The Daily Herald's outdoor writer had a piece yesterday about how the show is now being run by a new company and they have eliminated a lot of the huksters that took over the show the last few years.
I haven't gone for the last two years in part because of the lousy selection of vendors and the high cost of the show and parking.

I'm taking the family early on Saturday, parking at the CTA lots is only $5 and the promoters are running shuttle buses to the show.

www.americasoutdoorshow.com

Have not been there for a few years do to the reasons you state. Let us know if things are better this year.

Im most likely not going to be making it this year due to work, but from what I have heard they are really changing it around. The guy who bought the show this year has really been asking the chicagoland hunting and fishing forums what they want back in the show and it seems like the guy who is running it is really making an effort to have it be what it was 15 years ago. All the flea market crap is gone, no more sham wow and crap like that. From all the posts he has been putting out on various websites over the past few months, I think this show will be a lot better than in recent years past. I sure hope so, I remember going there 20 years ago when I was a kid. I looked forward to it every year.

what's a hukster?

Really disappointed in the show. Drove 2 hours and there wasn't much to see. Few outfitters, sunglass booths and lots of fishing lures. Won't go again soon!

Here is a rather well known hukster.....


Huksters are wild and hard partying once the hukstering is done..

I went to the show last year for the first time in probably 15 years. When I was a kid I would get so excited about going there I would literally get sick. I live in southern Illinois now, and I made special plans around a work trip when I just happened to be up north.

We actually had to ask a couple vendors where the rest of the show was. What once took all day to see was finished in about 30 minutes. What a joke! What a shame.....