Last Saturday I packed up the truck with all 4 kids, fishing poles, tackle, rain gear- the works- and headed out to the Buskin River for the annual Kiwanis sponsored Kids Pink Salmon Derby. I wasn't sure what to expect, the last fishing derby I participated in was in the middle of winter in Vermont...and required little more of me than to sip hot chocolate from a shack while watching for a bright orange flag to appear alerting me that I had indeed, caught a fish.
Not so much.
This event attracted over 200 kids - all of whom were sporting fishing poles with sharp, barbed lures attached to the end, which explained why the very first item each child was given after paying their entrance fee was a pair of snazzy safety glasses. The kids were all given a baseball cap with the derby logo, their choice of lure, and a door prize based upon their entrance number. Sarah and Emily were thrilled to have their pick of prizes from a table filled with locally donated items, while Laura was a big-ticket winner and came home with a beautiful Shakespeare rod and reel combo!
The day just got better and better. After a yummy lunch of burgers and dogs from the BBQ, we heard the horn signaling the start of fishing. After about an hour of fruitless effort, Laura was approached by a reporter from the local newspaper who asked her for an interview and photo. She felt quite proud to have been chosen from among so many kids, and we talked about how fun it would be to maybe see her in the paper on Monday.
We fished (unsuccessfully) for another hour or so and then took our gear back to the truck, and made our way to the arts and crafts stations. After making prints of salmon, halibut and sea stars and creating bear-hats, we decided to call it a day.
It was a great day and I can't wait til next years' derby!
1 comment:
Congratulations, Laura! You're a super-star...but we already knew that!
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