Enjoy outdoors fun at Spring Fest this weekend
<p>Shelly and Marie, two Asian elephants in their late 40s, pose for a portrait outside their tent on Wednesday at the Kootenai County Fairgrounds. The elephants will be at the Northwest Spring Fest this weekend at the fairgrounds.</p>
<p>Shelly the Asian elephant looks out of her tent on Wednesday at the Kootenai County Fairgrounds.</p>
The Kootenai County Fairgrounds' signature spring event has been rebranded for its fourth year to include several new attractions.
The Northwest Spring Fest, previously known as the North Idaho Sportsman's Expo, will be held Saturday and Sunday at the fairgrounds.
"We rebranded the event to give it more of a spring fair type of feel," said Ty Thomas, marketing and resource development director for the Kootenai County Fairgrounds.
He said the goal was to appeal to a broader demographic than the sports enthusiasts and make it more of a family-fun event for people of all ages and interests.
Thomas said there will still be a sportsman's hall, which includes the Great Elk Tour, the Coeur d'Alene Bowmen's archery range, and a casting pond where visitors can learn about bait and casting, including spin rod and fly fishing techniques.
Some of the other attractions at this year's event include Monster Truck Madness, an inflatable village with 15 jumbo inflatables and games for the kids, a community stage with local entertainers, Cherry Hill BMX Club, and the high-flying acrobatic pups known as the K9 King Dogs.
An elephant exhibit and livestock show — with cattle, sheep, goats, rabbits and chickens — are new this year as well.
More than 100 commercial and local vendors, as well as 12 food vendors, will show off and sell their wares during the event.
"We have a great food lineup," Thomas said, adding there will be typical fair food such as corn dogs and elephant ears, as well as elk products like burritos, hamburgers and tacos.
Monster truck shows are scheduled for 5:30 p.m. Saturday and 12:30 p.m. Sunday in the main arena. All other attractions will take place all day, or several times a day, during regular Spring Fest hours: 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday.
Cost of admission is $10 for ages 13 and older; ages 12 and younger are free. All featured attractions are included in the price of admission.