Much has changed in the past three decades, but the annual Kids Fishing Derby, sponsored by the Scarborough Kiwanis Club, is still going strong.
The 30th annual event is scheduled for Saturday, May 7, at Bayley’s Campground, which stocks its freshwater ponds with trout and bass for the occasion. The event also includes minnow races and prizes, by age group, for the kids who catch the biggest fish.
Sharon Binette, chairwoman of the fishing derby committee, said the event first got started because the Kiwanis Club “wanted to do something for the kids in the community.”
She said the event is also seen as a “great way for families to get together and have fun.”
Binette said multiple generations of Scarborough residents attend the derby year after year, with many prior participants now bringing their own children.
One such parent is John Harmon, who remembers first taking part in the derby when he was 10 years old. He now brings his 8-year-old son, Nicholas, to the event.
“I love the atmosphere the derby creates, with the kids jumping up and down and their big smiles when they catch a fish,” he said.
Harmon said he’s been bringing Nicholas to the fishing derby for the past five years, and the boy usually catches a couple fish each year.
“We’re a big fishing family,” said Harmon, who is also a member of the Kiwanis Club.
He said the derby has been so successful throughout the years because it’s “for a great cause and is very well run. The generosity of the Bayley family for use of their facility also makes it a wonderful setting and place for families to come. I literally see generations of families at the event year after year.”
In general, Binette said, between 125 and 150 kids take part in the derby each year.
“The goal is for families to come together and have fun and enjoy themselves,” she said. “During the week, families are busy and don’t always have time to spend together and by hosting this event it encourages them to take time out of their busy schedule and have fun.”
The fishing derby is the Kiwanis Club’s biggest fundraiser of the year. The proceeds support Kiwanis leadership programs in the Scarborough schools, the club’s annual scholarship program and other service groups in town, such as Project GRACE and the Scarborough Food Pantry.
Binette said Kiwanis members spend months getting ready for the derby and “the biggest thing for us is to make sure that everyone is having a good time. Each year we give out trophies to the kids who catch the biggest fish. We also take their picture and they are so proud.”
She said the Kiwanis Club is “not surprised this event has gone on for so long. We have so many families in the community that look forward to this and some even contact us prior to the event to make sure that is still going to happen. Members of the community truly look forward to this each year.”
Joyce Leary Clark, president of the Kiwanis Club, joined the group nine years ago and has worked at every fishing derby since.
“My daughter, Emma, first started coming in utero in 1998, and has progressed from attending as a small child to working at the event,” she said.
Clark also noted that members of the club’s school-based programs also help out at the derby every year, with kids in grades 3 through 5 selling worms and members of the Builders Club at Scarborough Middle School help with the minnow races.
Binette joined the Scarborough Kiwanis Club 12 years ago and she’s been heading the derby for the past 10.
“The reason I do it each year is because of the pleasure it gives me knowing what we as a Kiwanis Club are doing for the children of the community. To see the smile on a child’s face when they catch their first fish, the excitement is just amazing.”
She added, “It sometimes brings tears to my eyes just watching how much fun these kids are having and knowing that our club helped put those smiles on their faces. It’s hard to explain the feeling, you have to experience it for yourself.”
A closer look
The Scarborough Kiwanis Club is holding its 30th annual Kids Fishing Derby on Saturday, May 7, 9 a.m.-2 p.m., at Bayley’s Camping Resort, off Pine Point Road. Call 883-6043 for more information.
Hundreds of people turn out each year for the annual Kids Fishing Derby, sponsored by the Scarborough Kiwanis Club.
Nicholas Harmon, 7, shows off the fish he caught at last year’s Kids Fishing Derby.
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