Billed Florida’s largest outdoors expo, the Tampa Tribune Outdoor Expo and Boat Show opens for its 17th year Friday, Feb. 29. Attendees can expect “hands-on, how-to entertainment, presentations from a variety of outdoors experts, and a shopping extravaganza and boat show in a family-friendly, country-fair atmosphere.”

Hosted by longtime Florida Sportsman editor and Tampa Tribune outdoors editor Frank Sargeant, this show has all-things outdoors. The Expo boasts 140,000 square feet of indoor exhibit space plus outdoor display areas and several lakes. This year’s Expo has a record number of boat dealers and more than 150 vendors.

Lefty Kreh returns to the expo this year. Kreh is one of the world’s foremost authorities on fly fishing and fly casting. New additions include Curt “The Bassmeister” Strutz with his “Fishing for Laughs” show, and Chef Keith Pouliot with his “All about Grills” Stage. Besides fishing jokes and recipes, other attractions include pointing and retrieving demonstrations, castnet demonstrations, virtual fishing, rock climbing and a kids’ fishing derby.

Admission to the Expo is free on Friday, and free every day for kids 12 and under. For all others, admission is $8.00 on Saturday and Sunday. Parking at the fairgrounds is five dollars. Show hours are 1:00-8:00 p.m. on Friday, 10 a.m.-7:00 p.m. on Saturday and 11:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. on Sunday. For more information call the Tampa Tribune Event Hotline at (813) 259-8130.