Boat Show and Fishing Expo opens

Perusing the various boats displayed at the annual Boat Show and Fishing Exposition is, indeed, entertaining and informative, but the highlight of the show is always the high-end crafts — 75-foot houseboats worth upward of $1 million and the luxury yachts.

This year's show, which opened Wednesday and will run through Sunday, fills the South Towne Expo Center with more than $75 million in boats of all sizes, shapes and uses.

The show is open today 2 to 10 p.m. Hours Friday are noon to 10 p.m.; Saturday from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m., and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Admission is $8 for adults, $7 for seniors, and $6 for children 7 to 12.

Among the special attractions will be an indoor wake park, a live-action trout stream, a 4,000-gallon bass aquarium and the popular fly-tying theater, which will feature some of the area's best fly-fishing experts.

Boats, of course, are the main draw, and there are boats of all sizes and shapes, ranging from small aluminum duck boats to large luxury yachts and, of course, the houseboats.

The wake park is a 5,000-gallon pool that allows some of the world's best wake skaters to perform boarding maneuvers while being pulled by a high-speed winch.

The South Town Expo Center is located at 9500 S. State. For information call 801-485-7399 or visit the Web site at www.greenband.com.