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This came in the mail thought you might want to know.

Bass Pro Shops Acquires Legendary Fred Bear Museum

Gainesville, FL – November 14th, 2002 – North American Archery Group, LLC has announced the transfer of the Fred Bear Museum to Bass Pro Shops, known worldwide for their conservation and outdoor education efforts.

The museum, a Gainesville fixture since 1978 when archery icon Fred Bear relocated Bear Archery to Central Florida from its home in Grayling, Michigan, will be moved to a Bass Pro Shops location to be determined at a later date. The move is slated for the first half of 2003, according to company officals.

Bass Pro Shops will also run the Fred Bear Sports Club which consist of thousands of America’s finest outdoorsmen and women whose goal is to protect our outdoor ecology and help maintain proper wildlife management of our woods, fields and waters.

The North American Archery Group, located just off 1075 at 4600 SW 41st Blvd., will continue with its full manufacturing operations and on-site pro shop following the relocation. A closure date for the museum in Gainesville has not been determined.

“This is really great news for archery and bowhunting enthusiast across America,” said Charles Palmer, chairman of the Gainesville-based archery equipment manufacturer, which markets such brands as Fred Bear, Buckmasters, Golden Eagle and Jennings. “Bass Pro Shops is a quality organization that will be able to market the museum to millions of people across American who will be able to enjoy the unique and historic collection.”

“We are ver excited to have this opportunity to help carry on the legacy of Fred Bear and tell the story of what the sport archery has meant to America,” stated Bass Pro Shops founder Johnny Morris.

Yearly museum attendance is expected to increase dramatically, giving millions more the opportunity to enjoy the impact Fred Bear had on hunting and conservation. According to Bass Pro Shops officials, a traveling display of museum pieces will be show at the company’s retail locations, as well as sport shows and other outdoor events.

The Fred Bear Museum collection, a representation of Bear’s illustrious 60-year career as the country’s foremost archer and conservationist, features the largest privately held collection of archery artifacts in the world with some dating back to the turn of the century. It also includes Bear’s wildlife trophies taken with a bow from locations around the world. Bear, who died at age 86 in 1988, is considered by many as the father of modern archery.

Bass Pro Shops, America’s most popular outdoor store and major internet and catalog retailer, curently has 16 retails locations.

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