With a successful “Water Festival” in the rearview mirror, the Jeffers Bend summer calendar continues May 28th for the 21st Annual “Take Kids Fishing” Day.
Because of the pandemic, it’s the first time in two years since the event last convened. Charles Turner, volunteer coordinator with Hopkinsville Resource Conservation & Development, said parents this past Saturday kept asking about the highly-anticipated gathering’s return.
Over the years, Turner noted that the event has only grown in popularity. And he’s expecting several hundred visitors to Jeffers Bend this time, too.
Families can pre-register for $2 per person at several locations, including Jeffers Bend, The Hopkinsville Boys & Girls Club, the county’s Extension Office and the Aaron McNeil Center. Turner said this cost includes a free hot dog, a bag of chips and a bottle of water, and for the children also includes a free T-shirt.
Pre-registration day of is $3 per person, and the day runs from 9 AM until noon.
Four age groups will be catered to — 3-to-5 year olds, 6-to-8, 9-to-11 and 12-to-15 — and Turner said there would be competitions and cash rewards for smallest fish, longest fish and the most fish in each age group.
A longest cast and quickest reel competition should also bring about some sporting fun, which Turner noted is the biggest reason for the morning.
One of the biggest chases, of course, will be the one after “Big Jeff.” Each year, the largest catfish stocked at Jeffers Bend is either tagged or identifiable. And for ages, it had evaded young anglers — until 2018, when 13-year-old Trey Blanton snagged and bagged the tagged 28-inch long lunker from along those banks.
That same weekend, a 24-inch and a 29-inch catfish were reeled…perhaps other “Big Jeffs,” or close ones, from past seasons.
Turner said another “Big Jeff” will be available this year, too.
“Take Kids Fishing” Day comes two weeks after a Water Festival that saw more than 300 children and their families come out and take part in dozens of activities wrapped around the world’s most important resource.
Turner said it was the kind of effort that makes volunteering “worth it.”
Neighbors and supporters in Hopkinsville Water Environment Authority, Turner added, help make that clean water possible for Christian County.
More than 30 sponsors helped make the “Water Festival” and “Take Kids Fishing” Day possible.
Key sponsors include the Pennyrile RC&D, HWEA, United Southern Bank, United States Department of Agriculture, Christian County Conservation District, First Financial Bank, Pennyrile Area Development District, City of Hopkinsville, Christian County Fiscal Court, Christian County Public Schools, Toyota, TGASK Automotive, Walmart, Jeffers Bend, Randy Arnold & Friends, and countless volunteers.
