The Great Outdoors Show in Quincy is taking place at the Oakley Lindsay Center through Sunday. Vendors of all sorts have set up displays, and as you might imagine, several have brought some fairly unique items to the show. Here are just a few of the cool things we came across when we walked around the showroom

  • Alligator Skin

    This is the skin of the largest alligator harvested in the state of Georgia in 2009. Jeff McDaniel of The Lodge in Jacksonville brought the alligator, which weighed about 800 lbs. when his son killed it. The skin is 13' 5 1/2". What happened to the rest of it? "We fried potatoes up, and gator, and called it 'gators and taters,' we had a big party."

    Dave Greene
    Dave Greene
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  • Sip-n-oodle

    This might be one of the most-commented-on items at the show! The Sip-n-oodle is like a noodle for the pool, except one end unscrews and you can pour in 24 ounces of your favorite drink. A straw is attached. Ingenious.

    Kurt Parsons
    Kurt Parsons
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  • Wood Sculptures

    R.D. Coonrod of Quincy and and Jeff Phares of Whitehall have not only brought along some amazing sculptures, but they're also demonstrating their craft during The Great Outdoors Show. One of their display pieces, a large horse, Coonrod estimates took between 350-400 hours of work!

    Kurt Parsons
    Kurt Parsons
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  • Live Birds

    Raptor Rehabilitation Center helps birds of prey that have been injured, with the goal of returning them to the wild. The birds that become dependent on human assistance are kept and used in educational programs. A red tail hawk, a great horned owl and turkey vulture are among the live birds visiting the Oakley Lindsay Center this weekend.

    Kurt Parsons
    Kurt Parsons
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  • Dewshine

    I'll be honest, I had no idea that Mt. Dew mixed with moonshine was a thing. Apparently it is/was or has been for a while. So Mt. Dew has decided to create Dewshine, which was recently released. It is non-alcoholic, it uses real sugar and it is "inspired by one of the backwoods’ most honored legends." You can get it at The Great Outdoors Show, maybe to put in your Sip-n-oodle.

    Kurt Parsons
    Kurt Parsons
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  • Conservation Trailer

    You'll have to go outside for this one. The door leading to the Illinois Department of Conservation's educational wildlife trailer is right next to the bounce house and slide. Several examples of taxidermy are on display. The department also has a booth inside the Oakley Lindsay Center. You can get a hunting or fishing license at that booth while you're at the show.

    Kurt Parsons
    Kurt Parsons
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  • DockDogs

    “Basically dogs jumping into a pool to see how far they can go,” is how DockDogs was described by their announcer, Jered McMahon. “We also have two other disciplines. One’s called Speed Retrieve, that’s like a dog drag race, it’s a timed event; and then the other one is our Extreme Vertical competition, that’s our dog high jump.” DockDogs are making their first appearance in Quincy, and will be having activities throughout the weekend.

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