Coast Guard Auxiliary to run life jacket swap at Center outdoor show

A four-day boat and outdoor show starts this evening at the La Crosse Center.

Among the many outdoorsy, warmer-weather things there will be the La Crosse Coast Guard Auxiliary.

Set up in the foyer of the South Hall of the Center, it’s running a kind of a lifejacket swap meet for parents, according to the Auxiliary’s Jerome Gundersen.

“We thought it’d be helpful for us to start a program where you can bring in a gently used jacket that’s no longer the right size for your child; bring it in and swap it,” Gundersen said.

Very evidently a need, Gundersen added.

“We go on missions almost weekly throughout the summer, and we see kids without jackets almost every single time we go out on the water,” he said.

Gundersen says Auxiliary members will fit your kids with life jackets of a more appropriate fit. There’s no charge for the service.

Tickets for the La Crosse Boat, Sport, Travel, RV and Hunting Show are $8 for adults, $5 for children aged 6-17. Kids 5 and under are free.

HOURS

• THURSDAY: 5-9 p.m.
• FRIDAY: 10 a.m. – 9 p.m.
• SATURDAY: 10 a.m. – 9 p.m.
• SUNDAY: 10 a.m. – 4 p.m.