Events - June Ushers in Torrent of National Outdoor Events

If outdoor retail sales fail to pick up this month or next, it won’t be from lack of publicity about the great experiences awaiting American families in the great outdoors. From Secretary of Interior Ken Salazar to the marketing gurus at The North Face, outdoor advocates are taking the offensive to pitch camping and hiking as a great way to recreate this summer.

A host of events is generating publicity about outdoor excursions and opportunities this summer, which should help drive traffic into stores. Retailers can read some tips for preparing in this WebNews article published in April.

A partial list in chronological order includes:

Great Outdoors Month (June): President Barack Obama and more than half of America’s governors have proclaimed June Great Outdoors Month. The proclamations were urged by a coalition of dozens of recreation and conservation organizations, many of which coordinate special events held during June, including National Trails Day, National Fishing and Boating Week, National Get Outdoors Day and the Great American Backyard Campout.

TNF Launches National Camping Month (June): The North Face designated June National Camping Month and said its stores would offer free clinics to inspire customers to get outdoors. TNF partnered with Travelocity to present Explore Moab, a sweepstakes which gives people a chance to win a grand prize trip for two to Moab, including airfare, lodging, meals and guided hikes and tours and a $2,000 TNF gif card.

National Trails Day (June 6): The American Hiking Society expects participation to match last year, when partners organized 1,112 events that drew more than 100,000 participants, including 30,000 volunteers who donated 160,000 hours working on 421 trail projects. Press interest in the events seems to be on the rise, said Margie Cohen, director of marketing and development for the society. She said it’s unclear whether that is due to greater interest in the outdoors or new partnerships with the YMCA, the Boy Scouts of America and the Girls Scouts of America. The bulk of the events occurred June 6, but more are planned for the balance of the month.

National Get Outdoors Day (June 13): Saturday is National Get Outdoors Day, organized by the American Recreation Coalition, and targets outdoor neophytes, including urban families who rarely engage in outdoor activities. This year the event will hold more events in urban parks and work more closely with church youth groups and urban youth service organizations to attract kids. National sponsors include the U.S. Forest Service, Clif Bar and The Coleman Company. A full list of partners, including Bass Pro Shops, Cabela’s and REI, and a list of all 59 event locations for this year can be found at nationalgetoutdoorsday.org.

Fee-free Weekends in the National Parks (June – August): Last week Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar announced that the National Park Service (NPS) will offer three fee-free weekends this summer to encourage Americans seeking affordable vacations to visit national parks. The 147 of 391 NPS Sites nationwide that charge fees for entry will waive them on June 20 through 21 (Father’s Day weekend), July 18 through 19 and August 15 through 16. For a list of those parks, click here. Many parks will be giving away free reusable shopping bags and offering free digital portraits during these weekends, while concessionaires will be offering discounts and promotions to generate traffic. At Glacier National Park, for instance, Swan Mountain Outfitters will offer $5 to $10 off certain horseback riding packages.

Great American Backyard Campout (June 27): The National Wildlife Foundation has designated June 27 for this annual event, which offers people organizing a camp out of 16 or more people to use organizing tools on its web site. The National Wildlife Federation encourages parents and kids alike to trade their website for a campsite and screen time for green time, according to a media advisory