From fishing and hunting stores to chainsaw service shops and its downtown hotel-casinos, Reno, Nev., is starting to buzz with anticipation about the ESPN Great Outdoor Games.

The games run July 10-13 at Reno's Rancho San Rafael Park and feature competitions in fishing, target sports, timber sports and sporting dogs.

"There's quite a bit of interest in it," said Dave Piccinini at Mark, Fore & Strike Sporting Goods in Reno. "Even though a lot of it isn't hunting and fishing, it's still something that will be pretty neat and I've heard a lot of our customers say they're going to go watch it. A lot of them are interested in seeing the lumberjack competitions."

The timber sports, which include competitions in chainsaw skills, wood chopping, tree climbing, log rolling and boom running, offer Reno outdoor enthusiasts something they don't normally get to see, said Dave Stanley, owner of the Reno Fly Shop.

"Oh yeah, the lumberjack events for sure are something our people want to see because it's such an unusual competition. That's not something you can go out and see every day around here."

Stanley said the fly fishermen who frequent his shop are intrigued by how those anglers in the fly fishing competition will approach the Truckee River, what strategies — and what flies — they will use.

"The thing with fly fishing is that most people don't get into it to make it a competitive sport," Stanley said. "It's more of a recreational deal for them. I think the fishermen are interested in what's going on and exactly how it's going to happen as far as how the competitors fish the river."

Archery enthusiasts feel the same way.

"It's more than just a buzz, people are pretty excited about it," said Chelsea Maitland of Maitland's Archery. "People aren't sure what its going to be about, so they're curious. Most of Nevada outdoorsmen are bowhunters, so the target shooting will be something different."

The same thing is true with some of the other events.

"One of our customers, he's a professional (chainsaw) carver, so he's made mention that he's going to go watch the saw competitions," said Rick Wingo at Nevada Small Engines.

"One of my reps has been talking about it. He's going to be there to see how his equipment is being used. We'll probably be there for the same reason, just to see how the products we sell stack up versus the other guys."

Event organizers are expecting 100,000 spectators for the games, a shot in the arm for Reno's tourism-based economy. Last year's games at Lake Placid, N.Y. drew 60,000.

"Reno as a whole is starting to understand the excitement behind the games," said Deanna Ashby, executive director of marketing for the Reno-Sparks Convention and Visitors Authority.

"The casinos and other businesses that are dependent on tourism are starting to understand the marketing value."

The Great Outdoor Games will be telecast on ESPN, giving exposure to northern Nevada as an outdoor recreation destination.

"They're all about viewership and we're all about visitation," Ashby said. "We're saying 'If you can't make it to the games, make sure you watch ESPN on the dates it will be showing. In the end, that's still a benefit to Reno. We're going to a worldwide audience and we have a chance to go out to people who don't already have a perception about what Reno-Lake Tahoe is. This will help educate them about what we have to offer.

"We couldn't have asked for anything better than the Great Outdoor Games to help us promote ourselves as America's adventure place."