednesday at the 3-F Club to share pictures and stories. It turned into a marathon. The funeral was Friday and it’s still difficult to accept that Doug is gone. The people poured into the funeral home all day, a fitting tribute to the man. I personally received quite a few phone calls from friends extending their condolences, so Kim his wife must have been deluged. I can’t stop thinking about him, as evidenced by my writings the past week. Life is short, shorter than we want it to be most of the time. My thoughts and prayers go out to the Stein family. They also go out to the family of Dave Borner of Pendleton. Borner, a friend from Pendleton Center church, was on that horrific plane crash this past week. Again, lending to the realization that our own mortality is subject to so many outside circumstances and situations. For me, this past week was a blur. Losing good friends helps put life into a better perspective and slow me down a little – slow enough to at least “smell the roses” of the world going on around me. For Valentine’s Day, I passed up skeet shooting at the 3-F Club to surprise my daughter with a new painted bedroom and a new bed, along with a few little presents. I couldn’t do it alone and friends helped to make it a reality for me … and her. Good friends aren’t something that just happens. They are something that are nutured over time, aged like fine wine. They say that if you can find three good friends that you can share just about anything with and would do anything for you, that you are most fortunate. I really feel that I’ve been blessed many times over. Okay, maybe I’m getting sentimental in my old age. Maybe it’s the beautiful sunny day this Sunday morning with some good tunes in the background and a hot cup of coffee that’s getting me going. If you know anything about me, I love my music and it often reflects the mood I’m in. This morning it’s been Donald Fagen (of Steely Dan fame) and the Moody Blues that’s the cause for this reflection and sentimentality. Music helps slow me down, too. I’d rather listen to music than watch television. Okay, enough for today. There are a ton of issues going on in the outdoors right now, things that are all good column or blog material, but I needed to take this little side track. One final note is that these great outdoors is a great way to share time with family and friends, establishing and cementing relationships as we take our journey through life. Enjoy it while you can. Don’t put off until tomorrow what you can do today!