Cabelas Incorporated reported that a crowd estimated at 3,500 was on hand for the ribbon-cutting and grand opening of the Cabelas store in Billings on May 14. The ceremony kicked off 18 days of Grand Opening events at the new 80,000-square-foot superstore.
Cabelas said customers arrived as much as three hours early to be some of the first to shop the store, Cabelas first in Montana. The Cabelas parking lot was full and traffic was diverted to nearby empty lots as the crowd grew throughout the day.
Cabelas Chief Executive Officer Tommy Millner shared the stage with fellow guest speakers Billings Mayor Ron Tussing, Big Sky Economic Development Authority Board Chairman Jim Gallup and Michael Copeland, Cabelas Vice President of Retail Operations. Also on the stage were State Sen. Gary Branae, Rep. Margie MacDonald, Rep. Elsie Arntzen and outdoor TV celebrities Chad and Marsha Shearer.
After presentation of the U.S. flag by the 592nd Ordinance Battalion of the U.S. Army Reserve, the singing of the national anthem by music star Lance Combs, and brief remarks by the speakers, Millner cut the ribbon with an engraved commemorative hunting knife and the crowd surged into the store to the applause of Cabelas Outfitters, who Millner praised for their hard work in getting the store ready for the occasion.
