It seems the annual Trails West! festival would hinder the turnout of visitors to an American Indian artifacts show the same weekend. But the outcome was just the opposite. In fact, it may have brought in more out-of-towners.

"Several Boy Scout troops have been here, and said they were headed to Trails West! after," said Mike George, an advocational archaeologist who hosted the show with the city's Parks and Recreation Department Saturday at the Remington Nature Center. "It's tied in real good."

The event, which had been advertised in national publications, started at 10 a.m. By 1 p.m., 366 guests had visited, with nearly three hours remaining.

Mr. George said he and other organizers were not planning on making the show an annual event, but with the large turnout Saturday, they may reconsider. "We're just tickled to death with the turnout," he said.

He noted that one family drove more than five hours from St. Louis, while others came from Muscatine, Iowa, and Cairo, Ill. "Some people have been here, a lot of them have not been here before," he said.

Those who purchased tickets for the show were encouraged to tour the rest of the Nature Center if they had not been there before. "It's like a two-for-one price deal today," he said.

People came not only to observe the display, but some brought in items they wanted identified.

Dixie Huffaker, from Clarksdale, Mo., and Eleanor Richey, from Maysville, Mo., had never been to the Nature Center and unintentionally picked a good day to go; they did not know an artifacts show was taking place. "We'd intended to come for six months or so," said Ms. Richey.

Ray Ottman and his son, Sean, had been there many times. "This is a return visit for us," Mr. Ottman said. "Like the fourth or fifth time," Sean added. They came specifically to view the new display. "I think just the quality of the display is wonderful. Almost every time period is represented," Mr. Ottman said.

Among the American Indian artifacts on display were stone axes, arrowheads, various rocks and fossils and Ice Age animal remains, such as woolly mammoth and mastodon bones.

One of the more unusual artifacts on display, Mr. George said, was a mammoth leg bone. "All the kids are getting a kick out of touching something that old," he said.

The city also was impressed with the turnout. "With the overwhelming success of the first one, we're considering making this an annual event," said Bill McKinney, Parks and Recreation director.