Include Summer Vacation Plans in Holiday, Winter, WIsh List Planning

Flipping through the pages of your Outdoor Guide can make filling out your holiday wish list an almost simple task. Except for having to limit yourself, according to Santa Claus' budget, the pages of this magazine offer plenty of hints for gear and other goodies. 

Instead of searching for stocking stuffers, bigger thinking might be really what you are looking for. I don't mean a new boat or camper, which you can find in the magazine as well, but rather, new adventures. 

The magazine focuses on the middle of the Midwest. The states in our primary coverage area of Missouri, Illinois, Arkansas, Kentucky, Tennessee and Kansas provide millions of unexplored areas for young families to retirees, and everyone in between. 

From Branson to Hannibal and St. Joseph to Ste. Genevieve our home state has more interesting areas than anyone could hope to contain on a short must see list. Outdoor adventures, entertainment, history and heritage all come to life in the state that is set to Show You something new. 

The Ozark Mountains are central to many Missouri attractions, but we certainly do not have a monopoly on their majesty. Arkansas boasts beautiful streams and lakes for fishing, mountain trails that wind through old growth forests, and a mix of historic features and modern conveniences. 

The Prairie State of Illinois offers endless opportunities with one of our nation's largest cities, Chicago, along one of our continent's Great Lakes. Other great lakes abound throughout the state from large recreational reservoirs with limitless resorts to small anglers' paradises. Obviously the Land of Lincoln provides some outstanding opportunities for learning about our great nation's history. 

Kentucky Lake and its nearby, near-twin Lake Barkley surround an outdoor enthusiast's varied adventure within the Land Between the Lakes. St. Louis area residents are often surprised to discover that this faraway place really is remarkably close to home. 

From the mecca of Memphis through Music City to the Great Smoky Mountains, Tennessee truly provides something for all ages and interests. Cades Cove inside the Great Smoky Mountain National Park offers a glimpse into the country's past, while across the state, Beale Street puts the modern lifestyle on grand display. 

Family vacation adventures do not have to be limited to bordering states. Wisconsin's Door County is a great summertime escape. On the peninsula between Green Bay and Lake Michigan cool breezes blow even on the hottest days, and the area's dedication to history and heritage make it a unique visitor's spot. 

Few places offer summer fishing opportunities like the Land of 10,000 Lakes. From relatively small ponds to sprawling glacier-gouged basins, Minnesota's variety of waters is matched only by the diversity of species that can be sought and caught. 

You have already started your adventure by checking out the resorts and recreational opportunities featured here in Outdoor Guide . 

You can find your family's next summer vacation through Internet research, but a great way to learn more is to visit the upcoming boat and sports shows and meet resort owners first hand.
Start planning your summer vacation now. 

It will be winter for several more months, but before you know it you and yours will be enjoying the great outdoors on a warm summer evening. 

At Outdoor Guide, our wish list includes best wishes to you for joyous holidays and a happy New Year.

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Tribute to a Blood Brother

The grown man wept without shame. One by one, heavyweights in the outdoors industry lined up to thank him and shake his hand.
Moments earlier, Outdoor Guide boating editor Darrell Taylor, and outdoors public relations specialist, Kevin Howard (Howard Communications), had presented Curt Hicken with a brand new, Browning Citori shotgun. It was a bird hunter's dream.
They had conspired along with the board of directors of the Association of Great Lakes Outdoor Writers (AGLOW) and its officers to honor the retiring executive director for his long-term service and dedication to the group at its annual conference in September, which was held in Gaylord, MI.
“I don't know what to say. I am overwhelmed,” Hicken said, as tears rolled down his cheeks.
“No need to say anything.” I smiled.
“You deserve it and more. Take your accolades like a man.”
He laughed.
AGLOW, one of the oldest and largest outdoor writer groups in America was celebrating fifty-four years of history. Not all those years were glorious, and as a past president and executive director for more than a decade, Hicken had ridden the roller coaster of good times and bad.
“About fifteen years ago or so, we started to decline a bit,” Hicken had told me.
“Our members were aging, and we weren't recruiting young communicators fast enough. About ten years ago or so we reached our nadir, and I thought AGLOW might not survive.
“We had a couple, poorly-attended conferences, and we were losing members at a rapid rate. And like any business or organization, there is that cycle of growth, maturation and decline.”
What Hicken is reluctant to tell anyone is he is primarily responsible for AGLOW's relatively recent resurgence.
As soon as Hicken took over as executive director, he and past presidents like Tim Lesmeister, Dan Donarski, Mike Schoonveld, and others, began to recruit younger folks into the group and onto the board of directors.
Hicken's vision of tourism and its place as a corporate partner turned out to be one of the key factors in AGLOW's comeback, too.
“Early on, I felt that none of the other writer groups, including us, were paying enough attention to the tourism aspect of the outdoors. If you'll remember, those early years when we had special events at our conferences, many of the writers grumbled about having to attend.
“But it is a natural. Every outdoor story begins with a destination. Now we have more tourism corporates then any other writers group, and you know how valuable they have become as it relates to event sponsorship. Now our members and tourism folks can't wait to get together.
“The convention and tourism bureaus bring young, enthusiastic and pretty faces to the party. The whole look of our organization has changed,” he says.
As a former board member and AGLOW past president, I have worked closely with Hicken for several years now.
He was one of the very first editors for Outdoor Guide Magazine , and at a time when I didn't know a spinning reel from a baitcaster, Hicken mentored me into the business.
We've been down a lot of trails together.
Any of the past presidents will tell you, Hicken's influence on AGLOW has been significant. He has had one great idea after another. I know.
We have stolen several of them for our state group, the Missouri Outdoor Communicators, one of the largest state writer organizations in America.
I watched him over the years as he wrestled and worried with all the details involved in event planning for the major conferences.
In just my few years with AGLOW leadership responsibilities, I've seen how our annual conclave has become big business. What once were simple duties have become almost a full-time job for the executive director.
Glenn Sapir, a general for the National Shooting Sports Foundation shook Hicken's hand and thanked him.
Ron Bice, public relations director for Wildlife Research Center, and our retiring Corporate Member Liaison hugged him. Bice was a huge force in our resurgence over these past years, as well, and has served on AGLOW's board for a decade.
There was Jim Reid from Coleman, Tony Macrito from General Motors, Bill Hilts, Sr., an award winning outdoors journalist, Paul Beachnau, Gaylord tourism supreme commander, and so many others.
Past presidents and future presidents all took turns congratulating this fine man for his many years of dedication and service to AGLOW.
I thought for a second during the bittersweet moment and smiled.
For I knew that soon he would have more time for fishing and hunting.
And I couldn't wait to spend it outdoors with a man who had become a great friend.

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Welcome!

Welcome to the Outdoor Guide Magazine blog!

We just couldn't stay away...we have too many outdoors tips, ideas and destinations to fit into the pages of our magazine that we need to share with our readers and this blog will give us the chance to do just that!

If you're new, let us introduce ourselves properly. Outdoor Guide Magazine (simply known as ODG amongst ourselves) is an outdoors magazine that is published six times a year. We are the print "Authority" on fishing, hunting, boating, camping and outdoor travel in the seven-state southern Midwest region. For those of you who are geographically challenged like myself, these states are: Missouri, Illinois, Kansas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Kentucky and Tennessee - but we're open to any and all outdoors enthusiasts out there!

Over the past eighteen years, ODG has enjoyed the reputation for journalistic excellence within our pages of each and every issue, and that's why we're here: to give even more outdoorsmen the opportunity to learn and talk about fishing, hunting, boating camping and outdoor travel.

Welcome to Outdoor Guide Magazine's Writer's Blog!

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