It’s been a week since the 2023 Kids Fishing Derby saw over two hundred entrants and their alleged adults spend the morning of Father’s Day at H.H. Knoll Park in Port Colborne, competing to see which among them could land the biggest catch-and-release fish.
For the first time this year, the Port Colborne Optimist Club managed the event, and I helped a little. I made and printed the posters, registration forms, event rules, and drew the map. The latter showed a designated fishing area, basically everwhere inside the foot bridge. The event was so successful there simply was not enough room for all the entrants to fit in there, so the fishing area was expanded on the fly to include the lakefront right up to the boat docks. That’s indicative of the scale and success of the event, and we rolled with it.
Photos
I appointed myself as event photographer. It’s fun being a director, sometimes. As the event unfolded I used my event photography experience as I wandered the lakefront. I captured many quiet family moments during the fishing phase, as well as crowd shots. Then we moved to lunch and the prize giving. Here it got a litle crazy, as kids surged and screamed as we gave away prizes and trophies and bikes. But I’ve shot rock concerts. No problem.
I’ve posted the images from the event to a folder on my photo site for the community to see and enjoy. Free to view, prints are available for those that want them and can be ordered through the site in the usual manner. I request that if you screenshot any images you leave in the Optimist Club logo. That’s only fair. There are probably far more images than you want to scroll through, but if you were there on the day there is a good chance you will be in one or more so I encourage you to check the full gallery, especially the fun at the end. Enjoy!
As part of my own commitment to the community and the Optimist Club I plan to release similar galleries from all future events. This will grow into a library of memories that should showcase the fun that our small community can bring. Next up will be Canada Day, for which the club and I are already making preparations. That too is shaping up to be quite a special day. But that is also another story. For now, just enjoy the photos of the 2023 Kids Fishing Derby. And look at the smiles on some of those faces.
We did that. You did that. They did that. It takes a community. It does indeed.
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