Fishing derby set for June 9

— The Ninth Annual Community Fishing Derby, to be held at Crystal Lake in Decatur on June 9, will give kids a fun way to start their summer and enable them to spend some quality time with their favorite adult.

The annual program is sponsored by the Decatur Assembly of God Big Fisherman, Little Fisherman Community Fishing Program and the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission.

The derby is free for children, ages 1 through 14, and will include a free picnic lunch for participants and their families. All children must be accompanied by an adult.

The Game and Fish Commission will be stocking Crystal Lake with plenty of catfish for the event. If there is not enough rain to fill up the Crystal Lake overflow pond before the derby, the fish will be released into the main body of lake, according to organizer Nickie Smith.

Special prizes will be awarded in each of the four age groups for the largest and smallest fish; and every child will go home with a prize, whether or not they catch a fish. A grand prize will be awarded for the largest stringer for ages 1-7 and 8-14.

The grand prize for the 8-14 age group will be an airplane ride with Mike Mitchell of Crystal Lake Airport, Smith said. The grand prize for the 1-7 agegroup has yet to be determined, he said.

Support from sponsors, who provide funding and donate prizes, as well as the hard work from volunteers at the church, make it possible to offer the event to the community free of charge, he said.

“I want to say thanks to all the volunteers and all the sponsors. Without them and the volunteers from our church we couldn’t pull this off and make it free and fun for everybody,” Smith said.

The derby will be held from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m., June 9. Registration will begin at 8:15 a.m.

Pre-registration forms are available at the church and local businesses or online at dagchurch.com. For more information, call Nickie Smith at 238-6147.

Community, Pages 10 on 05/30/2012