Midway Mall Sportsman Show – March 7, 1972

Yesterday we had a glimpse of what the Sportsmen’s Show in Cleveland was like in 1971 (as well as 1950).

Well, here’s a full-page newspaper ad promoting Midway Mall’s version of the show. It ran in the Journal on March 7, 1972. (Is that a Roy Doty illustration in the ad?)

It doesn’t appear that there were any special attractions or exhibits, so I would guess there were no lumberjacks or Indian chiefs there. A brief mention in the Chronicle-Telegram on the day of the show only mentioned the twenty-two sail boats on display.

I can’t remember if the Brady Bunch stopped at the Mall that day or not. 

Sadly, the era in which average families go camping as their idea of a great vacation seems to be over. Families with kids are much more likely to plan a mind-bogglingly expensive trip to Disney World, or go on a cruise, than contemplate pulling a pop-up trailer around the country and staying at Mom and Pop campgrounds for a few weeks.

More’s the pity. 

I’m glad I grew up in the times that I did. Camping is one of the defining events in my life, and it’s the only way my parents could afford to show my siblings and me the U.S.A. of the 1960s. I’m eternally grateful to them for that gift.

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I wrote about a few of our camping trips, including our 1965 trip to South Dakota.