SACO — Fishermen who cast a line as part of the second annual Alec Cyr Memorial Fishing tournament will not only be competing for cash prizes, but will also be helping to feed local children.
The catch and release tournament will start on Friday, July 19, ending Sunday at July 21, with weigh-in at 2 p.m. and awards at 3 p.m. Prizes include $500 for the largest fish and $500 for the top team.
The tournament is hosted by Saco Bay Rotary held in memory of Alec Cyr, an avid fisherman who died in 2011 from colon cancer.
Proceeds from the event will be divided between the BackPack Food Program, providing healthy food for students in Saco, Biddeford and Old Orchard Beach, and other charities supported by Rotary International.
Leo Menard, tournament chairman and Saco Bay Rotarian, said the BackPack Food Program provides food for students to take home over the weekends during the school year. In Saco, Biddeford and Old Orchard Beach, 60 high school students use this program, he said. The cost is $6.25 per student, per weekend.
For some people, it’s hard to imagine not having enough food, and going hungry is a foreign concept, said Menard. According to statistics provided by Good Shepherd Food Bank, one in four Maine children experience food insecurity, and across the state, more than 80,000 children qualify for free or reduced lunch.
“Most people enjoy the weekend,” said Menard. “But imagine how dreadful the weekend is when Friday at lunch time, you don’t know what you’re going to eat over the weekend.”
The cost to enter the tournament is $75, and includes admission to the Captain’s Party at Aquaboggin on Thursday, July 18 at 5:30 p.m., with an all-you-can-eat barbecue from Famous Dave’s, beer and wine, and a raffle ticket for a Yamaha 6 HP motor.
Saco Bay Rotarian Dennis Robillard said those who aren’t in the tournament can attend the party for $20, and event-goers can bid on auction items and purchase tickets for a variety of raffle items.
He said the event’s first year attracted about 35 fishermen, and event organizers are hoping for more this year, which is why they moved the tournament from August to July, hoping for better fishing.
Fishermen can fish offshore on a boat or from land, he said.
Registration is ongoing. For more information about the tournament or to sign up, go to www.sacobayfishing.org.
— Staff Writer Liz Gotthelf can be contacted at 282-1535, Ext. 325 or egotthelf@journaltribune.com.
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