Don’t Miss Labor Day’s ‘Escape to the Wild’ Marathon

by James Parks, Aug 29, 2008

Looking for something to do before you go out to the Labor Day picnic? The VERSUS TV network is honoring America’s workers and sportsmen and sportswomen with its second annual “Escape to the Wild” Labor Day marathon Sept. 1, from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. EST.

“Escape to the Wild” is the union-sponsored television series of the Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership (TRCP), which airs on VERSUS. The show rewards members of AFL-CIO unions with a hunting or fishing trips of a lifetime. The show is supported by the Union Sportsmen’s Alliance (USA), a joint venture of the TRCP and 21 unions to promote conservation and access for hunters and anglers.

The half-day marathon features 10 “Escape to the Wild” episodes from seasons one and two in which winners travel the United States, Canada and Africa in search of big fish and dangerous game.

Host Tom Ackerman and previous “Escape to the Wild” winners will make special on-air appearances throughout the day sharing additional tales about their adventures. The day’s guests include New York City Fire Fighters (IAFF) member Rocky Raimondi and Electrical Workers (IBEW) member John Demers from Bidsboro, Pa. You can watch union members hunt black bears in Saskatchewan, fish for marlin off Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, or go on a safari in South Africa, stalking the top game on the plains: impala, zebra, warthog and wildebeest.

As an added bonus to the on-air marathon, VERSUSCountry.com will feature Web exclusive videos, recaps, blogs and images from the episodes.

The show has become quite a hit, with some 400,000 viewers for each episode. Says Ackerman:

There’s just something right about this show. The winners—and they are winners in every sense of the word—are hardworking Americans who share a love of the outdoors and have gone the extra mile in their community, at home or on the job.

Last week, we noted that some 348 IAFF members signed up to join USA at the union’s biennial convention. IAFF President Harold Schaitberger said:

For many of our members, hunting and fishing isn’t just what they do in their free time, they’re part of who they are. The sportsman’s association is a great concept and will give IAFF members with a love for the outdoors and a shared interest in hunting, fishing and shooting the opportunity to engage in these activities through our union.

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