PITTSBURGH, April 30, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Dick's Sporting Goods (NYSE: DKS), the largest U.S. based full-line sporting goods retailer, invites the community of Union to their three-day grand opening weekend. The store will open its doors on Wednesday, May 2 and begin the celebration with a ribbon cutting ceremony on Friday, May 4 at 8:00 a.m. at the retailer's new location at the Route 22 Retail Center, 2700 Route 22 East, Union, NJ 07083, (908) 964-2580. Special extended store hours will also be in effect for Friday (8:00 a.m. – 10:00 p.m.), Saturday (8:00 a.m. – 10:00 p.m.) and Sunday (9:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.).

Union Mayor Joseph Florio will make a very special appearance at an 8:00 a.m. ribbon-cutting ceremony on Friday.

Dick's Sporting Goods also has a special athlete appearances and a variety of giveaways scheduled to celebrate the grand opening festivities. On Friday, the first customers through the door will receive a free Reebok t-shirt and there will also be a free Columbia t-shirt giveaway on Saturday.  Both giveaways are while supplies last. 

Sunday's schedule will feature a Mystery Gift Card Giveaway for the first 100 customers in line, who will receive unmarked Dick's Sporting Goods gift cards in varying denominations from $5 to $500, with one person winning the $500 card (limit one per person and must be 18 years or older). There will also be a special appearance by David Diehl from 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m.* Diehl has started every game in his nine-year career on the New York Giants' offensive line, and is a member of two Super Bowl Champions.

Each day throughout the weekend, customers will also be able to register for the chance to win a $100 Dick's Sporting Goods gift card, provided by SofSole.  Additionally, there will be a Grand Opening Sweepstakes for current ScoreCard® Rewards Program members and those customers who enroll in the program during the weekend, featuring two $250 gift cards and one $500 gift card.  ScoreCard® Rewards members will also earn triple points on purchases.  There will also be activities throughout the store including product demonstrations by industry experts from Berkley, Brooks, Bear Archery, Superfeet, Mizuno and Eagle Claw, among others.  More details on all promotions are available at the store location.

"We look forward to opening our new Dick's Sporting Goods store in Union and becoming part of the community," said Lauren Hobart, Dick's Sporting Goods Chief Marketing Officer.  "We want to serve athletes of all ages in Union by providing the equipment they need to help them excel."

The Union location will be the retailer's 16th store in the state of New Jersey and its 487th nationwide.

Visit www.dickssportinggoodsonline.com/Grand_Open/Union/ for more grand opening details and directions.

Dick's Sporting Goods is proud to be an active member of the communities they serve through the efforts of Community Marketing and Youth Sports programs. Dick Stack, founder of Dick's Sporting Goods, believed that sports play a vital role in teaching our children fundamental values like a strong work ethic, teamwork, and good sportsmanship. Stack understood that supporting the organizations that make youth sports possible is the best way to promote those values. Today, that legacy continues. Dick's Sporting Goods shares the same enthusiasm for and commitment to youth sports in our communities.

This year, through its Community Youth Sports Program, Dick's Sporting Goods will donate thousands of coach's equipment kits to youth sports organizations across select markets – reaching over a million athletes.  For more information about Dick's Sporting Goods Community Marketing and the programs they offer, please contact Jerry Copsinis at Jerry.Copsinis@dcsg.com or visit http://dickssportinggoods.sponsorport.com/.

* Beginning at 9:00 a.m. local time, 250 wristbands will be distributed on a first-come, first-served basis at the store on the day of event only.  Limit one wristband and one autograph per person.  Fans must have a wristband and must be in the Special Appearance line by 1:00 p.m. to receive an autograph.  Times and appearances are subject to change without notice. See store for details.

About Dick's Sporting Goods, Inc.
Dick's Sporting Goods, Inc. is an authentic full-line sporting goods retailer offering a broad assortment of brand name sporting goods equipment, apparel and footwear in a specialty store environment. The Company also owns and operates Golf Galaxy, LLC, a golf specialty retailer. As of March 23, 2012, the Company operated more than 480 Dick's Sporting Goods stores in 44 states, more than 80 Golf Galaxy stores in 30 states and e-commerce web sites and catalog operations for both Dick's Sporting Goods and Golf Galaxy. Dick's Sporting Goods, Inc. news releases are available at http://www.dickssportinggoods.com/investors. The Company's web site is not part of this release.

Media Information:
Ross Kleinberg, Catalyst Public Relations for Dick's Sporting Goods
rkleinberg@catalystpublicrelations.com
212-714-7911

SOURCE Dick's Sporting Goods