Hunter Wilson/Daily NewsMajor outdoor retailer Gander Mountain opened a 65,000-square-foot retail outlet this week off Greenwood Lane. A new Camping World location, adjacent to Gander Mountain, also opened; grand openings for both stores are planned for next weekend.

The grand opening next weekend of outdoor lifestyle supplier Gander Mountain is expected to be a big tourism draw for Warren County.

The event will feature Grammy-winning country music star John Michael Montgomery and the Orange County Choppers, as well as top sportsmen giving demonstrations and a virtual bass fishing tournament with $5,000 in prizes.

The concert is free, but concertgoers must visit the store to get a ticket. One thousand tickets will be given out on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, and each visitor is limited to four tickets.

“We were afraid things were getting out of hand because so many people were interested,” assistant store manager James Lee said. “So we decided we needed to give out tickets.”

Even without a grand opening, Gander Mountain is considered to be a destination stop, according to David Wiseman, a board member of the Bowling Area Convention and Visitors Bureau.

Making Warren County a “destination” has been a goal of the tourism board for years, and tourism director Vicki Fitch said the store will also be another activity for those who already visit.

“Overnight visitors to southcentral Kentucky rank shopping as a top activity,” she said. “With the addition of Gander Mountain to our city, this will not only be good for local residents, it will be a big win for tourism.”

Duncan Hines, marketing director for the tourism bureau, said he expects the grand-opening weekend to be a huge draw for the community.

The adjacent Camping World retail store will also have its grand opening Thursday through Sunday. The stores are off Greenwood Lane and can be seen from Interstate 65 near the Greenwood interchange.

Lee said the two stores, which both had a soft opening this week, complement each other.

Gander Mountain outfits hunters and fishermen, while Camping World supplies everything needed for recreational vehicles.

Gander Mountain features 65,000 square feet of covered space and another 25,000 square feet of outdoor space for boats and ATVs. The store includes a large selection of footwear for both outdoor and everyday use, men’s and women’s clothing, Western boots, kayaks, canoes, guns, bows, an indoor archery alley, a large outdoor cooking and smoking session and numerous other items, according to store manager Cory Lickiss.

Lickiss said the store also has a gunsmith among its 90 employees, something unique to the region.

He also points to the many experts the store has hired to help customers; those customer service reps and clerks can be easily spotted in fluorescent orange and khaki hunting vests. National hunting and fishing experts also will be brought in for the grand opening to provide educational seminars. Information about those seminars can be found on the Gander Mountain Web site.

Camping World also focuses on educating its customers and will have hourly seminars during its grand opening, according to complex manager Phillip Mitchell.

Mitchell said customers love the brand new 21,000-square-foot store, where they can find just about any camping “toy” imaginable.

The interstate visibility is also a major plus, according to Vince Milam, vice president of retail marketing for Camping World, which has its corporate offices (and got its start 41 years ago) in Bowling Green.

The Camping World reatil outlet, which employees 20 people, installs all of the products it sells and has a five-bay service area for vehicles.

During the four-day grand opening, the store will be giving away lunch each day from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., gifts to its first 50 customers and door prizes.

Mitchell and Milam said they hope to eventually bring a recreational vehicle dealership to the site in Bowling Green, and managers from both stores said they expect to build off each other’s business.

Lickiss and Lee said they expect Gander Mountain to draw in people from a 2 1/2-hour radius. On Thursday afternoon, there were several vehicles with Tennessee plates in the parking lot, as well as others from Kentucky counties outside Warren.

David Garvin, the founder of Camping World, said the opening of the large two-store facility hasn’t dampened his plans to try to lure outdoor company Cabella’s as the centerpiece to 850 acres he owns along Interstate 65 in Simpson County.

“We are still talking to them every day,” Garvin said. “And I don’t think Gander Mountain opening here is going to affect Cabella’s decision.”

What will impact the decision is if the General Assembly, in its 2008 session, decides to offer the company incentives to locate here.

“I think the new administration will be more open to that,” Garvin said, referring to his expectations that Steve Beshear will be elected governor in November.

Moving Camping World from Beech Bend Road and closer to the interstate, however, probably does squelch any potential of putting a Camping World location in Simpson County.

“I think by moving there (adjacent to Gander Mountain), they have made that their choice,” Garvin said.

Garvin said he expects Gander Mountain’s opening could even have a positive influence on Cabella’s, when the company sees the broad interest in such products in the region.

— For more information about Gander Mountain and a detailed schedule of activities, visit www.gandermountain.com and click on “Store Locator” to go to the Bowling Green location. For more information about Camping World, visit www.campingworld.com.

Gander Mountain

Hours: Regular store hours – 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Thursday; 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday; and 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Sunday; grand opening hours – 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. Friday; 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. Oct. 20; and 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. Oct. 21.

Camping World

Winter Hours: retail – 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Saturday; 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday and service hours – 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Saturday.