A free Sportsmen's Health Fair will be held, Saturday, Sept. 25, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., at the Schuylkill YMCA, 520 N. Centre St., Pottsville.

"We've always wanted to host a health fair just for outdoorsmen knowing how popular hunting and fishing are in this area," Schuylkill Y executive director Wayne Stump said. "Sometimes a hunter will get so excited about getting their equipment ready, they forget about the physical challenges on their body."For this inaugural event, the Y has partnered with Geisinger-Schuylkill County, which will provide health screenings, including blood-pressure screenings; height/weight modules, pulse oxygen; breathing test; vision and hearing tests and diabetic foot checks.In addition, Geisinger will provide vouchers for a free cholesterol lab test that can be done at Geisinger-Pottsville, just behind the YMCA.Several sportsmen's groups, Krause Taxidermy, Boyer's Food Markets, the Schuylkill Conservation District, Cabela's, Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission and the Pennsylvania Game Commission are also participating in the event. For information, call the Y at (570) 622-7850.**********This year's Pennsylvania Game Commission 24th Annual Middle Creek Wildfowl Show is being held today and Sunday at the Middle Creek Wildlife Management Area, Hopeland Road, Kleinfeltersville, with the visotr center open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. both days.Admission is free, but donations are accepted and will benefit the Wildlands Preservation Fund, which has helped to preserve more than 46,000 acres in an 18-county area in eastern Pennsylvania, including more than 1,200 acres at Middle Creek.Featured at the show are wildfowl carvings and carving supplies, artwork, collectibles, dog-training supplies and hunting items from more than 60 vendors. Retriever demonstrations will be today at 10 a.m. and noon and Sunday at 11 a.m. and 1 p.m., and will be conducted by two different retriever clubs presenting both water retrievals and upland retrievals.Decoy competitions will be held today at 1 p.m., and winners will be announced at 4 p.m. Carvers may enter their creations in different categories to include decorative, working and shorebird gunning rigs, and this year's decorative competition will feature wood ducks.Sunday at 2 p.m., the Pennsylvania State Duck and Goose Calling Championships will be held. Wining the duck calling qualifies the winner for the world duck calling championship in Stuttgart, Arkansas, and the winner of the goose calling competition qualifies for the world goose calling championship in Easton, Maryland.**********This year's "Pennsylvania Bowhunters Festival" is being held today and Sunday, at Sullivan County Fairground, Forksville, beginning daily at 6 a.m. For information, call Bill Feese at 570-525-3635, e-mail

info@pabowhunters.com or access on the Web at

www.pabowhunters.com.**********Wayne Stump of the Schuylkill YMCA is today's guest of Pennsylvania Outdoor Writers Association member Doyle Dietz on "Experience The Outdoors," from 7:30-8 a.m. on Oldies 1410-AM; Sunday, from 9:30-10 a.m., on WMGH, 105.5-FM; and on the Web at

www.wmgh.com by clicking the "Experience The Outdoors" link.**********Columbia County Open Buddy Bass Tournament will be held, Sunday, Susquehanna River, Danville; Nov. 7, Williamsport Linden Access Area; 5 a.m. to 2 p.m. For information, call tournament director Mike Monico at 570-752-3223.**********A 3-D course is open for public use from dawn to dusk at Bear's Head Sportsmen's Association, Delano, located off Exit 134 of Interstate 81, daily through Saturday, Oct. 23. Donations are accepted and for information call the clubhouse at 570-467-0331 or e-mail

docblazer@verizon.net.**********A trap shoot will be held, Thursday, Sept. 23, beginning at 6 p.m., at Orwigsburg Gun Club, Gun Club Road, off Route 443 East, Orwigsburg. For information, e-mail jafone@ comcast.net.**********This year's "Hawk Mountain Wildlife Art Show" will be held Saturday and Sunday, Sept 25 and 26, at Cabela's, Hamburg. For information call the visitor center at 610-756-6961.**********Schuylkill County Trout Unlimited meets Tuesday, Sept. 28, Oct. 26, Nov. 23, Dec. 21, beginning at 7 p.m., at Yorkville Fire Company, South 20th and West Norwegian Sts., Pottsville. For information, call Randy Emerich at 570-622-1252 or access on the Web at

www.schuylkilltu.org.**********This year's "Schuylkill County Friends of NRA Banquet" will be held Thursday, Sept. 30, beginning at 5 p.m., at the Schuylkill Mall. For additional information or reservations, call Mike McCord at 570-628-1382.**********Schuylkill Spurs Chapter of the National Wild Turkey Federation meets Thursday, Oct. 7 beginning at 7:30 p.m. at West Penn Archery, South Tamaqua. For information, call Kevin Titus at 570-668-5903.**********First Frontier Militia, the muzzleloader arm of Bowmanstown Rod and Gun Club, will hold muzzleloader shoots on the following dates: Sunday, Oct. 9 and 10, Nov. 14 and Dec. 12, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Bowmanstown Rod and Gun Club is located on Gun Club Road, off Route 248, Bowmanstown. For information, call Roger Fisher at 610-377-2812.